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How To Make Bánh Mì (Vietnamese Baguette) Recipe

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This recipe guides you through making authentic Vietnamese Bánh Mì baguettes with a crispy crust and light, fluffy crumb. Using a combination of bread flour, yeast, water, and vegan butter, the dough is carefully kneaded, shaped, proofed, and baked with steam to achieve the perfect texture. Ideal for sandwiches or as a side bread, these Bánh Mì strips deliver a traditional Vietnamese bread experience at home.

Ingredients

Scale

Dry Ingredients

  • 3 cups (375 g) bread flour (at least 12% protein)
  • 3/4 tsp (2.5 g) bread improver
  • 3/4 tsp (2.5 g) instant dry yeast
  • 3/4 tsp (3 g) sugar
  • 1/16 tsp vitamin C powder or 150mg tablet, crushed into powder
  • 1/2 tsp (3 g) salt

Wet Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup + 3 tbsp (225 ml) water at room temperature
  • 2 tbsp vegan butter for brushing

Instructions

  1. Preheat for Proofing: Preheat your oven to its lowest temperature (about 86°F/30°C) or just turn on the oven light if it cannot go that low. Place a baking dish or bowl filled with about 3 cups of boiling water in the bottom of the oven to create humidity for proofing.
  2. Prepare Pans: Grease two baguette pans with an oiled kitchen paper towel and set aside.
  3. Combine Ingredients: Add water, bread flour, bread improver, instant dry yeast, sugar, and vitamin C powder to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.
  4. Knead Dough: Knead on speed 2 for about one minute until combined, scraping sides as needed. Add salt and increase speed to 8, kneading for another 7-8 minutes until dough is silky smooth and slightly sticky.
  5. Divide Dough: Transfer dough to a greased surface with slightly oiled hands. Divide into six equal pieces, each approximately 3.5 ounces (100 g).
  6. Shape Baguettes: Flatten one piece into a trapezoid (about 4 inches wide and 6 inches tall). Starting from the top, roll into a log and place in the greased baguette pan. Repeat for all pieces.
  7. Proof Dough: Place pans in the preheated oven and let dough rise until nearly quadrupled in size, about 1.5 to 2 hours. Dough should slowly bounce back when pressed but not rebound immediately.
  8. Preheat Oven for Baking: Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and place an iron skillet or pan with lava rocks at the bottom, which will be used to create steam.
  9. Score Baguettes: Use a razor blade held at a 45-degree angle to make one vertical or 2-3 diagonal cuts per baguette.
  10. Spray with Water: Generously spray the baguettes with water to promote crust cracking and set aside.
  11. Create Steam: Boil about 3 cups of water and pour into the iron skillet or pan with lava rocks to generate steam inside the oven.
  12. Bake with Steam: Quickly place baguette pans into the oven and turn off the oven fan. Bake for 7-8 minutes to develop steam-based crust.
  13. Bake without Steam: Remove skillet or lava rocks to stop steam, then bake the baguettes for another 4-5 minutes until golden brown.
  14. Cool: Remove the baguettes from the oven and allow to cool. Within 5 minutes, you should hear crackling and see crust cracking—a signature of good Bánh Mì.
  15. Brush with Butter: Lightly brush the warm baguettes with melted vegan butter for shine and flavor. Let cool slightly before serving.
  16. Storage: Best eaten the same day for crisp crust and fluffy crumb. Store in a bread bag at room temperature up to 3 days; reheat in an oven to restore crispness.

Notes

  • Using metric measurements is recommended for accuracy, especially for flour and water.
  • If your oven cannot reach a very low temperature for proofing, using the oven light alone is sufficient.
  • Bread improver enhances texture and rise but can be omitted if unavailable.
  • Vitamin C powder strengthens gluten and improves dough rise.
  • Steam is critical for developing the crisp crust; do not skip adding boiling water into the pan with lava rocks or skillet.
  • Do not overproof the dough; it should bounce back slightly when pressed.
  • Brush with vegan butter to keep the crust shiny but avoid too much butter to prevent sogginess.
  • Reheating baguettes in a preheated oven will refresh the crust if stored.

Keywords: Bánh Mì, Vietnamese bread, baguette, vegan bread, homemade bread, crusty bread, Vietnamese baguette recipe

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