WTF it's definitely not bánh mì

WellWhatTheHeck

1331

See?

Bánh mì, by the way, is both the bread and the various sammiches made with them.

Though it is fairly tasty. NOT the first time I've fucked up a "French" bread... WAY too dense.

Things.

Knowing how finicky bread can be, I followed this recipe closely.

https://www.savorysweetspoon.com/vietnamese-baguette-banh-mi-bread/ . But beware the pop-ups......

1-2 t of yeast. Well... which is it? Plus they used instant yeast and mine is active dry. I don't *think* that much matters as it's bloomed in warm water/sugar regardless.

Flour, salt, and a touch of melted butter.

Yeasty sugar water.

Mixed, rested, then mixed some more.

Turning out.

And doubled. It's supposed to be "puffy, gassy, jiggly" (just like me). But is not. Worried.

Slicing.

Shaping.

Feelin' pretty good now. Let's rise again.

Heh.

Score.

Water spritzer thing apparently.

Like that. (Child taking photos.)

Oven with water bin beneath.

Remove water.

Almost...

Oh. "Bacon."

There we are. But clearly NOT the right product. Fucked up somewhere. If I had to guess: dough not nearly hydrated enough and needed to rise longer (it was in a 75°F room...)

Ah well. Still tasty. Just absolutely not correct for whatever reason.

Mazel tov.

Mayo.

Pickley things. Avocado too.

Sliced turkey, turkey "bacon", greens.

Tasty in the facety. But not banh mi. Not nearly.

heh

cooking

eat_what_you_want

food

misterCT

Good try though! Bread is not as easy as it seems

2 months ago |

pinkypiesbutt

The roll looks fine. Work on the rolling a sealing for proofing. The filling is more not Banh Mi

HavenOfRecipes

Saved! Making this weekend

FredGarvinMaleProstitute

a prostitute might say the same thing

ParallelParkingInABurka

Lookit your purty new plate!

oh hey P, I knew you'd say that! I love these plates. grabbed a couple complimentary pieces from ebay today...

VampKillian

I bet this tasted fantastic but all I can think of is this... https://media1.tenor.com/m/RP21P96v9cIAAAAC/glee-hotdog.gif

heheh yep. somewhat phallic on that one Vamp

milliechtwn

Oh myyyyy - that just made me so hungry, and inspired a convo with @Calicoastin818 and lunch ideas

heh - don't use this recipe for bread, probably. But a good Fench loaf (while different than banh mi) would be delicious! Also hello Millie!

I meant to say; if you have a Vietnamese grocery store (or bakery, restaurant) near by, they likey have bánh mì rolls in 4 packs (or whatever). Thin, unlabled clear bag and often right near the front of store with other pre-made and fresh items. Good bánh mì has an egg-shell-thin, crackly crust with sublimely soft, lightly chewy interior. Leave it to the Vietnamese: phở and bánh mì. Making AMAZING things with what they had. The bread is probably the most bread you can make with least ingredients

sometimesarobot

"instant" yeast just means you don't need to put it in water and let it sit first, but honestly you don't really have to anyway.
Test to see if your dough is risen: poke it (don't let it stick to your finger); if it bounces back immediately, you need to wait longer, if the dent stays put, it's overproofed (squash it down and let it rise again), if it slowly works it's way up, good to go

Oh also my favorite bread-rising-cheat: turn the oven on for like.. 10-20 seconds, then shut it off and stick the dough bowl in there. and shut the door.

thanks robot. the yeast was good; proofed in 110⁰F water/sugar. smelling strongly like bread

i think you're right about proof times perhaps. I was afraid of overproof. But maybe it just needed to go for another hour here or there.

Plus, it is EXCEPTIONALLY dry in New England. Prolly just need a lot more water AND a damp rise. Guessing; I have no training whatsoever.

Fuck, dry in New England? Since when?
I cover my dough with a wet cloth (instead of plastic or whatever) so you could dry that

billyprime

Good attempt! It doesn’t look like it’s not moist enough, instead maybe overworked and the yeast didn’t rise enough? I would leave it in the fridge overnight to rise and let the yeast to do its thing. I’d also skip the spritzing, looks like the exterior is getting too moist. Make sure to let the shaped loaves sit long enough to form a crust.

Also, no butter in the mix. Period. Ever.

thanks billyp! methinks much too dry dough; this was not high hydration at all. but I've yet to achieve that effect even with foccacia... Very new to baking, clearly

Again, it looks overworked to me, not overly dry. For French baguettes you do not need a stand mixer, that will just beat the heck out of it. It’s not a cake, gluten needs to be left alone. You really only need a little bit of stirring and a couple of folds. Try this instead: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-husjZkxHw

Oh OH. I see what you're saying now. Truth! Foccacia doesn't get worked at all. Stupid recipe said to stand mix for 4-5 min "until cohesive dough is formed." Welp, Imma try again. Perhaps this evening.

Good luck! Please do report back with your progress!

1reallyhappydude

Get yourself a cheap scale to get the hydration ratio right. Adding milk makes soft bread only if you scald it, otherwise it's chewier. May not have let it rise long enough the second time.

thanks much 1dude. flour was measured by weight. but agree that the hydration ratio is fucked. super dry up here (temperature / dew point spreads are redonk). perhaps that's the culprit. if the recipe is from Vietnam, it's a skosh more humid over there

True, if the dough skins, it doesn't rise properly. I mist after shaping and sometimes before baking. You get light spots on the crust if there was liquid water on the dough before baking. This is a pretty much global recipe, I make it for stuffed buns. On the second mix, I lean on the mixer crank it to 11, and when it makes a ball briefly 3 times it's done. Ok it is 6 minutes

The first recipe says it's SUPPOSED to skin to form the crackly crust. But another recipe seems more betterer: https://fullofplants.com/how-to-make-banh-mi-vietnamese-baguette/#recipe . I've oredered the bread improver and Vitamin C. Never heard of this before, but if it gets me the proper loaf, I'm all about it!

Steam rise in that recipe too.

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