Easy Sourdough Sandwich bread: a Pullman loaf recipe - NINNESCAH HOMESTEAD (2024)

Thissourdough sandwich bread, with it's hint of sweetness from honey, is wonderfully moist and tender. Pain de mie has asoft crust, tight crumb and will hold up well to slicing. Bakingsandwich loavesin a pullman pan guarantees each slice will have asquare shape.Pullman loavesare perfect for packing to-go lunches or making ahead for thenext day!

NOTE: A Pain de mie simply refers to sandwich loaves baked in a pullman pan.

Mostsandwich loaves, whether they are sourdough or not, come in a standard shape: long and thin. To achieve this at home, we have to use something other than a standard loaf pan. Enter: the13" Pullman pan. This pan has tall sides, crisp edges and a lid that can be used to create asoft white breadwith a square sandwich slice shape.

3 Reasons to Love Using a Pain de Mie or Pullman Style Loaf Pan

Sourdough Pain de mie(or13-inch pullman pan) is extra tall, nearly twice as long, and creates a lofty and airy soft slicing loaf. Aside from the fact that this taller pan can accommodate a wide range of yeast and quick bread recipes, why else will you love it?

1. Square slices are perfect for asandwich loaf. Have you ever tried stuffing a beautiful, tall slice of bread into a ziploc baggie? Or a toaster? I'm just saying, some part of that PBJ is gettin smashed to make it fit. With a loaf baked into a pullman pan, the tall,straight sidesand lid prevent your sandwich bread from “doming” into a lofty loaf. Instead your bread will be perfectly square: a loaf ideal for slicing without crumbling. It's the perfect size and shape for bread slices!
2. Swirled breads or breads with loose yeast will not separate or lose structure. The supportive and extra tall edges of the pain de mie keep the dough together until it is fully baked. When shaping any of these loaves, feel free to add extra ingredients! I have added cinnamon and sugar, butter and garlic, and olive oil with za-atar spices.
3. Quick breads will never overflow (in theory). Have I ever told you about the time I accidentally set my oven on fire? I had made a cinnamon swirl loaf that overflowed (just alittle bit) into the bottom of the oven. Since it was a small mess, I ran the self-cleaning cycle to tidy it up. Big mistake! I glanced over at the oven and saw flames dancing in the chamber. Luckily, it ran out of sugar and butter to burn and the flames burned out on their own. Lesson learned! This extra height and length of this pan will USUALLY save you! There are always exceptions, of course.

Lid or No Lid?

I wasn't sure if this was worth mentioning or not, but a pullman pan can be used with or without the lid. In fact, the only recipe I regularly use with the lid on is thisSourdough Pain de Mie. If you don't want to use the lid, just leave it off!

My rule of thumb, and it's a pretty loose rule, is that yeast breads do well with the lid on. As the dough bakes, it swells and pushes against the lid and edges of the pan to create a tight crumb loaf that has a close-grained quality that can be cut into sandwich slices really well! This pan makesgreat sandwich breadsthat travel well and are very versatile.

Here's a lid tip:

If you are using apullman loaf panwith the lid on, check and double check that you remembered to grease and flour the lid! Ask me how I know... Also, once the dough is proofing and the lid is on, do not try to remove the lid to check how tall the dough has risen. As you slide the lid to peak at the dough, it will stick and causethe dough tofall.

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Ingredients for Sourdough Sandwich Bread

• ACTIVE SOURDOUGH STARTER|A ripe starter is very important. The sourdough starter should be recently fed and at peak activity. If you are unsure how to tell, the bubbles should be large and if you put a spoonful in water it will float at the top of the glass. Measure theamount of starteraccurately. I have several recipes for using up yoursourdough discardif you need inspiration!
• ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR|I am not loyal to one particular brand, but my favorites areKing Arthur All-Purpose, The Food NannyAll-Purpose Kamut, andJovial All-Purpose Einkorn. If you are using fresh milled grain, I cannot give you a conversion at this time. I will update this recipe when I have had time to experiment and work out the perfect 1:1 fresh milled version. If you are usinggrams of bread flour, you will need to adjust the amount.
• WATER |Use water that is filtered or from a well. Do not use water that is chlorinated or contains fluoride. Both of these chemicals inhibit bacterial growth, which is literally the opposite of what we want yeast (naturally occurring in sourdough starter or in a packet) to do.
• HONEY |This bread is absolutely DELICIOUS with a hint of honey flavor. If you don't keep honey on hand, swap it for 50 grams of sugar.
• INSTANT YEAST |I buy bulk yeast and store it in my freezer to keep it fresh longer. If you are using yeast from a packet, measure the yeast by weight rather than a measuring spoon. Yes, you can make this recipe without yeast, but it will need to ferment and proof for 12-16 hours.
• BUTTER |Good quality butter adds fat, which lubricates crumb for easy slicing. It also adds flavor, softness, keeps bread fresh longer.
• SALT |I use Redmond's Real Salt. When I am baking sourdough I tend to stay away from iodized salts and instead try to use Himalayan, Celtic or sea salt.
• POWDERED MILK |The only ingredient that you might not have in your pantry already is thepowdered milk.Milk powderadds fat and tenderizes the gluten and gives a soft and rich crumb. Substituting tablespoons of milk will not work for this recipe.

Instructions for Sourdough Sandwich Bread

As with allsourdough breads, feed the sourdough starter and place it in awarm placeseveral hours before you are ready to bake. A ripe starter should be doubled and have large air bubbles when it is at peak activity.

In thebowl of a stand mixer, attach the dough hook and mix together all of the dough ingredients, including the (active)ripe sourdough starter, to make a smooth, supple, and not overly sticky dough. Start with alow speed, then gradually increase to a kneading speed for two minutes. The dough should cling to the hook and be free from sticking to thesides of the bowl. This takes about 8-10 minutes.

Place the kneaded dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and let thedough risefor 1 to 2 hours, until doubled in size. While you let thedough rest, grease and flour one 13" pullman pan or two 8 ½" pullman pans. Once the dough is ready, spread it on a greased surface until it is the same length as the pan. Form a rectangle. Roll the rectangle like a cinnamon roll to create the traditional sandwich bread log for thefinal proof. During this step, see the suggested variations below for adding different flavors to this pullman loaf!

If using a 13" X 4 ½"pullman tin, place the single dough log into the pan. If using an 8 ½" pan, divide the dough in half and shape each half into 8" logs. Place the logs in two lightly greased 8 ½" x 4 ½" pullman pans. Cover the pans with lightly greasedplastic wrapfor a mushroom top on the loaf or put the greased lid on the pan for a square loaf. Let thedough riseuntil it has crowned about 1" over the rim of thebread pan, or if baking with the lid on, about 1 ½ - 2 hours. Resist the urge to slide the lid to peak inside!

While the dough is proofing, turn on the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. When the dough is ready to bake, place it in the bottom/middle oven rack and bake until theinternal temperatureof the loaf should reach 195-200 degrees Fahrenheit.

Helpful Hint

I like to create a 'proofing box' for my dough to rise in. This is very easy to do and can be used with any bread dough recipe. Fill a coffee mug with water and microwave it for 5 minutes. Once the dough is ready to proof, put it in the warm microwave with the cup of boiling water. This adds humidity and warmth that will make your dough even lighter!

Related Posts

This was inspired by mySandwich Bread in a Pullman Pan, and pairs well with this. I like to toast the bread and then add the caprese like an avocado toast topping, only fancier!

SourdoughFrench Toastwill knock your socks off! You've got to try using this sourdough sandwich bread in a pullman pan!

If you are brand new to sourdough or need to learn how to make a sourdough starter, refer to mySimple Sourdoughblog post for all of the details. I break down the steps from growing a starter, feeding and maintaining a starter, baking bread and trouble shooting any common issues that can arise. There are so many resources, both here on Ninnescah Homestead as well as other credible sites!

Variations

This dough is really fun to play around with! When the loaf is being shaped and is spread out like a rectangle is the perfect time to add ingredients to boost the flavor! The add-ins will look like a subtle swirl in the center of the loaf.

• sweet- add cinnamon,brown sugar, raisins or pecans pieces.
• savory- minced roasted garlic with a little melted butter will be sooo good.
• spicy- for a panini or grilled sandwich with a peppery seasoned dough, try brushing it with hot pepper infused olive oil.
• plain (but elevated!)- sprinkle a few sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds or sunflower seeds into the roll and sprinkle a few on top.

Equipment

Don't overthink sourdough! Here are the basics you'll need: a big mixing bowl, a wide-mouthed jarfor your ripe starter, and a kitchen scale.. everything else is just a bonus! Don't stress about buying everything you see people using online. Once you get serious about sourdough you may decide to invest, but in the beginning it isn't necessary.

Alright, so here are a few things that are helpful if you want to dive deeper into sourdough. First, a dutch whisk. This tool makes stirring flour and water together so much easier than just by using a spatula or wooden spoon. I can't explain it, but the way the dough moves through the whisk is so much easier.

Another thing that has been especially helpful to me the past year is asquare sided plastic container. The benefit of this container is that it is easy to measure how much the dough has risen during proofing. These are perfect for storing watermelon and cantaloup pieces in the refrigerator when not being used for proofing!

I have more helpful tools in the postSimpleSourdough Loafif you want more inspiration! I also have anamazon storefrontwith all of my favorite homesteading, prepping, preserving, gardening, baking and reading materials!

Storage

Fresh homemade bread tends to go stale fairly quickly compared to store-bought, and thissourdough bread is no exception! Trust me, this is a good thing! Professional bakers swear by using alinen bag. I typically slice half of the loaf and store it in a glass container with a lid or in a plastic bread bag. The other half goes in the freezer until we are ready for it, even if it's just a day or two later!

Thisloaf of breadcan be wrapped in plastic and then a freezer bag to be stored in the freezer for up to three months. I recommend slicing it prior to freezing. I've actually written an entire post explaining Best Place to Store Homemade Bread if you want to learn all of my secret tips!

If you make this recipe, please leave a comment below! This provides helpful feedback to both me and other readers. For more delicious recipes from scratch and homesteading tips, follow me on instagram @NinnescahHomestead

Recipe

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