36 hours+ sourdough baguette with rice flour - Bánh mì inspired
When I visited south east Asia, I was impressed by the abundance and quality of Bánh mì - both the baguette bread and the sandwich made from it. In Dallas, there's a sizable Vietnam immigration population, and I can find pretty good Bánh mì at the Vietnam supermarket 10 minutes away from my house. I like the delicate mouth feel of Bánh mì bread, especially the incredibly thin/crackly crust, however I am not a big fan of the fluffy/closed crumb. The flavor tends to be "clean", which means a bit too light for me eating by itself, but great to make Bánh mì sandwiches with. After some research online, I learned that Bánh mì breads are usually made not by hand but by machine, which explains the crumb structure and cheap price. The exact recipe is hard to pin down since they are mass produced and apparently an "industry secret", however, most literature mentions rice flour in the ingredients.
In my case, I don't really want to recreate the traditional Bánh mì, instead, I want to combine the delicate crust of Bánh mì and open crumb of a traditional French Baguette, keeping a stronger flavor in the mean time. Still using my trusted 36 hour sourdough baguette formula, I used white starter rather than the usual rye starter, and replaced 10% of flour with white rice flour.
AP Flour, 375g
rice flour, 50g
ice water, 315g
salt, 10g
white starter (100%) 150g
-Mix flour, ice water and autolyse in fridge for 12 hours.
-Mix in salt, starte, then follow the basic 36 hour sourdough baguette formula here. (http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/19830/36-hours-sourdough-baguette-everything-i-know-one-bread)
I am very happy with the result, crumb is still open with big holes, yet both the crust and crumb has a thin/delicate feel.
In terms of flavor, these are richer than traditional Bánh mì (due to the long fermentation/autolyse), but lighter than my usual rye starter baguettes. I wouldn't choose these to eat as is, but paired with flavorful/crunchy fillings, they make an very impressive Bánh mì sandwich(this one with thinly sliced picked carrots and daikon, cucumbers, chili peppers, chili sauce, and prawn sauteed in fish sauce/soy sauce/honey).
Submitting to Yeastspotting.
Comments
You are an impressive lady, txfarmer ;-) and that is one heck of a sandwich - as usual LOL
Ron
Thanks Ron! I love dishes from south east Asia - colorful, great texture and flavor contrast.
Those are so beautiful. I *loooove* bahn mi!
Me too! Well, I love bahn mi the sandwich more than the bread...
Txfarmer,
What beautiful loaves and the sandwich is mouth watering!
I noticed you used a 12 hour autolyse....I am very used to using 12 hour 'soakers' as discussed in Peter Reinhart's WGB. I do it all the time at room temp. and know how they work but his all include a portion of salt, which makes them different than your autolyse, to control the enzymes. Yours does not and I am wondering how you control the enzymes during that time frame.
I do understand that an autolyse is used to increase the absorption of water by the flour and that if salt was added the flour would have to compete with the salt...and would loose out since salt is much quicker at absorbing water....I also know it is used to help develop the gluten in the flour - which makes sense since you used AP flour and rice flour....
I am thinking that it is the use of ice water that slows the enzymes down but I really don't know and am interested in learning something new about baking to add to my book of 'tools'.
By the way, I made your SD 100% WW Banana Sandwich Loaf again yesterday....just love that recipe and my neighbor's loved the loaf I gave them too. I am finally 'getting' your technique of using a small portion of leaven when using ww flour. I just keep baking away and slowly but surely things begin to make sense! Thank you for always breaking the percentages down when you list your formulas. It helps with my understanding and then is easier for me to translate to other formulas.
Take Care,
Janet
Hi Janet, yes, the autolyse is done with ice water AND IN FRIDGE to control enzyme activities.If you look at the original 36 hour baguette formula it will make more sense.
Great that you are liking the formulas! :)
Thanks for the pointer to your other posts....I have been reading away and now think I will give this a try and see what happens and how it differs from my usual 'soaker' method. Perfect time of year to experiment using the refrig. since our temps are finally beginning to rise making room temp. a bit to warm....
If I get really brave I may try your 100% WW baguette formula but that hydration level is bit daunting. I imagine dough stuck everywhere =:-0
Take Care,
Janet
Looks delicious txsfarmer! I pass a roadside stall that sells bahn mi (just the bread) on my way to work everyday. Your sandwich filling really appeals to me. I think I need leave home five minutes earlier so I can finally buy some and make a sandwich. I have been eyeing the stall for long enough but never seem to have enough time to stop.
Best,
Syd
Envious of your roadside stall, around here, it's mostly strip malls and chain stores.
Txfarmer: Love the texture of both inside and out. I am going to have to give it a try. I too am from TX.
Good luck, hope you like the result!
Very elegant txfarmer. A picture of perfection from many points of view. And, I was following a link from Sam Fromartz well read blog, ChewsWise, which highlights you today. Well done.
Eric
Thanks Eric! Sam messaged me about linking to this post, I am honored!
I think banh mi is one of the world's best sandwiches -- but I agree that the bread is generally less than optimal. In what way do you think the addition of rice flour changed the bread? Would you add more next time?
As I said in the post, rice flour made the crust thinner and more crispy, it also made the crumb lighter. I won't add more, rice flour has no gluten nor much flavor, I think adding more would affect the crumb negatively.
Oops. I guess I was distracted by the tempting photos. Thanks!
Hi there, I was lucky enough to stumble on your blog. Question regarding how to create your "white starter" to make the sourdough baguette. You mentioned to you used your white starter rather than your rye starter. How do you make the white starter you mentioned above? Do you mix AP flour 375g, rice flour 50g and ice water 315 g together to make the white starter? After I am able to make the white starter, do I then add AP flour, rice flour and ice water to start the autolyse in the fridge? Thank you for your help.