A bánh mì fork of the baguette recipe. The bread is the whole game: AP flour, same-day, small rolls, fully proofed, baked hot and short for a thin crisp crust over a light collapsible crumb. Then the sandwich.
Note
This bread is a revision of the baguette, retuned for bánh mì to be less chewy — AP flour instead of bread flour, smaller fully-proofed rolls, and a hotter, shorter bake for a thinner crust over a lighter, more collapsible crumb. I haven't baked this exact formula yet, so treat the numbers as a starting point.
Bread
Makes 6 small rolls.
Ingredients
- 500 g all-purpose flour
- 340 g water (68%)
- 10 g salt (2%)
- 5 g instant yeast (1%)
Mix
Stand mixer, dough hook:
- Speed 1: 2 min
- Rest: 15 min
- Add salt
- Speed 2: 5–7 min
Smooth, elastic, tacky.
Bulk
Cover and rise 60–90 min. Stop when puffy, around doubled.
Divide and preshape
Divide into 6 equal pieces. Preshape into loose logs.
- Rest: 15 min
Shape
Short torpedoes, 6–8 inches. Seal, but don't crank down tight — keep them loose, not dense.
Final proof
- Proof: 45–75 min
Look for very puffy, slow spring-back, noticeably light when lifted. Should feel fragile.
Bake
Preheat stone/steel:
- 475–500°F / 245–260°C
Steam at loading. Score once lengthwise or a few shallow diagonals.
- Bake: 12–16 min total
- Vent steam: after 6–8 min
Pull when golden, not dark mahogany — overbaking thickens the crust. Cool fully before filling.
Sandwich
Ingredients
Spread
- pâté (bottom)
- Kewpie mayo (top)
Protein, thin sliced
- old fashioned loaf, warmed (like a seasoned bologna)
- chopped ham, cold
Seasoning sauce
hap-hazard sub for maggi
- fish sauce
- lime
- sugar
- vegemite
- sesame
- soy sauce
Veg
- cucumber
- jalapeño
- pickle (lacto pao cai, rinsed, then sugar + white vinegar)
- cilantro
Assemble
- Split roll, pull out a little crumb, toast briefly.
- Pâté on bottom, Kewpie mayo on top
- Layer protein: warmed old fashioned loaf, then cold chopped ham.
- Small drips of seasoning sauce over the meat (a Maggi sub — keep it light).
- Stack in veg: cucumber, jalapeño, pickle, cilantro over the top.
