Pullman Sandwich Bread - Pain De Mie

Pain de mie is a French sandwich bread with four square corners baked in a Pullman loaf pan. This simple and easy recipe for Pullman sandwich bread makes a light and fluffy loaf of bread with perfect four square corners. And, it has a delicate soft texture, soft crumb, and delicious flavor.

Table of Content

• Pullman sandwich bread vs. white sandwich bread
• The Pullman loaf pan
• Ingredients and substitutes
• Step by step instructions (pin)
• Tip - baking bread
• Frequently asked questions? 
• More sandwich bread recipes
• Recipe

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What is it about four square corners that make perfect sandwich bread? When I grew up, sandwich bread meant two perfect square slices of bread. And, anything else had to be called bread slices. In fact, my mom made this bread once a week, and it was the only bread we use for butter sandwiches or jam sandwiches. I don't ever remember eating a dinner roll or any other bread with butter, jam, or peanut butter.

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Pullman sandwich bread vs. white sandwich bread

First, 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!! Since, that's the defining characteristic of this bread. And, that shape actually comes from using a specific loaf pan that has a nifty sliding lid. In fact, you actually bake the bread with the lid on. So, when the bread rises as it bakes it fill into 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 to make storage and transport easy. And, with this shape, they could stack the bread over each 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 when baked in a closed pan gives you a perfect bread, not too dense nor too limp.

Below you can see the difference between baking with and without the lid. Notice how the classic white sandwich bread (which I baked in the same pan without the lid) has risen above with a dome. While the second one is baked with four sharp corners when baked with the lid on? I have used these same pans to make all my sandwich bread such as a whole wheat sandwich, Japanese shokupan, Brioche classic as well as Brioche Pullman

The Pullman loaf pan

This is not a pan you buy so 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 have is a regular sandwich loaf with a round edge (pictured above). I love those too! However, if you buy a regular loaf pan then you can't make a Pullman 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.

A word on quality

I cannot stress this enough. It is very important that you buy a good quality pan. Nothing is worse than spending time on bread and having it stuck in the pan, or the lid does not work after one or two bakes. (often an issue with low-quality metal)  A good quality pan will last you for years and will be a pleasure to use over and over again. Here are three pans that I own and love very much 13 x 4 x 4 Pullman pan, 9 x 4 x 4 Pullman pan, this 8 x 4 x 4 Pullman pan can be used for this recipe.

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Ingredients and substitutes

• Flour – Often bread flour is recommended for making homemade bread but this one works perfectly with all-purpose flour.
• Instant dry yeast – I like to use instant dry because I’ve always had great success with it. If you have to use active dry yeast you will need 2 ¼ tsp or one packet. And if you use fresh yeast you will need about 21 grams.
• Sugar – the sugar is not much so it won't make the dough sweet but it will help feed the yeast and help it ferment quicker. If you prefer you can substitute sugar with 2 tbsp of honey.
• Butter – will add richness as well as feed the yeast to help it ferment quicker. You can substitute the butter for 2 tbsp of oil in this recipe.
• Eggs - You can omit the egg to make an eggless Pullman bread and replace it with ½ cup warm milk.
• Milk - enhances the flavor, tenderizes the dough giving it a soft texture.

Step by step instructions (pin)

This recipe will make one 13 x 4 x 4 loaf or two 7 x 4 x 4 loaves (see notes below)

Yeast

• Ensure milk is warm, not hot (about 110 F). Add the yeast, sugar, and egg. Stir and set aside to foam for 5 mins.
  Pro-tip- instant yeast does not need to be activated but I like to ensure my yeast is good and working for me. You may choose to add all ingredients directly to the flour.

Dough

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, with the hook attachment add the flour. Mix in the salt then add in the yeast mixture.
  Pro-tip - if you do not like kneading I highly recommend using a stand mixer with the hook attachment.
• Knead on medium speed for about a minute scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
  Pro-tip - do not make haste to add additional water or flour at this point because the flour is still absorbing liquid
• Once all the flour is incorporated. Knead the dough for three minutes on medium speed until smooth. The dough will be soft and sticky.
  Pro-tip- a soft and sticky dough is a light and airy bread so don't add more flour.
• Next, add the soft room temperature butter a little at a time. knead again for 2 minutes until smooth and elastic but still soft.
  Pro-tip - when you add the butter it will seem like the dough is falling apart. Trust the process and keep kneading.
• Avoid the temptation to add more flour. We want soft, light, and fluffy brad, and this is only possible when the dough is soft, elastic, yet slightly sticky
  • Note - If using a stand mixer, you may need to add the reserved flour for kneading to prevent the dough from sticking to the bowl.
  • If kneading by hand, use the reserved flour as required for kneading to prevent the dough from sticking to the work surface

Rise and shape

• Remove the dough from the mixer bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Shape into a ball.
  Pro-tip - using a flexible bread scraper does a good job of removing the sticky dough from the bowl.
• Place in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap or clean kitchen cloth. Leave to rise in a warm place for about an hour until doubled in volume.
• Pro-tip - in winter you may need 90 minutes or more but in summer the dough may double in 45 minutes. If you can't attend to it at that moment. De-gas, reshape, and let double in volume again.
• When the dough is double in volume invert onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into two - to make two loaves.
• Start to roll like a jelly roll. Fold from top to the center then again once more towards the end. Pinch the seams together.
• Place into a buttered 7 x 4 x 4 Pullman loaf pan seam side down. Alternatively, you can make one 13 x 4 x 4 Pullman loaf

Prove and Bake

• Cover loaf pan with plastic wrap or clean kitchen cloth. Let rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes until almost 2 inches from the top rim of the loaf pan.
• Once you see your dough is almost halfway up the sides preheat the oven to 380°F / 190°C / Gas Mark 5 for at least 10 minutes.
• Cover the loaf pan with its lid. Place the loaf pan on the center rack in the hot oven
  Pro-tip - you want to place the lid on before it rises to the top so you don't ruin the rise.
• Bake for about 25 to 30 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 between 160° to 180°F)
• 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 a 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 - this is the hardest part!! But, it will prevent the steam from escaping and making the bread dry.
• Enjoy!

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Tip - baking bread

1. Measure all ingredients ahead of time so you don't forget anything at the last minute.
2. For accuracy use a weight measure for the ingredients
3. 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.
4. Though instant dry yeast has a long shelf life, it can get ruined. Always check the expiry of the yeast. If unsure, combine the wet ingredients from the recipe and let stand 5 minutes. If it gets foamy the yeast is good to go if not best to buy fresh yeast or check the temperature of the milk
5. Keep salt away from yeast as it can kill the yeast. I like to combine it with the flour then add it to the yeast mixture.
6. A soft loose well-hydrated dough is not necessarily a bad thing, it often will give you soft fuffy bread so don't be tempted to add more flour than mentioned in the recipe.
7. Kneading is key to making good bread. While kneading by hand can be therapeutic using a stand mixer is easier and quicker
8. 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 100F (not hot) oven this will expedite the rise.
9. 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.
10. Always preheat the oven for at least 10 minutes before you place bread in or the low temperature will spread the dough too much.

Frequently asked questions? 

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More sandwich bread recipes

see all bread recipes

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Recipe