Soft and Fluffy “Fresh” Bánh Mì

Name: Soft and Fluffy “Fresh” Bánh Mì
Yield: 8 rolls
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 1/3 cups bread flour (300 grams); 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar (30 grams); 1 teaspoon instant yeast; 1/3 cup whole milk (100 ml); 1/3 cup water (80 ml); 3 tablespoons softened butter (40 grams), microwaved for 10 seconds, then another 20 seconds

Le Ly @Lely_Texas

Stafford, Texas, Hoa Kỳ

The fresh bánh mì on Pham Hung Street heading toward Nguyen Van Linh is really special. It’s soft, fluffy, and dense—delicious even on its own, but even better dipped in xiu mai. I couldn’t find bread like that after moving here. I happened to find this recipe from hocnauancooking.com. When I tried it, the result was about 95% like the original! Honestly, I think it tastes even better homemade. The bread is even softer and lighter. The recipe uses water—don’t replace all of it with milk. Water is the key to getting that soft, fluffy texture.

Le Ly @Lely_Texas

Stafford, Texas, Hoa Kỳ

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Ingredients

8 rolls

2 1/3 cupsbread flour (300 grams)
2 1/2 tablespoonssugar (30 grams)
1 teaspooninstant yeast
1/3 cupwhole milk (100 ml)
1/3 cupwater (80 ml)
3 tablespoonssoftened butter (40 grams), microwaved for 10 seconds, then another 20 seconds

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Steps

1

Combine all ingredients in a stand mixer or knead by hand until the dough is smooth and elastic. If you’re using active dry yeast, dissolve it in warm milk with a little sugar first to activate.
2

Let the dough rise until doubled in size.
3

Punch down the dough gently to release air, then divide into 8 pieces (about 70 grams each).
4

Shape each piece into a mini baguette and let rise again until doubled in size.
5

If you like, score the tops with a razor blade for a classic look (optional).
6

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake for 13–15 minutes. Check the color at around 10 minutes—cover with foil if you want a lighter, “fresh” bánh mì color. Baking time may be longer if you shape the bread differently. I shaped mine long and thin, so 14 minutes was perfect.
7

When the bread is lightly golden, cover with foil to prevent it from browning too much and to keep a pale golden color. If you forget to cover, the bread will be a bit more golden but still soft and fluffy. Update 01/25/26: I baked another batch with foil and the color matched the bakery version perfectly.