Whole Wheat Pain de Mie Pullman Bread Recipe

Whole wheat pain de mie is a soft, fine-crumbed sandwich bread baked in a lidded Pullman pan, which gives the loaf its square slices and thin, tender crust. This version uses three parts whole wheat flour to two parts bread flour, enriched with milk, honey and butter, and is sized for one standard 13x4x4-inch pan.

Two things keep the loaf light instead of heavy. First, the whole wheat flour soaks in the warm liquid for 20 minutes before kneading, so the bran softens and takes up water instead of drying out the dough later. Second, the dough is kept fairly soft and kneaded thoroughly; the bread flour supplies the extra gluten that whole wheat flour lacks.

Timing the final rise matters more than the clock: the lid goes on when the dough is about 1/2 inch below the rim, so the loaf fills the corners without being squeezed into a dense crumb. For another soft wheat loaf, see the old-fashioned whole wheat potato bread.

Whole Wheat Pain de Mie (Pullman Loaf)

A soft, square whole wheat sandwich loaf made with milk, honey and butter and baked in a lidded 13x4x4-inch Pullman pan at 350°F.

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Soaking and rising time 2 hours hrs 50 minutes mins

Total Time 6 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

Servings: 1 13-inch loaf (about 24 slices)

Course: Bread

Cuisine: French

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup milk
• 2/3 cup water
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) instant or active dry yeast
• 3 cups (340 g) whole wheat flour, spooned and leveled
• 2 cups (240 g) bread flour, spooned and leveled, plus a little for the work surface
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, very soft, plus more for the pan and lid
• 2 teaspoons fine sea salt

Method

 

Soak and knead

1. Warm the 1 cup milk and 2/3 cup water together until just warm to the touch, 100 to 110°F. Pour into a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and stir in the 3 tablespoons honey and the yeast.
2. Stir in the 3 cups whole wheat flour until no dry spots remain. Cover the bowl and let the mixture rest for 20 minutes so the bran can absorb liquid.
3. Add the 2 cups bread flour, the 4 tablespoons soft butter and the 2 teaspoons salt. Mix until a shaggy dough forms.
4. Knead until the dough is smooth, elastic and only slightly tacky: 7 to 8 minutes with a dough hook on medium-low speed, or 10 to 12 minutes by hand on a lightly floured surface. If the dough feels stiff, work in 1 to 2 tablespoons of water; if it sticks heavily, dust with a little bread flour. Keep it on the soft side.
5. Shape the dough into a ball, put it in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let it rise in a warm place until doubled, 60 to 90 minutes.

Shape, rise and bake

1. Generously butter a 13x4x4-inch Pullman (pain de mie) pan and the underside of its lid.
2. Press the risen dough down to deflate it. On a lightly floured surface, pat it into a rectangle about 13 inches long and 8 inches wide. Roll it up tightly from a long side, pinch the seam closed, and set the log seam side down in the pan. Press it gently so it reaches the ends and lies level.
3. Slide the lid on most of the way, leaving a gap to look through, or cover the pan with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until its top is about 1/2 inch below the rim of the pan, 45 to 60 minutes. Toward the end of the rise, heat the oven to 350°F.
4. Close the lid completely. Bake for 25 minutes.
5. Carefully slide off the lid and bake for 15 to 20 minutes more, until the top is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer in the center reads 190 to 195°F.
6. Turn the loaf out of the pan right away and cool it completely on a wire rack, at least 2 hours, before slicing.

Notes

No added sugar: leave out the 3 tablespoons honey and add 2 more tablespoons of water; no substitute is needed. The yeast will feed on the flour instead; expect each rise to take 15 to 30 minutes longer and the crust to brown a little less. The cup of milk still adds its natural sugar (lactose).

If the dough rises past the 1/2-inch mark before the oven is ready, bake it without the lid as a domed loaf; closing the lid on over-risen dough makes the crumb gummy and can jam the lid.

No Pullman pan: divide the dough between two greased 8×4-inch loaf pans, let rise until about 1 inch above the rims, and bake uncovered at 350°F for 30 to 35 minutes, until the centers read 190°F.

Store the cooled loaf in a bag at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer keeping, slice it, freeze the slices for up to 3 months, and toast or thaw them as needed.

Flour weights are based on spooned and leveled cups. Weighing gives the most reliable result, since a packed cup of flour makes a drier, heavier loaf. White whole wheat flour can replace regular whole wheat flour in the same amount for a milder, paler loaf.