Pain de Mie or Pullman Loaf – Fluffy Soft Crust Bread

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Pain de Mie (also called Pullman Loaf – we’ll talk about why later) is a fluffy, fine crumbed bread with the thinnest possible crust. It’s perfect for French Toast, sandwiches, Texas Toast, and melba toast. Even kids that won’t eat homemade bread generally love this recipe.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Here’s a list of ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe

• Yeast – you can use instant yeast or active dry yeast, whichever you prefer. If you use instant yeast add it along with your first cup of flour.
• Milk – please use whole milk for this recipe. The fat helps the texture of the bread stay soft with a fine crumb.
• Water – if you live in an area where they heavily chlorinate the water or it seeems very chemically then your yeast may not be thriving. Try using bottled spring water instead and seee if it helps.
• Unsalted Butter – I use unsalted because I like to control the amount of salt in my bread. you can use salted if you prefer.
• Salt – I use kosher salt in my recipes. If you are using regular table salt then you’ll likely want to cut back on the measurement since kosher salt has a bigger crystal.
• Sugar – plain granulated sugar. It’s not there for the sweetness, it’s there to give the yeast something to eat so it can grow and make your bread rise.
• Nonfat Dry Milk – I use this a lot in breads to give it extra nutrition and flavor.
• Instant Potato Flakes – The starch in the potato also helps the bread to rise and gives it a soft texture. Just make sure you use the plain ones and not flavored ones!!
• Bread flour – this has more protein (gluten) than all-purpose flour and helps the bread rise. Saying that, the truth is all-purpose flour won’t make much difference, if any.

If you’ve never worked with yeast dough before I suggest reading my complete guide to working with yeast doughs before you start this recipe. It has a ton of information that will make you an experienced baker in no time!

What Is Pain de Mie?

Homemade bread with a beautifully rounded top, baked golden brown, and just out of the oven is a beautiful thing — there’s no doubt about it. Sometimes, though, you need something closer to a commercially shaped bread loaf.

That’s where pain de mie comes in! It is baked in a special loaf pan with a top. The crumb is sweet and velvety – like commercial white bread. By definition this bread must be squared off on all sides and must be baked in the Pullman loaf pan with a lid.

Of course you can bake it in anything you want and you’ll have delicious homemade bread – but not pain de mie.

The term is kind of hard to translate. Pain, of course, means bread. Mie refers to the inside of the bread or the crumb. So, pain de mie loosely translated means a loaf of bread with no crust — and that’s pretty much what it is!

The Pullman Loaf

You’ll need a pain de mie pan (usually called a pullman loaf pan). This is a sturdy bread pan that is a little thinner and longer than normal and has a top that slides on.

As you bake the bread with the top on the dough takes on the perfect rectangle shape of the pan and only a very thin, soft crust is formed.

The Pullman Loaf was named after the railroad company that made sleeping cars. Since they had to serve breakfast they needed a lot of bread. These loaves were easy to store in bulk because they stacked perfectly like bricks.

Thus – Pullman Loaf.

What Does Pain de Mie Taste Like?

The loaf is mild, slightly sweet, and not too “yeasty” with a delicate, velvety crumb that stays soft.

I like it cut about 1 1/2 inches thick because then it’s just right for a toast base for creamed chicken or a saucy type topping. It doesn’t get soggy. It’s also my favorite thickness for French Toast when I’m not using my quick Brioche.

Tips for the Perfect Pain de Mie

I am SO excited for you to try your hand at this homemade bread! It’s one of my favorites and it’s so unusual – people always ask about it when I take it to get-togethers.

• Make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature unless otherwise indicated.
• If you have time make it the day before and let it rise overnight in the refrigerator for the first rise, before shaping.
• If you don’t have a pullman loaf pan you can spray any loaf pan really well with nonstick bake spray, then add about 1/2 the dough, spray nonstick spray on a sheet of aluminum foil and cover tightly , sealing it on the loaf pan. NOW wrap the loaf pan with a couple of layers of aluminum flour tightly. It’s not perfect but it will work.
• This bread freezes like a charm. I like to slice it and freeze it with parchment between the slices so I can use just what I need.
• Let it cool completely before cutting. You can cut this paper thin for fancy things and thick for things like Texas toast. It’s super versatile.
• You can make whole wheat pain de mie by substituting whole wheat flour for up to half the bread flour.

More of My Favorite Bread Recipes

Y’all know I make a lot of bread. It is relaxing and makes the house smell like home – much better than any candle! Here are some of my favorites –

• Amish White Bread is a slightly sweet, velvety-textured, homemade bread that’s perfect for sandwiches. You may have heard it called milk bread. You can make this recipe by hand or in a bread machine – both instructions are included
• English Muffin Bread has all of those nooks and crannies and craters of an English muffin but in a quick, no-knead toasting bread loaf. It’s a fragrant batter bread with that distinct  yeasty flavor that we all love. Instructions for bread machine and stand mixer included.
• Multi-Grain is full of  healthy ingredients and a generous splash of honey to give it just enough sweetness. It makes a hearty sandwich or the crunchiest toast imaginable.
• Honey Oatmeal Bread is an old fashioned classic. It’s moist, soft, and a little chewy with a slightly sweet honey and oat flavor that makes it irresistible. This is my go to bread for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!!
• Honey Buttermilk Bread is so easy that even a beginner can do it! It’s the best bread ever for sandwiches with a velvety crumb with a slightly sweet flavor that comes from honey.

You May Need

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I love my Pullman loaf pan. It is made in America and is heavy and durable with ripples on the inside that keep the bread from getting soggy or sticking.

Pain de Mie (Pullman Loaf) Recipe

This is one of my favorite breads to make. When you take the cover off (careful not to burn yourself) the aroma that wafts up into your face will have you drooling!

If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.

If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Need to adjust for high altitude? Check out the instructions from Utah State University.

4.5 from 2 votes

Pain de Mie (Pullman Loaf)

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A mild bread with a delicate flavor and velvety crumb. It is baked in a special pain de mie pan so that is is perfectly squared off and has the thinnest crust possible. Great for French Toast.

Course Bread

Cuisine Amercian Heritage

Prep Time 2 hours 10 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 2 hours 55 minutes

Servings 24 slices

Calories 132

Author Marye Audet-White

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Equipment Needed

• Stand mixer
• Pullman Loaf Pan

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1 cup water, spring water is best
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2/3 cup milk, whole milk
• 6 tablespoons butter, unsalted, melted and cooled to room temp.
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder
• 3 tablespoons dehydrated mashed potato flakes run through the blender, don't reconstitute them – add them dry.
• 4 1/2 cups bread flour, up to 5 cups

Instructions

• Add the yeast and sugar to the water.
• Set it aside for 10 minutes until it is bubbly and looks creamy.
• Add the milk and 2 cups of flour and mix well.
• Mix in the salt, dry milk powder, and mashed potato flakes.
• Add more flour, a little at a time, until the dough is smooth and soft.
• Transfer the dough to a greased bowl, grease the top of the dough, and cover with a tea towel.
• Let rise for 2 hours, or until double in bulk – or overnight in the refrigerator.
• Lightly grease a 13 x 4-inch pain de mie pan.
• Gently press down the dough and shape it into a 13-inch log.
• Fit it into the pan.
• Cover the pan with lightly greased plastic wrap and let the dough rise unil it is just below the lip of the pan, about an hour but possibly more.
• Remove the plastic.
• Lightly grease the inside of the cover and slide it onto the pan.
• Let the dough rise for an additional 10 minutes or so while the oven is preheating to 350F.
• Bake the bread for 25 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the oven and take off the cover.
• Return the loaf to the oven and bake it for an additional 20 minutes, or until the bread tests done. An instant read thermometer, inserted into the center, will read 190F.
• Remove the bread from the oven and place on a rack to cool completely, taking the loaves out of the pans after 10 minutes.

Notes

• Make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature unless otherwise indicated.
• If you have time make it the day before and let it rise overnight in the refrigerator for the first rise, before shaping.
• If you don’t have a pullman loaf pan you can spray any loaf pan really well with nonstick bake spray, then add about 1/2 the dough, spray nonstick spray on a sheet of aluminum foil and cover tightly , sealing it on the loaf pan. NOW wrap the loaf pan with a couple of layers of aluminum flour tightly. It’s not perfect but it will work.
• This bread freezes like a charm. I like to slice it and freeze it with parchment between the slices so I can use just what I need.
• Let it cool completely before cutting. You can cut this paper thin for fancy things and thick for things like Texas toast. It’s super versatile.
• You can make whole wheat pain de mie by substituting whole wheat flour for up to half the bread flour.

Nutrition

Calories: 132kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 232mg | Potassium: 78mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 127IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg

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