A Smaller Pain De Mie
I spent years looking for the perfect sandwich bread recipe, and I finally found it! This pain de mie from King Arthur Flour makes a wonderful white bread. I bake about one of these a week. It's easily my most frequently used bread recipe. This is the smaller recipe, which is actually quite different than their regular sized pain de mie recipe, and it uses a different pan too. This is perfectly sized for their smaller Pullman loaf pan but really any 9" loaf pan will work.
Ingredients
Instructions
Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess.
Mix all of the ingredients in the order listed, and mix and knead — by hand, or using a stand mixer — to make a smooth dough. It won't be particularly soft nor stiff; it should be smooth and feel bouncy and elastic under your hands.
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, or large (8-cup) measuring cup.
Cover it, and let it rise for 60 to 90 minutes, till it's become quite puffy, though not necessarily doubled in size.
Gently deflate the dough, and shape it into a 9" log.
Place it in a lightly greased 9" pain de mie pan.
Cover the top of the pan with plastic wrap, to protect the dough as it rises.
Let the dough rise for about 60 minutes, until it's within about 1/2" of the top edge of the pan.
Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Remove the plastic wrap, and slide the greased lid onto the pan.
Bake the bread for 25 minutes.
Remove the lid, and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, till it's a rich golden brown. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center will read 195°F to 200°F. If you prefer a lighter-colored crust, tent the loaf with foil as soon as you remove the pan lid.
Remove the bread from the oven, and turn it out onto a rack to cool.
When completely cool, wrap in plastic, and store at room temperature.
Notes
This recipe is sized for the smaller Pullman loaf pan from King Arthur Baking, but any 9" loaf pan will work.