Second go around...with a much better handle of the dough - I really love making bread! A recipe I plan to use once a week!
Finally, the banh mi bouquet:) So happy! Let's just say... barely 24 hours and I need to bake another batch! Hoping that the three loaves would last at least three days... but happy to see they were very much enjoyed... (or rather not seen...anymore!)
Hi Fellow Foodies!!!
I had the whole day off and had been planning my excursion into some banh mi making since last night's foray into nem nuong! With decades of French influence in Vietnam, the adoption of the baguette comes as no surprise! My carb cravings led me to Google-ing, and I found this gem of a recipe on http://vietworldkitchen.typepad.com/blog/2007/05/vietnamese_bagu.html. All the recipes found here are by Andrea Nguyen - amazing chef and author. I was filled with inspiration and excitement in anticipation of adapting her recipe - so much so that I wasn't able to fall asleep until close to 4 a.m. (and yes, I am very much an insomniac as it is!) You have to checkout her website, it is really amazing!
5 fab ingredients:
- 1 packet of dry active yeast
- 1.5 cups of warm water
- 3 cups of flour
- 2 packets of Splenda
- 1.5 teaspoons of salt
Instructions:
- In a mixing bowl, combine the water and yeast until dissolved
- Add the salt and Splenda and mix until dissolved
- Add the flour one cupful at a time and stir with a spatula until combined
- cover with a towel for about 10 minutes
- grease a baking sheet and divide the dough into 3 equal portions
- punch down the dough into a rectangle that is 14 x 5 x 0.5 inches (or thereabouts) then roll the rectangle up into a jellyroll style (cylinder shape) and place the seam side facing the baking sheet; repeat for the other two portions
- Set this aside for about 45 minutes - covering with a wet cloth
- With a greased knife, place diagonals into the dough about 2 inches apart
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Place a shallow pan filled with water on the rack beneath the banh mi rack inside the oven
- Bake for 25 minutes
- remove and spray the top of each loaf with Olivio buttery spray - a nice golden coloring will develop
This is a bit tricky with a bit of lag time as well, but definitely worth the wait! We have a small kitchen table/bar that doubles as my study nook - so all the while trying to get my pathology studies on in between, my thoughts kept drifting to 'How is my dough rising?! Is it time yet?!' overtook any concentrations that should have been afforded to my studies! Anyways... So the verdict?! Ummmm... soooo very delicious and how I remembered them to taste when I use to live near Little Saigon (Originally from Costa Mesa, CA!) I must admit that I did struggle with the manipulation of the dough, but it was fun to get my hands dirty and flour seemed to be on the countertops, apron, and my forehead! But it was good fun! Yes, yes, yes ... I will need to work on making these look more like a traditional banh mi, but the taste was spot on! Crispy and on the outside, soft on the inside... and if one said food-fussy fiance asked "YOU MADE THIS?!?!" And I nodded sheepishly, holding my breath, in hopes that he would enjoy it..."Wow! This is really good!" Definitely not merely just lip service because when I returned to the kitchen about an hour later, one entire baguette was missing! The rather too deep perforations that were made along the length of the bread I thought was merely for style, but as it turns out, it made it so easy to just break and serve each piece instead of struggling with cutting or even trying to do it sans a knife leaving jagged edges! I can't wait for another go around with this recipe! I'll post more photographs, but to date, this is my most daring attempt at anything in the kitchen! Bread baking I always thought, was off limits without a bread maker. Well, I guess when you get to play Queen of the Kitchen, some rules need not apply;)
I hope everyone gets a chance to try this recipe!
Happy weekend everyone - and may you rule from your kitchen with sweets and a spatula!
Xox,
Marikym
