Vietnamese Baguette (Banh Mi) Recipe Question
So I want to try my hand at making my own Banh Mi sandwiches, and have been researching Vietnamese baguette recipes online. Andrea Nguyen appears to be the leading authority on this recipe, but I have found variations of her recipe that contradict each other and left me with questions:
Question #1: The recipe on her personal website is simple and straightforward and warns against the addition of any fats to the recipe (http://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/2007/05/vietnamese_bagu.html) . Her guest post on Food52.com for the same recipe calls for shortening (which she had said was a no-no) and is more complex (http://food52.com/blog/11580-how-to-make-banh-mi-rolls-and-build-a-banh-mi-sandwich).
Any opinions on fat vs. no fat in baguettes?
Question #2: In her Food 52 recipe she recommends a medium or low-protein flour (like for cookies or asian dumplings, so basically like a pastry flour) but then adds 2 or more tablespoons of vital wheat gluten. I've never used this approach and it seems like you could just go with a higher protein flour and skip the added gluten?
Thoughts?
http://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/2007/05/vietnamese_bagu.html
For question #2, Andrea addressed your question about the vitamin C and vital wheat gluten in the "Comments" section, I quote:
As far as Q1, traditionally baguettes in France are not made with shortening. That said, use of shortening (or lard) is common in log-shaped sandwich breads, especially in southern climes. Search TFL for recipes for Cuban bread or po-boy bread for examples. Along with enhancing shelf life, fat with AP flour helps ensure that the crumb is extremely tender. Use of solid fats may also help with adding "flakiness" to the crust (i.e., crust breaks into flakes when you bite); however, I attribute this more to using sufficient baking moisture aka steam.
Thanks! I didn't even see the comment section! I'll go back and look through that for any more hints. Also another question. I bake almost exclusively with a sourdough starter. Do you think that a moist, tender, chewy crumb could be accomplished by using starter (and more rises) in place of dough enhancers? Thanks for responding, I bake very simply at home and don't have a lot of experience with dough enhancers.
covers many bases in regards to what ingredients are more available in any particular area (Viet Nam.)
My opinion, use the recipe that applies to your available ingredients.
Good advice :)
The 2007 version of her bread was "improved" later. In Vietnam there probably is no fat added. That doesn't mean that it wouldn't help the bread, just that it is not as readily available from an expense standpoint. Fat helps keep the bread from going stale as quickly. This is fine if it is used right away like they would in a sandwich shop, but not necessarily at home. I would also think that it would help keep the bread more fluffy. If you overcook the bahn mi bread without any fat it will be more crispy than you want. I think the fat might help in that regard as well.
I actually have her book and this is what she says (the second recipe you gave is the same as the book):
“Viet home cooks don’t typically bake bread. They can buy it inexpensively and most people lack ovens. But in 2007, after fielding numerous emails about Viet-style baguettes, I published a recipe on my website. It was easy and tasty but frankly, needed improvement. My ultimate aim was reproducing my ideal: a light bread with a crisp crust and cottony crumb. It just took me until now to figure it out.”
Excerpt From: Andrea Nguyen. “The Banh Mi Handbook.”
If you are looking for another version, you could try Helen's out. She has a nice video about it:
http://danangcuisine.com/banh-mi/recipe-86-banh-mi-vietnamese-baguette/
If you want to see a real production video, check this one out (no fat added by the way from the description):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DrXJCIOaCE
You will notice the shaping is done a little differently than most of us use (at about 1:30 in second video shows it more professionally, but Helen does it similarly).
Thanks for the insight! I saw Helen's video and thought about giving her version a try. I'll have to watch the other video too. And thank you for the excerpt from the book, that was very helpful!
No problem. The other video is pretty quick and really the shaping is the important part.
Edit to add: make sure you look at the end of Helen's video with the "bloopers" type of thing. You can see that she made some errors in making the bread while preparing for the video and might help you avoid the same mistakes (such as over baking).
Awesome, Thanks!
Hi Mylissa
Have you read Andrea's post on bread buying tips? Lots of hints in there for those of us baking bread for banh mi too. I have enjoyed making banh mi much more since I got less hung up on making authentic bread (never having eaten it! and yet yearning to get it right), having understood both the role the bread plays in the overall eating experience and the development of the Vietnamese version of baguette. As Mini O says, made with what was available in Vietnam. I figure I get to make a NZ version to hold the delicious fillings and to provide some crisp contrast. Rather than trying to get it 'right', aim for something that pleases you, when you eat it.
Her recent banh mi myths post is useful too.
Once you develop a banh mi bread in your kitchen that you like, have fun trying out all manner of different fillings!! Maybe your library will have the book. Once you use the book, wouldn't be surprised if you'll want to own it. Andrea is a great teacher.
Cheers, Robyn
Thanks Robyn!