Pain de Mie

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •13x4-inch Pullman pan with lid
• •Stand mixer with dough hook (or strong arms)
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Digital kitchen scale
• •Wire cooling rack

Instructions

1. 1

   Warm the milk

   Heat the milk until it feels pleasantly warm against your wrist, around 110°F. Too hot and you'll kill the yeast. Too cold and the dough will rise sluggishly. If you don't have a thermometer, aim for the temperature of a warm bath. The milk should feel comfortable, not scalding.

   Whole milk produces the most tender crumb. You can substitute 2% in a pinch, but avoid skim—the fat matters here.
2. 2

   Combine dry ingredients

   In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and instant yeast. Keep the salt and yeast on opposite sides of the bowl until mixing begins. Salt can inhibit yeast if they sit in direct contact.

3. 3

   Build the dough

   Pour the warm milk into the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed until a shaggy mass forms, about 2 minutes. The dough will look rough and unpromising. This is correct. Increase speed to medium and knead for 8 minutes. The dough should begin pulling away from the bowl's sides, slapping rhythmically against the hook.

   No stand mixer? Knead by hand for 12 to 15 minutes. The dough is ready when it feels smooth, springs back when poked, and passes the windowpane test.
4. 4

   Incorporate the butter

   With the mixer running on medium-low, add the softened butter one tablespoon at a time. Wait until each addition disappears before adding the next. The dough will turn greasy and slack initially, then come back together into a smooth, supple ball. This takes 4 to 5 minutes. When finished, the dough should be tacky but not sticky, pulling cleanly from your fingers.

5. 5

   Test for gluten development

   Pinch off a small piece of dough and stretch it between your fingers. If you can pull it thin enough to see light through without tearing, your gluten network is properly developed. This windowpane test tells you the dough has the structure to trap gas and rise properly. If it tears, knead for 2 more minutes and test again.

6. 6

   First rise

   Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover tightly with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. The dough is ready when you press two fingers into it and the indentation holds rather than springing back immediately.

   If your kitchen runs cold, heat your oven to 200°F, turn it off, and let the dough rise inside with the door cracked open.
7. 7

   Prepare the pan

   Generously butter a 13x4-inch Pullman pan, including the inside of the lid. Get into every corner. This bread contains enough butter that sticking is rare, but insurance costs nothing. Set the lid aside.

8. 8

   Shape the loaf

   Turn the risen dough onto a lightly floured surface and press gently to deflate. You'll hear the soft exhale of trapped gas escaping. Pat the dough into a rough rectangle about 8 inches wide. Starting from a short end, roll it tightly into a cylinder, pinching the seam closed as you go. Pinch the ends and tuck them underneath.

9. 9

   Position in the pan

   Place the shaped dough seam-side down in the prepared pan. Press gently so the dough reaches into the corners. It should fill roughly two-thirds of the pan's volume. If your dough seems shy of the ends, that's fine. It will expand to fill the space during proofing.

10. 10

    Second rise

    Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap or a clean towel. Let the dough rise until it reaches about 1/2 inch below the top rim of the pan, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Check it at 30 minutes. Overproofing here means the lid won't close properly, and the bread will have a coarse, cottony texture.

    The dough should feel puffy and alive when you press it gently. A slight resistance means it's ready. If your finger leaves a permanent dent, you've gone too far—bake immediately.
11. 11

    Preheat the oven

    Position a rack in the lower third of your oven and preheat to 400°F. The bottom heat helps the bread rise quickly in the first minutes of baking, creating a lighter crumb.

12. 12

    Bake under the lid

    Slide the lid onto the pan, closing it completely. Place in the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Resist the urge to peek for the first 30 minutes. At 35 minutes, slide the lid back and check the color. The top should be pale golden, not deeply browned. This bread bakes in its own steam, producing a soft crust by design.

13. 13

    Check for doneness

    Remove the lid and tap the top of the loaf. A hollow sound indicates the bread is done. For certainty, insert an instant-read thermometer into the center—it should register between 190°F and 200°F. If underdone, return the loaf to the oven without the lid for 5 more minutes.

14. 14

    Cool completely

    Immediately turn the loaf out onto a wire rack. If it sticks, run a thin knife around the edges. Let the bread cool completely before slicing, at least 1 hour. I know this requires discipline. Cutting into warm bread compresses the crumb and ruins the texture you worked to achieve. The bread continues cooking as it cools, and the crumb sets properly only at room temperature.

Chef Tips

• •Weigh your flour if you own a kitchen scale. Cup measurements vary wildly depending on how you scoop. Too much flour produces a dense, dry loaf. The scale doesn't lie.
• •Bread flour contains more protein than all-purpose, giving pain de mie its characteristic fine, even crumb. All-purpose will work but produces a slightly softer, more delicate texture.
• •The Pullman pan's lid is non-negotiable for the classic rectangular shape. Without it, you're making brioche's country cousin—still delicious, but not pain de mie.
• •This bread freezes beautifully. Slice the cooled loaf, wrap tightly in plastic, then foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Toast slices directly from frozen.
• •For an even finer crumb, replace 50g of the bread flour with cake flour. The lower protein percentage creates a more tender texture.

Advance Preparation

• •The dough can be made through the first rise, then punched down and refrigerated overnight. Let it come to room temperature for 30 minutes before shaping.
• •The baked loaf keeps at room temperature, wrapped in plastic, for 4 days. After day 2, it's best toasted.
• •For meal prep, slice the entire loaf and freeze with parchment between slices for easy separation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 53g)