How to Make a Baguette Soft Again

Acquire how to make the VERY BEST Vietnamese baguette! These bánh mì have the perfect light and cottony crumb with a super crispy crust! This recipe is the outcome of a ton of trials and help from Vietnamese friends to reach the perfect texture and flavor. Look no farther for an authentic recipe!

Jump to:

• 📘 What is Bánh Mì
• 🥣 How to Make Bánh Mì
• 🥖 Where to Apply Bánh Mì
• 🇻🇳 More Vietnamese-Inspired Recipes
• 📖 Recipe

My quest to making accurate Bánh Mì is finally over! After so many trials I lost count, I'g super excited to finally share the recipe to make these super light Vietnamese baguettes! Permit'due south bake!

📘 What is Bánh Mì

Bánh Mì is a Vietnamese staff of life that appeared during the French colonization, around 1880. French colonists brought bread every bit well equally paté, java, crème caramel, yogurt, and more, influencing Vietnamese cuisine. Vietnamese tweaked the breadstuff by filling information technology with paté, carrot and radish pickles, fresh herbs, and all sorts of meat. Information technology is now considered one of the best sandwich in the world.

Bánh Mì, that translates to "wheat cake", is the name of the bread itself, but besides the filled sandwich.

So, what'southward and so special about bánh mì? The uniqueness of this bread is that it is extremely light. The within is then airy it almost looks like processed floss, and the crust is super thin and crispy with visible cracks on it. Another difference is that, as opposed to other breads, this one tends to become soft and chewy the side by side 24-hour interval, it doesn't actually dry out.

To me, preparing a Bánh Mì sandwich starts with the perfect bread, French baguette but doesn't compare. Traditional French baguettes take a much thicker crust and more crumb, so the weight to volume ratio is much higher. Bánh Mì is lighter (less crumb), making it easier to digest, and perfect to add a ton of fillings!

🥣 How to Make Bánh Mì

I tried many recipes and I could not find a unmarried i that gave a real bánh mì texture. Most and then-called Vietnamese baguette recipes yield nice results but far from the ones I tried and loved in Việt Nam. After a lot of research, insane amount of trials, and invaluable help from Vietnamese friends, I finally nailed it! If you are looking for an authentic bánh mì that is as light as a plumage, this recipe surely won't disappoint.

What is the secret to getting this extremely calorie-free texture and thin crust? Well, there is not a single answer to that, information technology'south the combination of multiple things:

• A high hydratation dough. This dough contains more moisture than virtually staff of life dough. In fact, it'southward so viscid you volition demand to work with oiled easily when treatment the dough.
• A loftier poly peptide flour: Aim for a wheat flour with about 12% protein. If you lot but take all-purpose flour (8% protein) on hand, don't try this recipe every bit you will exist disappointed by the results. The high amount of gluten allows the dough to become a calorie-free and elastic consistency, as well as a better rising. You tin observe high-poly peptide flour here.
• Bread add-on: An essential ingredient, the add-on of bread improver allows the dough to rise for a longer period, giving it a fluffier texture. I found mine online, but you may try asking a bakery if they can sell you some (they usually have information technology).
• The add-on of vitamin C: Information technology acts as a boost for the yeast. I used vitamin C pulverization, but you lot tin can utilise crushed vitamin c tablets.
• A high-speed kneading: For this recipe, you will need a stand mixer. We will run it at total speed to develop the gluten.
• A long rising time: You want to let your baguettes ascent for at least two hours in a warm and boiling environment. The baguettes volition proceed rising for the whole two hours cheers to the addition of the bread addition and the vitamin C.
• A lot of steam in the oven: This will allow the crust to develop cracks and stay thin and super crispy.

Practice non omit or substitute whatsoever ingredient if yous desire the best results. And no, this recipe cannot be made gluten-free, pitiful.

Quick notation: Bánh mì dough doesn't contain whatsoever rice flour nowadays, unfortunately in that location is a lot of misinformation well-nigh that (Wikipedia included). IT IS Not the hush-hush to its light texture, neither is the shaping/rolling of the dough. Information technology's all about what is listed above.

Equipment Needed

Before starting, you will need a few essential tools:

• A high-speed stand mixer: This one is a must, I would not recommend kneading by hand for this recipe.
• A perforated baguette pan: If you lot want round and good-looking baguettes, a baguette pan will definitely assist. It also helps the heat distribute better, giving the baguettes a more uniform, golden dark-brown color.
• A bread lame: For scoring the loaves earlier baking. You actually don't need the handle, just a standard razor blade works well.
• A spray canteen: To spray the baguettes before blistering.
• And a skillful oven!

Preparing the dough

Alright, permit's start! First, add all the ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer: bread flour, salt, sugar, staff of life improver, vitamin C, dry yeast, and water. And then, knead on the highest speed for 7-viii minutes.

Once the dough is silky smoothen and pasty, transfer to a greased surface and let it rest covered for about 20 minutes. So, divide it into either six pieces of about 70g each or five pieces of 84g. I went with 70g as this seems to exist the norm for most bánh mì in Việt Nam.

Shaping

It's at present time to shape the baguettes!

For the shaping, I would recommend checking some videos like this i to get an idea of how to do information technology. At that place are dissimilar ways to shape your baguettes, you tin slap the dough into a long trapeze, and so fold it in half, flatten it, and then roll. Or, flatten the dough into a rectangle and so only scroll it. Don't be too hard on yourself, the shaping will not have a huge impact on the overall texture of your staff of life. Try to do your all-time though, only don't worry, it's pretty forgiving once they rise every bit you lot can see below.

Next, place your fiddling loafs of dough on a greased baguette pan. To proof, I recommend placing your pans in an oven at about 86°F (30°C) with a baking sheet or basin filled with warm water to keep enough humidity. I had a lot of trouble at first with the baguettes developing a crust and drying out during proofing (a dry crust stops the dough from rising more). To prevent that, you want to cover your baguettes with a wet cheese cloth. Don't use a kitchen towel every bit information technology'southward too heavy and could preclude the baguettes from rising well.

After two hours, your baguettes should have most quadrupled in size! Time to bake!

Baking

A lot of wet in the oven is the secret to that thin crust. Preheat your oven to 475°F (250°C) with an iron skillet placed at the bottom. The skillet will retain a lot of oestrus, so when you volition open the oven to bake your baguettes, it will come back to a high temperature more quickly.

Once your oven is at the correct temperature, spray the baguettes with water and score at a 45 degrees angle using an oiled razor blade. Pour boiling h2o into the iron skillet to create a lot of steam, add your pans to the oven, and turn off the oven fan. By baking with no fan, we keep a ton of moisture inside the oven.

Be careful, Practise NOT open the door of the oven during the first 15 minutes otherwise your baguettes will slightly collapse. See, the high heat and steam within the oven makes the bread ascension, but if you lot open the door earlier the crust has set, it volition simply collapse and you will loose that super airy nibble. Nosotros won't spray the baguettes with water during baking every bit there is already enough humidity.

Subsequently xvi-18 minutes, remove your golden brown bánh mì from the oven, and allow information technology cool. You should hear the audio of a crackling fire and see cracks announced on the chaff within 5 minutes! Magical!

I'one thousand so happy with how these turned out! The crust is so thin and crispy, and the crumb is incredibly lite!

I would say the just thing I could non get perfectly right are the ears, I nevertheless need to work on my scoring skills. Other than that, these little bánh mì are so close to the real ones! I had my share of bánh mì in Viet Nam for about a twelvemonth, so you can trust me on that!

🥖 Where to Utilize Bánh Mì

Bánh Mì, while served as a sandwich, is usually eaten for breakfast in Việt Nam, although you lot can take it someday of the day. The vegan versions usually include vegan paté, mayo, pickles, some sort of vegan "meat", Maggi seasoning, fresh cilantro, Thai basil, and many other add-ins like peanuts, crispy shallots, etc. Hither are a few recipes and ideas on where to use Bánh Mì:

• Pulled Mushrooms Bánh Mì: If you want a super meaty and juicy sandwich, this recipe won't disappoint!
• With Vegan Beefiness Stew or Vietnamese Back-scratch: Dip a piece of bánh mì to soak upward the sauce, yum!
• Grilled and drizzled with chili sauce, mayo, and green onions like in this Spicy Grilled Bread. This works best with ane-2 days onetime bánh mì.
• To brand Vegan Roast Pork: in this recipe, we apply the crust of the baguette to mimic the pork skin. The sparse crust adds color as well as a nice crunchiness once fried.
• Anywhere else you would utilise bread!

I hope y'all will love these lilliputian baguettes! SO low-cal and crispy!

Allow me know in the comments if y'all try this recipe, and tag @fullofplants on Instagram if you make it!

📖 Recipe

How To Brand Bánh Mì (Vietnamese Baguette)

Make your own Vietnamese baguettes! These Bánh Mì take a lite and cottony crumb with a super thin and crispy chaff! This is the closest recipe to Vietnamese Bánh Mì!

Prep Time 20 mins

Melt Time eighteen mins

Resting Time 2 hrs

Total Time ii hrs 38 mins

Course Staff of life, Principal Grade, Side Dish

Cuisine French, Vietnamese

Servings vi pocket-size baguettes

Calories 127 kcal

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

• ▢ 170 ml water at room temperature
• ▢ 250 g staff of life flour (at least 12% protein)
• ▢ ane teaspoon bread improver
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon dry yeast
• ▢ ½ teaspoon sugar
• ▢ ¼ + ⅛ teaspoon common salt
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon vitamin C from powder or a crushed tablet
• ▢ 2 tablespoon vegan butter for brushing

• Add the h2o, breadstuff flour, bread addition, dry yeast, sugar, salt, and vitamin C to the basin of a stand mixer fitted with the dough claw.

• 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 allow the stand up mixer knead at total speed for virtually viii minutes. Go along an eye on it as it volition move because of the speed.

• Using slightly oiled hands, transfer the dough to a greased countertop or polish surface. The dough should be rubberband and very sticky, that'due south normal. Cover the dough with a bowl upside downwardly and let it rest for about xx minutes.

• Preheat your oven to its lowest temperature (about 86°F/30°C). If information technology cannot get that low, just plow the oven light on. Place a baking sheet filled with warm h2o in the lesser of the oven. Grease two baguette pans with an oiled kitchen paper towel and set aside.

• After 20 minutes, split the dough into 6 assurance of near 70g each. This is the regular size of banh mi, however if you desire bigger baguettes, divide the dough into 5 pieces of 84g.

• 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 information technology out into a roll of near 5-inch long (see photos and this video to go an idea of how to shape the baguettes). Transfer to the prepared baguette pan and repeat with the remaining balls of dough.

• Wet two lightweight cheesecloth and place them on the baguette pans, this will prevent the baguettes from drying and forming a crust. Place the baguette pans in the preheated oven and allow the dough rise for about 2 and a half hours. Cheque after 1 hour and re-adapt the cheesecloth if needed (since the dough will rising, you might take to carefully remove the cheesecloth and supersede it on top then it doesn't terminate the dough from rise well).

• Once your dough has quadrupled in size, remove the pans from the oven but go along the cheesecloth on top. Preheat the oven to 475°F (247°C) and place an fe skillet in the bottom of the oven. This will aid retain oestrus better. Allow the oven preheat for at least 25 minutes.

• Boil about 3 cups of water. In the concurrently, remove the cheesecloth and spray the dough with water. Using an oiled razor blade (or very precipitous knife), score each loaf with 2-3 cuts. Tip: Concord the blade at a 45° angle (not perpendicular) and make cuts of near ½ cm deep.

• Spray with water once more. Now, place your baguette pans into the oven and pour the boiling h2o into the fe skillet. Immediately close the oven door and turn off the oven fan.

• Broil for near 17 minutes, or until the banh mi are golden brown. Do not open the door during baking. Once your banh mi have a nice colour, advisedly flip them upside downwards and bake for another 4 minutes, or until the bottom is gilt brown as well.

• Remove from the oven and hear them crack! Some cracks should announced very quickly, that's one of the characteristics of a good banh mi. If y'all want them to accept 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 24-hour interval, the crust is super crispy and the crumb so fluffy! You lot can go along them for upward to iii days at room temperature in a breadstuff bag. They will become softer the next day, but you can reheat in a preheated oven to brand them crispy once more.

Recipe adjusted from this video and this ane with the aid of friends for translation of ingredients and amounts.

Some Vietnamese bakers add "fat pulverization" every bit well as kokosnoot powder, which I didn't add and still got great results.

Serving: i baguette (about 45g) Calories: 127 kcal Carbohydrates: 23.5 g Protein: 4.three g Fat: i.5 g Fiber: i.3 1000 Sugar: 2.4 k

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Source: https://fullofplants.com/how-to-make-banh-mi-vietnamese-baguette/

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