How To Make Bánh Mì (Vietnamese Baguette)
Make your own Vietnamese baguettes! These Bánh Mì have a light and cottony crumb with a super thin and crispy crust! This is the closest recipe to Vietnamese Bánh Mì!
Ingredients
- 160 ml water at room temperature
- 250 g bread flour (at least 12% protein)
- 1/2 tsp bread improver
- 1/2 tsp dry yeast
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/4 + 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp vitamin C from powder or a crushed tablet
- 2 tbsp vegan butter for brushing
Instructions
- Add the water, bread flour, bread improver, dry yeast, sugar, salt, and vitamin C to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
- Mix on speed 2 for about one minute, or until everything is combined. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides if needed. Now, increase the speed to the maximum (10 on a Kitchenaid), and let the stand mixer knead at full speed for about 8 minutes. Keep an eye on it as it will move because of the speed.
- Using slightly oiled hands, transfer the dough to a greased countertop or smooth surface. The dough should be elastic and very sticky, that's normal. Cover the dough with a bowl upside down and let it rest for about 20 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to its lowest temperature (about 86°F/30°C). If it cannot go that low, just turn the oven light on. Place a baking sheet or bowl filled with about 3 cups of boiling water in the bottom of the oven (this will create humidity and prevent the dough from drying). Grease two baguette pans with an oiled kitchen paper towel and set aside.
- After 20 minutes, divide the dough into four pieces of about 100g or five pieces of 80g for smaller bánh mì.
- To shape: slap a ball of dough on your greased working surface, then use your hands to flatten it into a thin rectangle. Next, roll it out into a roll of about 5-inch long (see photos or our video below to get an idea of how to shape the baguettes). Transfer to the prepared baguette pan and repeat with the remaining balls of dough.
- Place the baguette pans in the preheated oven and let the dough rise until it has almost quadrupled in size. This will take between 1 and 2 hours, depending on the temperature. Note: The dough should bounce back slightly when you press it. If it bounces back quickly, it's underproofed.
- Once your dough has quadrupled in size, remove the pans from the oven. Preheat the oven to
400 °F (200°C) and place an iron skillet in the bottom of the oven. This will help retain heat better. Let the oven preheat for at least 25 minutes. - Boil about 3 cups of water. In the meantime, using an oiled razor blade (or very sharp knife), score each loaf with 2-3 cuts. Tip: Hold the blade at a 45° angle (not perpendicular) and make cuts of about 1/2 cm deep.
- Spray your baguettes with water. This will help create cracks on the crust.
- Now, pour the boiling water into the iron skillet and place your baguette pans into the oven. Immediately close the oven door and turn off the oven fan.
- Bake for about 13-15 minutes, or until the banh mi are golden brown. Do not open the door during baking. Once your banh mi have a nice color, carefully flip them upside down and bake for another 4 minutes, or until the bottom is golden brown as well.
- Remove from the oven and hear them crack! Some cracks should appear very quickly, that's one of the characteristics of a good banh mi. If you want them to have a nice shine, lightly brush them with melted vegan butter and let them cool a bit before eating.
- Banh mi are best eaten the same day, the crust is super crispy and the crumb so fluffy! You can keep them for up to 3 days at room temperature in a bread bag. They will become softer the next day, but you can reheat in a preheated oven to make them crispy again.
Video
Notes
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- Do not make any substitutions. I highly advise against using any substitution. This is not a recipe that you can tweak to your liking or use whatever you have on hand. Each ingredient and its ratio have been carefully calculated and tested.
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- Adjust the amount of water. Not all brands of flour are equal, and while the exact measurements will work for the majority of people, some may have to slightly adjust the amount of water. The dough should be very soft, smooth, and just slightly sticky. If it appears too dry, add more water. On the other hand, if it's too sticky, add a bit more flour.
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- Brush with melted butter. After baking, you can brush the baguettes with a thin coating of melted butter. This will give your baguettes a shiny, more professional appearance.
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- The recipe was adapted from this video, with the help of friends to translate the ingredients and amounts. We also got tips from local bakeries in Saigon.
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- Some Vietnamese bakers add "fat powder" as well as coconut powder, which I didn't add and still got great results.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 bánh mì | Calories: 232 kcal | Carbohydrates: 48.5 g | Protein: 6.8 g | Fat: 0.6 g | Saturated Fat: 0.1 g | Sodium: 292 mg | Potassium: 82 mg | Fiber: 1.9 g | Sugar: 0.7 g | Calcium: 10 mg | Iron: 3 mg