Bánh bao
Vietnamese steamed wheat buns wrapped around seasoned pork, mushrooms, Chinese sausage and hard-boiled quail eggs. This from-scratch version uses yeast and self-rising flour.
Vietnamese bánh mì bread
bánh mì không · Bánh mì · ổ bánh mì
Six light baguettes with a thin crust and airy crumb, made from a Vietnamese home formula with bread flour, yeast, egg and butter.
Bread and sandwich
Bánh mì names both the Vietnamese sandwich and the bread it is served on. Vicky Pham separates the loaf, which she calls ổ bánh mì or bánh mì không, from the sandwich. Her household loaf is a small yeasted wheat baguette enriched with egg and salted butter. The recipe makes six short loaves of about 140 g and bakes them with added oven moisture. It calls for bread flour; the author says all-purpose flour can stand in, with a less airy crumb.
Sources for this section
A literary reference
A 2022 Vietnam Writers Association article by the linguist Phạm Văn Tình dates the work Văn tế nghĩa sĩ Cần Giuộc to 1861 and quotes its phrase "gặm bánh mì" ("eat bread"). This is a later reference to bread in a historical text. It was not checked against an 1861 manuscript, and it does not establish when the modern baguette-style loaf appeared or where it began.
Sources for this section
Method and handling limits
The formula has two proofs, a scored loaf and steam added during the bake, in a 480 °F oven. The two proofs, the scoring and the steam additions are quality cues. The page gives no storage duration and no internal bake temperature, and crust colour does not show that the loaf is cooked through.
Sources for this section
Uses
The loaf is cut and filled as a sandwich in Vietnam. The author's household use also mentions condensed milk, eggs and stew as companions to the bread.
Sources for this section
History
Vicky Pham distinguishes the Vietnamese baguette bread from the sandwich made with it, and gives ổ bánh mì and bánh mì không for the bread. Her home formula produces six wheat rolls with a thin, crisp crust and light interior. The atlas notes that Cambodian num pang and Lao baguette sandwiches are related regional foods with their own names and fillings; they are not aliases for this recipe. The recipe source does not establish one historical birthplace or date.
Ingredients
Yield 6 medium baguettes · Scaling: source batch only
500 g
The author specifies bread flour.4 g
270 g
Used to activate the yeast and hydrate the dough.Active or instant yeastActivate in warm water with sugar.
7 g
One packet.10 g
Large eggBeat.
1 egg
Whole egg.Salted butterMelt.
25 g
Neutral oilUse to grease the proofing bowl and hands.
Amount not stated.
Method
Risks and precautions · Standard risk
Raw flour in dough
Raw flour may carry harmful bacteria; do not taste uncooked dough and bake the loaves before eating.
Hazard sourceRaw egg in dough
The dough contains a raw egg before baking; avoid tasting it and clean hands and tools after contact.
Hazard sourceDo not taste raw dough; wash hands, bowls, tools and work surfaces after handling flour and egg.
Control sourceBake the shaped loaves using the complete source method. Its 18-minute bake is recorded as recipe guidance, not as an independently validated safety limit.
Control sourceThe source gives no internal temperature or separate food-safety validation; do not treat the oven setting or crust colour as a measured safety limit.
Use heat protection for the hot water pot and baking tray.
- Put the warm water, yeast and sugar in a small bowl. Leave for 10–15 minutes, until foamy.
- In a stand-mixer bowl, stir together the bread flour and salt. Add the yeast mixture, beaten egg and melted butter. Mix with a dough hook on low speed, then medium, until the dough is mostly smooth and pulls away from the sides, about 10 minutes total. Hand mixing is also possible, though the dough may take longer to become smooth.
- Lightly oil a bowl. Transfer the dough to it, cover, and let it rise for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until doubled.
- Press the dough down to release the air. Divide it into six pieces, about 140 g each. Roll each piece into a ball and cover with a damp towel while shaping.
- Flatten each ball into a rectangle with a narrow top. Roll from the top down, pinching the ends and seam closed. Roll gently to smooth the seam and taper the ends.
- Place the shaped rolls seam-side down on a baking sheet with at least 1 inch between them. Put a small pot of hot water in the oven and set the tray inside with the oven light on. Let the rolls rise about 1 hour, until doubled.
- Remove the tray and set it aside. Leave the water pot in the oven and heat the oven to 480°F (about 249°C). When ready to bake, spray each roll lightly with water and score at a 45-degree angle, about 1/8 inch deep.
- Immediately return the tray to the oven. Spray the rolls lightly with water again to create steam. Bake for 18 minutes total; halfway through, rotate the tray and spray the rolls again.
- During the final 5 minutes, remove the pot of water to help dry the crust. Let the baguettes cool slightly before serving. Use heat protection when handling the hot pot and tray.
Conditions
Yield6 medium baguettes
Fermentation1.5–2 h
Places
Vietnam
Documented preparation · Country evidenceVicky Pham documents this as a Vietnamese bánh mì bread formula. No specific city or single birthplace is claimed.
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Sources
Vicky PhamInspiration · Method · History · Safety
Vietnamese Bánh Mì BaguetteThe author describes bánh mì bread as a Vietnamese French-style baguette used for bánh mì sandwiches and names ổ bánh mì and bánh mì không for the bread.
The formula yields six medium baguettes from 500 g bread flour, 4 g salt, 270 g warm water, 7 g active or instant yeast, 10 g sugar, one egg and 25 g salted butter; oil is used for the bowl and hands.
The method activates yeast 10–15 minutes, mixes about 10 minutes, proofs 30–60 minutes and about one more hour, shapes and scores six rolls, and bakes at 480°F for 18 minutes with steam.
The page describes the bread and sandwich as Vietnamese but gives no dated first attestation or single birthplace.
Cited in: Bread and sandwich; Method and handling limits; Uses
U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationSafety
Handling Flour Safely: What You Need to KnowRaw flour may carry harmful bacteria; do not taste raw flour or dough, and clean after handling.
U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationSafety
What You Need to Know About Egg SafetyFresh eggs may contain Salmonella; cook egg-containing food thoroughly and wash hands and utensils after contact with raw eggs.
Vietnam Writers AssociationHistory
Văn tế nghĩa sĩ Cần Giuộc from a linguistic perspectiveWork dated to 1861 in the article
Quoted phrase "gặm bánh mì"
Cited in: A literary reference