On to the next part of the Banh Mi ingredients, the baguette. Technically this was started the night before but all of the additional prep and rising and forming took place the day it was served. So if you are going to attempt your own baguettes, and I encourage you to do so, they were marvelous, begin a day ahead.
Classic Baguette (a la King Arthur Flour)
makes 3 baguettes or 6 mini baguettes
Ingredients:
Starter (Poolish)
1/2 C water, cool
1/16 (a pinch) of active dry yeast
1 C flour
Dough
I C + 2 Tbls lukewarm water
All of the Starter
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
3 1/2 C flour
2 tsp salt
Step 1: To make the Starter ( night before )
Mix everything together to make a soft dough. Cover and let rest at room temperature for about 14 hours; overnight works well. The starter should have expanded and become bubbly.
Step 2: The next day add to the starter all the dough ingredients. Mix and knead everything together to make a soft, somewhat smooth dough; it should be cohesive, but the surface may still be a bit rough. Nathan did this with a wooden spoon and his hands since we do not have a stand mixer but if you have one, knead for about 4 minutes on medium-low speed; the finished dough should stick a bit at the bottom of the bowl.
Step 3: Place the dough in a lightly greased medium-sized bowl, cover the bowl, and let the dough rest and rise for 45 minutes. Gently deflate the dough and fold its edges into the center, then turn it over in the bowl before letting it rise for an additional 45 minutes, until it's noticeably puffy.
Starting top left: 1. Starter 2. Dough ingredients added to starter 3. After the mix, a knead.
4. In bowl for !st rise. 5. Noticeable increase in size after 1st rise.
Step 4: Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased work surface. Gently deflate it, and divide it into three or in our case for mini baguettes, six equal pieces.
Round each piece of dough into a rough ball by pulling the edges into the center. Cover with greased plastic wrap, and let rest for 15 minutes; or for up to 1 hour. (picture of balls below, before and after rise.)
Step 5: Here comes the tricky part. Working with one piece at a time, flatten the dough slightly then fold it nearly, but not quite, in half. sealing the edges with the heel of your hand.
Turn the dough around 180° and repeat: fold, then flatten. Repeat this whole process again; the dough should have started to elongate itself.
With the seam side down, cup your fingers and gently roll the dough into a 16" or 8" log. Taper each end of the log slightly to create the baguette's typical "pointy" end.
Step 6: Place the logs seam-side down into the folds of a heavily floured cotton dish towel (or couche). Cover them with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the loaves to rise until they're slightly puffy. This should take about 45 minutes to an hour at room temperature (about 68°F). At this point I think you can figure out why you need to start early and why people who work at bakeries get up in the middle of the night.
Towards the end of the rising time, preheat your oven to 450°F. Start to heat 1 1/2 cups of water to boiling. Under the rack you will be baking on insert a cast iron pan or a large 9 x 12 roasting pan to hold the water.
Step 7: Cover your baking sheet with parchment paper and gently transfer your baguettes. Slash diagonal cuts on the top of each with a sharp knife or razor blade.
Finally! Step 8:
Load the baguettes into the oven. Carefully pour the boiling water into the lower pan, and quickly shut the oven door. The billowing steam created by the boiling water will help the baguettes rise, and give them a lovely, shiny crust.
Bake the baguettes for 24 to 28 minutes, or until they're a very deep golden brown. Remove them from the oven and cool them on a rack. Or, for the very crispiest baguettes, turn off the oven, crack it open about 2", and allow the baguettes to cool completely in the oven, until both baguettes and oven are at room temperature. our baguettes came right out and the last two went in, because my oven wasn't big enough for six at one time.
Ta-Da!!!!! If all went well, your baguettes should look like Nathan's.
These mini baguettes measured about 6 inches each. To make the Banh Mi, Nathan cut them in half lengthwise. On one side he spread the liver mousse, on the other side he spread a sauce he made from Sriracha sauce and Kewpie mayo (Japanese mayo, which is more eggy). For ours he added a lettuce leaf, deli ham and pickled vegetables. This was a quick pickle that he made with daikon radish and carrot. The pickle, pate and mayo are pretty standard. You can do different deli meat or tofu or even a chicken cutlet.
Our Banh Mi was a perfect dinner. It went well with wine or beer. No sides were necessary. It was a wonderful Christmas gift. If you aren't as ambitious as our son you can try your own with a store bought baguette and deli liver sausage or braunsweiger. Have fun with it.
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