Vietnamese Bánh Mì Baguette

Ingredients

Poolish

Equal parts flour and water at 100% hydration, built the night before.

• 200g (1⅔ cups) all-purpose flour
• 200g (¾ cup + 2 tablespoons) water, room temperature
• 0.4g (⅛ teaspoon) instant yeast — A pinch. This is meant to ferment slowly overnight.

Final Dough

Add all of the ripe poolish to these.

• 250g (2⅛ cups) all-purpose flour
• 50g (5 tablespoons) white rice flour — White rice flour only. Not mochiko.
• 115g (½ cup) water, 80°F (27°C)
• 5g (1½ teaspoons) instant yeast
• 25g (2 tablespoons) granulated sugar
• 10g (1¾ teaspoons) fine sea salt
• 14g (1 tablespoon) neutral oil — Canola, grapeseed, or sunflower

Total flour: 500g

Hydration: 63%

Pro tip: Use white rice flour, not sweet or glutinous rice flour. Sweet rice flour is a different starch and it will turn the crumb gummy. The bag usually says mochiko. Leave that one on the shelf.

Equipment

• Digital Baking Scale
• Large Mixing Bowl
• Dough Whisk (optional)
• Bench Scraper
• Bread Lame
• Sheet Pan
• Metal Pan for Steam
• Spray Bottle (optional)
• Instant-Read Thermometer
• Wire Cooling Rack

Method

Build the Poolish (The night before, 10 to 14 hours ahead)

Equal parts flour and water with a pinch of yeast. That's a poolish by definition, and it's where the flavor comes from.

1. Mix the poolish. Whisk the yeast into the room-temperature water until dissolved. Add the flour and stir until smooth, about the consistency of thick pancake batter. Scrape the sides down and cover loosely.
2. Ferment overnight. Leave it at room temperature, around 70°F to 74°F (21°C to 23°C), for 10 to 14 hours. It's ready when the surface is domed and covered in bubbles and it smells sweet and winey. If the center has just started to sink, use it now.

Wait: PT12H

Tip: A pinch of yeast and a long night beats a teaspoon of yeast and three hours. Don't be tempted to speed it up.

Mix the Final Dough (About 20 minutes)

The poolish is 40% of your total flour, so most of the fermentation work is already done.

1. Combine. Scrape all of the ripe poolish into a large bowl. Add the warm water, all-purpose flour, white rice flour, yeast, and sugar. Mix with a dough whisk or your hand until no dry flour remains. It will feel stiff at 63% hydration. It should.
2. Add salt and oil. Rest the shaggy dough 15 minutes, then sprinkle on the salt, add the oil, and squeeze everything through until fully worked in.
3. Knead smooth. Knead 8 to 10 minutes by hand or 6 to 8 minutes in a stand mixer on medium-low. You can also do three sets of stretch and fold spaced 20 minutes apart if you'd rather not knead. The dough should finish smooth, elastic, and only slightly tacky.

Tip: Aim for a finished dough temperature near 78°F (26°C). This dough is closer to bagel dough than ciabatta, so don't chase softness by adding water.

Bulk Fermentation (60 to 75 minutes)

bulk fermentation on the counter. Short, because the poolish already did the slow work.

1. Round and cover. Form the dough into a smooth ball, set it in a lightly oiled bowl, and turn it once to coat. Cover with plastic or a damp towel.
2. Rise until doubled. Let it rise 60 to 75 minutes at room temperature until doubled and domed. Lift the edge. It should feel airy, not heavy.

Wait: PT1H15M

Tip: Warmer kitchen, shorter bulk. Judge the dough, not the timer.

Divide and Pre-Shape (About 20 minutes)

Six pieces at 144g each. Weigh them. Uneven rolls bake unevenly and the small ones dry out.

1. Divide. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter. With a bench scraper, cut six pieces at about 144g each. Clean, decisive cuts rather than sawing.
2. Pre-shape into logs. Pat each piece into a small rectangle, fold the top down and the bottom up, and roll into a short, loose log. Set them seam-side down under a towel.
3. Bench rest. Bench rest 20 minutes so the gluten relaxes and the final roll-out stops fighting you.

Wait: PT20M

Tip: 144g is the number. Six pieces from about 870g of dough, and the scale tells you the truth.

Final Proof (45 to 60 minutes)

Shape first, then proof on the pans you'll bake on.

1. Arrange on the pans. Set the shaped rolls seam-side down on parchment-lined sheet pans, three per pan, at least 3 inches apart. Cover loosely with oiled plastic.
2. Proof until puffy. Proof 45 to 60 minutes at room temperature. They should be visibly puffed and about 1.5 times their shaped size, not fully doubled.
3. Preheat while they finish. Start the oven 45 minutes before you plan to bake, at 475°F (245°C), with a metal pan on the bottom rack for steam.
4. Check with the poke test. Before scoring, run the poke test. A floured fingertip pressed into the side should leave a dent that fills back slowly and only partway. Instant spring-back means give them another 15 minutes.

Wait: PT50M

Tip: Underproofed rolls burst at the seam. Overproofed rolls go flat and pale. The poke test settles it.

Shape the Bánh Mì Roll

An 8-inch torpedo with a fat middle and tapered ends. The taper is not decoration, it is what lets the ends bake crisp while the center stays cottony.

Classic 8-Inch Torpedo (recommended)

The standard bánh mì roll. Six of them, 144g each.

1. Flatten. Working one log at a time, press it gently into a rectangle about 4 by 6 inches. Knock out the biggest bubbles but leave the small ones. Keep the rest covered.
2. Fold and seal. Fold the top long edge down to the center and press the seam with your fingertips. Fold the bottom edge up to meet it and seal again along the length. You should have a tight cylinder with a defined seam.
3. Roll and taper. With both hands flat on the log, roll it back and forth to about 8 inches, pressing a little harder as your hands travel outward so the ends taper to points. Build real surface tension. A slack roll flattens in the oven.
4. Set the seam. Pinch any open seam closed and place the roll seam-side down on parchment. The seam has to be sealed or the roll will burst along the bottom instead of opening at the slash.

Short Sandwich Roll

Divide into eight at 108g and shape 6-inch rolls. Same method, shorter travel, and drop the bake by 2 to 3 minutes.

1. Divide smaller. Cut eight pieces at about 108g instead of six at 144g.
2. Shape short. Fold and seal the same way, then roll to about 6 inches with a gentler taper.

Proof test: Press gently with a floured finger. When the dent fills back slowly and only partway, they're ready. Fast spring-back means more time, no spring-back at all means you're past it.

Bake Hot, Cut the Steam Early

Ten minutes of steam for lift, then the steam comes out so the crust can dry and go thin. That second half is the whole point.

Oven: 245°C / 475°F. Internal temperature when done: 96-99°C / 205-210°F.

Sheet Pan with Steam Pan (recommended)

The way most home ovens do this best.

Equipment: Sheet pan, metal steam pan, spray bottle

1. Preheat 45 minutes. Preheat to 475°F (245°C) with a metal pan on the bottom rack. Forty-five minutes, not thirty. The oven walls need to be as hot as the air.
2. Score. One cut. Hold the lame almost flat against the loaf, no more than about 20 degrees off the surface, and draw a single slash down the length just off center, about ¼ of the way in from the midline. Depth is roughly ⅛ inch, not ¼. You are lifting a flap of skin, not cutting a trench. That single low slash is what gives you oven spring along one clean ridge instead of a torn top. See scoring if the angle is new to you.
3. Load with steam. Mist the rolls once, slide the pan onto the middle rack, pour 1 cup of hot water into the steam pan, and shut the door immediately.
4. Steam 10 minutes. Bake 10 minutes with the steam in. Do not open the door during this window.
5. Pull the steam and vent. Remove the steam pan, hold the oven door open for about 3 seconds to let the moisture out, then close it and finish.
6. Finish 8 to 12 minutes. Bake another 8 to 12 minutes until the rolls are pale gold to light amber, the slash has opened into a ridge, and the center reads 205°F to 210°F (96°C to 99°C).
7. Cool. Move straight to a wire rack. Give them 20 minutes. You'll hear the crust crackle as it cools, and that's the sound you're after.

Baking Steel or Stone

Better bottom heat if you have one. Same timing.

Equipment: Baking steel or stone, steam pan, peel or inverted sheet pan

1. Preheat 45 minutes. Preheat the steel or stone at 475°F (245°C) for a full 45 minutes with the steam pan below it.
2. Slide onto the surface. Score, then slide the rolls on their parchment directly onto the hot steel. Add the hot water to the steam pan and close up.
3. Same steam window. Ten minutes steamed, pull the pan, vent 3 seconds, finish 8 to 12 minutes to 205°F to 210°F (96°C to 99°C).

Dutch Oven

Skip it for this one.

Equipment: Not recommended for bánh mì

1. Why we don't. An 8-inch roll does not fit a Dutch oven in useful numbers, so you'd bake one or two at a time while the rest overproof on the counter. Worse, a Dutch oven traps steam for the entire covered bake. Bánh mì needs the steam cut at ten minutes so the crust can dry out and go thin. Leave the lid on and you get a thick, chewy shell, which is the opposite of the bread.

Note: Pale gold is done. Bánh mì is not a dark-crusted bread, and pushing the color past amber thickens the crust.

Storage

• Room temperature: Best within 3 hours. Up to 1 day wrapped loosely in paper, never plastic.
• Refrigerated: Not recommended. The refrigerator stales bread faster than the counter.
• Frozen: Up to 1 month in a zip-top bag. Cool completely first.
• Refresh: Mist with water and bake at 400°F (200°C) for 4-5 minutes, or 8-10 minutes from frozen.

Frequently Asked Questions

My crumb came out dense instead of cottony

Almost always underfermented bulk. At 63% hydration this dough looks finished before it is, so bakers cut bulk fermentation short. You want it fully doubled and domed, and airy when you lift the edge, not just bigger in the bowl. The other two causes: a poolish used long after it collapsed, so it had no lift left, and shaping too loosely, which lets the roll spread instead of climbing. Roll the torpedo tight enough that it resists you.

Why didn't my rolls get crispy?

Three usual suspects. The oven wasn't preheated long enough, so give it the full 45 minutes at 475°F (245°C). The steam pan stayed in past ten minutes, which keeps the crust soft and thick. Or the rolls were bagged or covered while still warm. Cool them naked on a rack and serve within a few hours.

Why white rice flour and not sweet rice flour?

They're different starches. White rice flour dries and sets early in the bake, which is what gives bánh mì its thin, shattering crust. Sweet or glutinous rice flour, usually sold as mochiko, gels instead of drying and leaves the crumb gummy. Read the bag. If it says sweet, glutinous, or mochiko, that's the wrong one.

How deep should the slash actually be?

About ⅛ inch, with the blade held almost flat, no more than 20 degrees off the surface. On a 144g roll a ¼-inch cut at 45 degrees tears the thing open and you lose the ridge. Think of it as lifting a flap of skin, not cutting a trench. One slash, just off center, running the length. See scoring for the hand position.

Can I make these ahead of time?

The overnight poolish already builds the schedule around you. Beyond that, you can shape the rolls, cover them tightly, and refrigerate 8 to 12 hours, then bake straight from cold and add 2 to 3 minutes. Bánh mì is best eaten fresh, so time the bake for when you're building sandwiches.

Can I use bread flour instead of all-purpose?

All-purpose is traditional here because it gives a lighter, more tender crumb. Bread flour works but pushes the texture chewy, closer to a French baguette. If you use it, add 10 to 15g of water since it absorbs more.

How do I store leftover rolls?

Keep them in paper at room temperature for up to a day, never plastic while warm, or the crust goes soft. For anything longer, freeze in a zip-top bag for up to a month. To refresh, mist with water and bake at 400°F (200°C) for 4 to 5 minutes, or 8 to 10 minutes straight from frozen.

Nutrition

Per serving (1 roll (144g)): 255 calories, 50g carbohydrates, 7g protein, 3g fat, 2g fiber, 650mg sodium.