Banh Mi

 Sourdough Banh Mi Bread

1 cup sourdough starter, regular or rye
1 1/4 cups water
3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon salt
6 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 tablespoon 2 teaspoons instant yeast 



This will be delicious with any good rolls you can find! It's really the meatballs and slaw that make it!

Mayo

¾ cup mayonnaise
6 green onions, finely chopped

Meatballs

1 ½ pound ground pork
¼ cup fresh basil, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon hot chili sauce
1 tablespoon + ¼ cup sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon  salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Slaw
3 large carrots, grated
½ large daikon radish, grated
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced
3 tablespoon fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped 


For the bread, combine all of the ingredients, kneading to form a smooth and satiny dough. The dough should be on the slack side, but not oozy; it needs to be able to hold its shape in the oven.

Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with, and let the dough rise, undisturbed, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until doubled in size.

Punch the dough down and turn it onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead the dough gently and divide it into six equal pieces. Form the loaves into 8” torpedo shapes, and place the loaves on a baguette pan – 2 loaves per groove – or on parchment-lined baking sheets. With a serrated knife or lamé, make three slashes in the tops of the loaves, each 1/2-inch deep and cover.

Let the loaves rise until they look puffy. This should take approximately 30 minutes. While the loaves are rising, preheat the oven to 425°F.

Brush or spray the loaves with water. Bake for 10 minutes, spraying the loaves with water two more times. Lower the oven to 375°F and bake for an additional 25 – 30 minutes.

For the mayo, combine the mayonnaise and ½ the green onions in a small bowl and set aside.

In another bowl combine the carrot, radish, vinegar, ¼ cup of sugar, sesame oil, jalapeno and 1 teaspoon of salt.

In a large bowl, combine the meat, basil, garlic, 1 tablespoon sugar, cornstarch, 1 teaspoon of salt and pepper and hot chili sauce. Form the mixture into 1” meatballs – a tablespoon cookie scoop works well here.

Heat the tablespoon of vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon of sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs, and sauté  for 15 minutes until browned and cooked through, turning the meatballs so that they brown evenly. Remove the meatballs from the heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Cut 4 loaves in half horizontally, spread each bottom half with a quarter of the mayonnaise and top with a quarter of the meatballs, slaw, and cilantro. 
 

Sorry I didn't take a pic of them when they were "stuffed"

Yield: 6 sandwiches 
To be published in The Bakers Catalogue Summer 2012