The French brioche bread is a classic yeast bread that's rich with butter and eggs, perhaps a cake-like bread. Today, we use the dough to make a brioche loaf, also known as brioche pain de mie in French, using a Pullman loaf pan. This brioche bread recipe is simple and easy with a long chilling and resting time in between steps.
Table of Content
People often think brioche pastry or viennoiserie is hard to make, but on the contrary, it's rather simple and easy. I always knew soft Brioche buns or classic brioche or brioche a tete, and yet never realized I could make it into a sandwich bread until one day when I had lunch at a deli in Lourdes (south of France). The bread they used was a brioche pain de mie. It blew my mind. Wow!
What is Pullman bread?
All bread made in a loaf pan can be used to make sandwiches, and yet to be characterized as a Pullman sandwich bread, you must have four square corners. Yup!! That's the defining characteristic of this bread. That shape comes from using a specific loaf pan that has a nifty sliding lid. You actually bake the bread with the lid on. So when the bread rises as it bakes it fills the corners of the pan on all sides, giving it those perfect square corners.
I'm not really sure how true this really is, but I read somewhere that the Pullman railway company invented this bread, back in the old days, to make storage and transport easy. With this shape, they could stack the bread one on top of the other using space more efficiently.
The texture of the Pullman sandwich bread is supposed to be soft, light, and fluffy. So, you must have a good recipe that's just right for the pan you have, so it will give you a perfect bread, not too dense nor too limp.
Why make this brioche loaf
- This recipe makes an incredibly tasty loaf with a particularly soft, inflated, and fine-textured crumb. The method also yields the best brioche bread much better results than the traditional Brioche recipe, because this one uses egg yolks instead of whole eggs.
- Unlike the classic Pullman bread, this brioche Pullman dough is buttery and rich with a crisp golden brown crumb and 4 square corners for that perfect sandwich.
- Most of the ingredients are simple and easy to find or pantry staples.
- Brioche dough is not a quick bread in fact we let the dough rise in the refrigerator for a good 6 to 12 hours. This helps the yeast develop more flavor, tastes better, and also makes it easier to work with. But, it also means you have more time to get things organized and there is no need to rush.
Bakers schedule
- Dough - 20 minutes
- Rise - 60 minutes at room temperature
- Cold Rise - 6 to 8 hours (up to overnight in the fridge)
- Shape - 10 mins
- Proof - 60 to 90 mins (up to 2 hrs)
- Bake - 45 minutes
Ingredients and substitutes
- Flour – Bread flour is recommended for making homemade bread because it is high in protein. But, you can certainly use all-purpose flour with a bit more kneading.
- Instant dry yeast – I like to use instant dry because I’ve always had great success with it. If you have to use the same amount of active dry yeast or 21 grams of fresh or baker's yeast.
- Sugar – Brioche is a slightly sweeter dough than most everyday bread. But it enriches the dough and makes it so much more wonderful soft and rich.
- Butter – this is a rich dough with a large amount of room temperature unsalted butter. That's what makes these so buttery, soft, and delicious.
- Egg - I like my buns richer so instead of whole eggs I prefer to use all yolks. But you can certainly use whole eggs!
- Milk - Use whole milk, It enhances the flavor, and tenderizes the dough giving it a soft texture.
Brioche Pullman Sandwich Bread
Dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment on medium speed, combine the warm milk, yeast, sugar, and eggs.
Pro tip - while most doughs can be kneaded by hand, a brioche is rich in butter so, it is best to use a stand mixer for kneading. - Combine salt with the flour, then add it to the mixer as well. Knead on medium speed for about a minute scraping the sides of the bowl.
Pro tip - Always make sure the salt is well incorporated in the flour before you add it to the yeast because salt slows the yeast process.
- Once all the flour is incorporated. Knead the dough for 2 to 4 minutes until smooth. The dough will be soft and sticky but quite elastic.
- Next, add the soft room temperature butter one cube at a time. Once all the butter is in, knead again for 4 to 6 minutes until smooth and elastic, and soft.
Pro tip - this is a very soft and loose dough, so, resist the temptation to add more flour. - Remove the dough from the mixer bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Shape into a smooth ball.
- Place in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap or damp kitchen cloth. Leave to rise in a warm place for about an hour. Then transfer to the refrigerator and let ferment for 6 to 8 hours or until dough in size.
Pro tip - the slow cold process of fermentation helps this highly enriched dough a makes it more flavorful.
Divide shape and proof
- Divide - Invert the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Punch down and shape into a ball again.
- Shape - Start to roll like a jelly roll.
- Fold from top to the center,
- fold the sides in and then roll again
- once more towards the end.
- Pinch the seams together.
Pro tip - At this point, the dough will be cold and firm because it’s a butter-rich dough. This makes it easier to work.
- Place into a buttered Pullman loaf pan seam side down.
- Cover loaf pan with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place. This can take about 90 minutes up to 2 hours
Pro tip - because we started with chilled dough it may take up to 4 hours to become double in size. You can also leave it in the fridge overnight. - Once you see your dough is almost halfway up the sides – spray the cover of the Pullman pan lid and place it on.
Pro tip - you want to place the lid on before it rises to the top so you don't ruin the rise.
Bake
- Preheat the oven to 380°F / 190°C / Gas Mark 5 for at least 10 minutes.
- Bake 30 to 40 minutes for the small loaves and about 45 to 50 minutes for the big loaf.
Pro tip - The bread is done - when you tap the bottom of your loaf and you will hear a hollow sound (or the internal temperature registers between 160° to 180°F on an instant-read thermometer) - Partially open the lid and let cool for 10 minutes - before you remove and let cool completely. Take it out of the pan and cover it with a clean kitchen cloth for at least 5 minutes.
Pro tip - Wrapping the bread in kitchen cloth will let the steam cool in the bread keeping it soft. Then cool completely on a cooling rack. - Always let bread rest for at least an hour before you cut it - this is the hardest part!! But, it will prevent the steam from escaping and making the bread dry.
- Enjoy!
Variations
- Brioche loaf - you can also use this brioche dough to make a brioche sandwich loaf bread.
- Cinnamon rolls - A brioche dough makes the most wonderfully rich base for cinnamon rolls.
- Brioche ala tete - You can use this dough to make the French classic brioche ala tete
- Brioche French toast - leftover bread slices can be used to make the most delicious French toast.
- or Brioche croissants - You can also use this dough to laminate and use to make brioche croissants.
- Brioche burger buns - You can also divide and shape this dough into 12 portions to make buns for your burgers, brush with egg wash and bake to make brioche buns.
Tips for success
- Measure all ingredients ahead of time so you don't forget anything at the last minute.
- For accuracy, use a weight measure for the ingredients because every cup of flour can weigh differently depending on how you fill it.
- The milk must be warm (not hot) about 110F. If the milk is too hot it will kill the yeast, similarly, if the milk is too cold it will not activate the yeast.
- Though instant dry yeast has a long shelf life, it can get ruined. Always check the expiry date on the yeast. If unsure, combine the yeast with water/milk, sugar/honey, and oil/butter from the recipe and let stand 5 minutes. If it gets foamy the yeast is good to go if not, it's best to buy fresh yeast or check the temperature of the milk.
- Keep salt away from yeast as it can kill the yeast. I like to combine it with the flour and then add it to the yeast mixture.
- A soft loose well-hydrated dough is not necessarily a bad thing, it often will give you a soft puffy bread, so don't be tempted to add more flour than mentioned in the recipe.
- Kneading is key to making good bread. While kneading by hand can be therapeutic, using a stand mixer is easier and quicker.
- Leave the dough at room temperature to rise until double in volume. While not recommended, when in haste, you can place it in a warm (not hot) oven this will expedite the rise.
- Bread does not have to be time-consuming. You can leave the dough in the fridge to rise for a few hours (even overnight) while you go about your chores. A slow rise will give more flavor to the bread.
- Always preheat the oven for at least 10 minutes before you place bread in or the low temperature will spread the dough too much.
More sandwich bread recipes
Frequently asked questions?
If stored properly, this white bread will stay for 4 to 5 days at room temperature. It can be frozen for a month or more too. Never store bread in the fridge as it dries out.
Pain de mie is a French term for soft white or brown sliced bread. 'Pain' means bread and '(de) la
Ideally, it works best to buy a pan but if you want you can cover the top of a regular loaf pan firmly with foil. Of course, you will have a flat top but the rest of the corners will still be the shape of the original pan. So while not perfect it will be a squarish loaf.
Yes, with a few tweaks. Bread from white wheat flour will be softer in texture than whole wheat bread and needs a little less water. I recommend using my whole wheat sandwich bread recipe which uses both white and whole wheat flour.
This is not a pan you buy often. And just because you buy a Pullman loaf pan does not mean you can't make regular sandwich loaves in there. If you do not use the lid, what you get is a regular sandwich loaf with a round edge. I love those too! However, if you buy a regular loaf pan then you can't make a Pullman sandwich bread without the lid.
So, the smart choice according to me? If you must buy one loaf pan - buy the Pullman sandwich loaf pan. That way you can make the regular bread without the lid or a Pullman sandwich bread with the lid. You can see me using it without the lid when I made my white sandwich bread, as well as whole wheat sandwich bread - both these are made with this same pan but without the lid.
Each Pullman pan will have its own guide for total dough weight.
16x4x4 about 1300 - 1400 grams
13x4x4 about 1100 - 1200 grams
9x4x4 about 750 - 850 grams
7x4x4 about 550 - 650 grams
Printable Recipe
Brioche Pullman Sandwich Loaf
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Ingredients
13 x 4 x 4 Pullman pan (total dough - 1218 g) (61% hydration)
- 180 g (¾ cups) Whole milk 3%
- 50 g (4 tablespoon) Sugar
- 190 g (5 Eggs) Eggs
- 12 g (1 tablespoon) Instant dry yeast
- 600 g (5 cups) Bread flour
- 10 g (1½ teaspoon) Kosher salt
- 160 g (¾ cups) Butter, room temperature, unsalted (room temperature, unsalted)
9 x 4 x 4 Pullman pan (total dough - 850 g) (59% hydration)
- 120 g (½ cups) Whole milk
- 35 g (3 tablespoon) Sugar
- 9 g (1½ tablespoon) Instant dry yeast
- 130 (3 Eggs) Eggs
- 420 g (3½ cups) Bread flour
- 7 g (1½ teaspoon) Salt
- 113 g (½ cups) Butter (room temperature, unsalted)
7 x 4 x 4 Pullman Pan (total dough - 650 g) (60% hydration)
- 90 g (½ cups) Whole milk
- 25 g (2 tablespoon) Sugar
- 100 g (2 Eggs) Eggs
- 6 g (¾ teaspoon) Instant dry yeast
- 315 g (2½ cups) Bread flour
- 5 g (¾ teaspoon) Salt
- 90 g (7 tablespoon) Butter (room temperature, unsalted)
Instructions
Dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the hook attachment on medium speed, combine the warm milk, yeast, sugar, and eggs.Pro tip - while most doughs can be kneaded by hand, a brioche is rich in butter so, it is best to use a stand mixer for kneading.
- Combine salt with the flour, then add it to the mixer as well. Knead on medium speed for about a minute scraping the sides of the bowl.Pro tip - Always make sure the salt is well incorporated in the flour before you add it to the yeast because salt slows the yeast process.
- Once all the flour is incorporated. Knead the dough for 2 to 4 minutes until smooth. The dough will be soft and sticky but quite elastic.
- Next, add the soft room temperature butter one cube at a time. Once all the butter is in, knead again for 4 to 6 minutes until smooth and elastic, and soft.Pro tip - this is a very soft and loose dough, so, resist the temptation to add more flour.
- Remove the dough from the mixer bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Shape into a smooth ball.
- Place in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap or damp kitchen cloth. Leave to rise in a warm place for about an hour. Then transfer to the refrigerator and let ferment for 6 to 8 hours or until dough in size. Pro tip - the slow cold process of fermentation helps this highly enriched dough a makes it more flavorful.
Divide shape and proof
- Divide - Invert the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Punch down and shape into a ball again.
- Shape - Start to roll like a jelly roll. Fold from top to the center, fold the sides in and then roll again once more towards the end. Pinch the seams together.Pro tip - At this point, the dough will be cold and firm because it’s a butter-rich dough. This makes it easier to work.
- Place into a buttered Pullman loaf pan seam side down. 13 x 4 x 4 Pullman loaf13 x 4 x 4 Pullman loaf
- Cover loaf pan with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place. This can take about 90 minutes up to 2 hours Pro tip - because we started with chilled dough it may take up to 4 hours to become double in size. You can also leave it in the fridge overnight.
- Once you see your dough is almost halfway up the sides – spray the cover of the Pullman pan lid and place it on.Pro tip - you want to place the lid on before it rises to the top so you don't ruin the rise.
Bake
- Preheat the oven to 380°F / 190°C / Gas Mark 5 for at least 10 minutes.
- Bake 30 to 40 minutes for the small loaves and about 45 to 50 minutes for the big loaf. Pro tip - The bread is done - when you tap the bottom of your loaf and you will hear a hollow sound (or the internal temperature registers between 160° to 180°F on an instant-read thermometer)
- Partially open the lid and let cool for 10 minutes - before you remove and let cool completely. Take it out of the pan and cover it with a clean kitchen cloth for at least 5 minutes.Pro tip - Wrapping the bread in kitchen cloth will let the steam cool in the bread keeping it soft.
- Always let bread rest for at least an hour before you cut it - this is the hardest part!! But, it will prevent the steam from escaping and making the bread dry.
- Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- Measure all ingredients ahead of time so you don't forget anything at the last minute.
- For accuracy, use a weight measure for the ingredients because every cup of flour can weigh differently depending on how you fill it.
- The milk must be warm (not hot) about 110F. If the milk is too hot it will kill the yeast, similarly, if the milk is too cold it will not activate the yeast.
- Though instant dry yeast has a long shelf life, it can get ruined. Always check the expiry date on the yeast. If unsure, combine the yeast with water/milk, sugar/honey, and oil/butter from the recipe and let stand 5 minutes. If it gets foamy the yeast is good to go if not, it's best to buy fresh yeast or check the temperature of the milk.
- Keep salt away from yeast as it can kill the yeast. I like to combine it with the flour and then add it to the yeast mixture.
- A soft loose well-hydrated dough is not necessarily a bad thing, it often will give you a soft puffy bread, so don't be tempted to add more flour than mentioned in the recipe.
- Kneading is key to making good bread. While kneading by hand can be therapeutic, using a stand mixer is easier and quicker.
- Leave the dough at room temperature to rise until double in volume. While not recommended, when in haste, you can place it in a warm (not hot) oven this will expedite the rise.
- Bread does not have to be time-consuming. You can leave the dough in the fridge to rise for a few hours (even overnight) while you go about your chores. A slow rise will give more flavor to the bread.
- Always preheat the oven for at least 10 minutes before you place bread in or the low temperature will spread the dough too much.
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
Salma
Finally I know how much dough I need for my pullman pan. This recipe helped me a lot! I tried it twice already and my brioche bread tasted so amazing, not too eggy and not too buttery like the original brioche and it was so soft too! Thank you so much!
Veena Azmanov
Thank you for the lovely feedback, Salma.
Diana
Hello and Happy Holidays,
I happened to stumble on your site and read your Pullman brioche recipe and decided to give a whirl! Problem is, you say to refrigerate the dough 6-12 hours. I didn't time this properly, so the dough is refrigerated at its 1 pm. Can I let the dough go in the fridge for longer without problems?
Veena Azmanov
Diana. You can let this dough chill in the fridge for up to 18 hours. Then shape proof and bake. I hope that answers the questions.
Jill
Great recipe! I love to bake bread & I love Brioche! Your half right about the Pullman Pans! They were invented by the Pullman Train Car Company many years ago but it was made to make the square loaves so it looked better than regular loaves of bread! They thought it looked classier because way back, train travel was expensive & more for the elite! You have to admit, the nice square loaves do look nice! Kinda classy too!
Thanks again for this recipe!
Veena Azmanov
Indeed. Thanks, Jill.
Donna
You say to double the recipe for a 13x4 pullman pan but I thought you weren't supposed to double yeast?
Veena Azmanov
You can double the yeast unless you plan to keep it to proof for longer than the time mentioned in the recipe.