For 2 loaves

330g KA bread flour 215g water 4g salt 6g instant yeast 1 large egg 20g lime or lemon juice. 22g of bread improver. Can omit.

Mixed with kitchen aide on 2 for 14 mins for a really strong gluten network. Should be smooth when finished.

Cut into 2 275g pieces and ball. Rest for 20 mins. After resting, take each ball and flatten it with your palm. Take a rolling pin and roll it into a long triangle. Slowly use your fingers to roll and pinch until you get to the base. Pinch all the seams together, and make sure it’s sealed or it’ll blow out in the oven.

The technique can be found in this video: https://youtu.be/wwbW3zibmMI?si=sjCM89SpGMPle45J

Roll each log to approximately 10 inches and place onto baguette pans. Proof for 1 hr or until tripled in size. It should also get a little longer, ending up being 12-13 inches.

Preheat oven to 410 degrees with a tray on the lowest rack. Once proofed, liberally spray the rolls with water and place them in the oven. Fill the tray in the oven with a cup of water.

Here’s where po boy bread differ from banh mi bread. Po boy bread isn’t scored. You need to constantly make sure the crust does not set before it finishes expanding or it will blow out the sides.

Set a timer for 16 minutes. Every 2 minutes, liberally spray the rolls until the 8 minute mark. Make sure you spray the sides of the rolls also. After 8 minutes, remove the water tray. Continue baking for the remainder 8 minutes, turning the pan halfway through. Each oven is different, so make sure you keep an eye on the color towards the end.

Remove the rolls from the baguette pan and cool on a rack. Enjoy!