Pain de mie

If you can recall from my pastry school days, I was quite (and still am) obsessed with pain de mie. Also known as a pullman loaf, it is the quintessential white bread loaf. You can also find it in Taiwanese bakeries, being hard to miss with it's signature square loaf shape. With it's fluffy 'mie' or crumb, and hardly any crust, it is perfect for sandwiches or toast.

Most of my bread recipes involve using fresh cake yeast. After searching high and low, and even asking a nearby donut shop to sell me some, I gave up. A minor setback, but since then I've been able to substitute instant dry yeast with good results.

You're probably wondering what gives pain de mie it's lovely crumb texture and melt-in-your-mouth lightness? One word... BUTTER. Though I have about five different pain de mie recipes in my arsenal, and they vary in measurements and a few ingredients, all of them have at least a hundred grams of butter per kilogram loaf.

I've taken to baking these loaves every weekend, and I know what you're thinking... a kilo?! That's like two pounds of bread per week. Alas, sharing is caring, and I usually split them with my brother and his family.

On a side note, you'll notice that my pictures are a little different. Square.. yes. With a filter... yes. Since I haven't gotten around to processing a few months of photos on my camera, I've decided to include my Instagram photos into the mix. Hope you enjoy!

Pain de mie (for one 2lb loaf pan)

Bread flour 1k
Salt 25g
Sugar 40g
Yeast 40g (though 15g if using instant dry yeast)
Dry milk powder 50g
Water .6 liter (600g)
Butter 150g

Incorporate all ingredients except the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer. With a dough hook, mix on low speed for 3 minutes. Increase speed and incorporate the butter. Mix at medium speed for 7 minutes. For the first proofing, allow the dough to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes, or until doubled in sized. Spray pain de mie or loaf pan with baking spray. Dust a work surface with flour and shape dough into a log the length of the bread pan. Place dough in loaf pan and allow to rise for at least another 30 minutes, or until the bread fills 2/3 of the pan. Close pain de me pan with lid, and bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, remove the lid and continue to bake for another 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow bread to cool slightly before inverting on a wire rack. Cool completely prior to slicing.