Pain de Mie (Pullman Bread) Recipe

With a perfectly square shape, sourdough Pain de Mie is great as the ends of your favorite sandwich. This sandwich loaf has a thin crust and soft interior. It will remind you of your favorite store-bought white bread but with the added flavor notes sourdough brings out in any recipe. 

When I first began my sourdough journey, I started by adapting my yeast sandwich bread recipe to sourdough. I made it weekly for years and still make it quite often. 

Over the years, though, I’ve received multiple comments on my classic sourdough sandwich bread recipe asking if a Pullman loaf pan could be used instead of a regular loaf pan. 

So, I thought I’d try my own Pullman loaf, also known as Pain de Mie, using my trusty sourdough starter. 

The result was a beautifully soft crumb with a thin crust that resembled classic sliced soft bread you’d find on the grocery store shelves.

Of course, it was much tastier, as homemade bread always is. Plus, sourdough just makes everything better in my opinion. 

Although this recipe is very similar to my sandwich bread, it does include whole milk in addition to the warm water. It gives this bread such a wonderful texture and rich taste. 

What is Pain de Mie?

Pain de Mie is a French sandwich bread. Pain translates to bread, while Mie means crumb. 

Some may refer to Pain de Mie as a Pullman loaf because it is typically made using a Pullman pan, which has straight sides and a sliding lid. This gives you uniform square pieces, making this “bread of the crumb” the perfect loaf for toast or sandwiches. 

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Similar to a classic sliced white bread – When using the lid on the pullman pan, you end up with a perfectly rectangle loaf. This also gives you very uniform slices throughout the loaf, which is great for sandwiches. 

Thin crust for those that are not crust lovers – Although I love a nice crisp crust on a traditional sourdough boule, this sandwich bread is a nice option for those that like a thinner crust. 

Simple to make, especially if you don’t have time for a hands-on recipe – If you have a stand mixer, this recipe is great because you can just throw everything in, let it knead for a few minutes, and then its time for the bulk rise. Though it will take a couple of days for this bread to be ready to bake, pending bulk rise time, the time you spend actively working on this bread is minimal. 

Tips

• Using a stand mixer is ideal for this recipe. If you do not have one, I suggest using the stretch and fold method instead of kneading by hand. It will be much easier due to the added butter.  
• Make sure your butter is at room temperature and soft before adding this to the dough. If it is too cold, it will not mix in well. 
• You’ll need an active sourdough starter for this recipe. If you are new to sourdough, learn how to make your own sourdough starter here. 

Ingredients

Butter – Salted or unsalted butter works fine for this recipe. 

Sugar – Using sugar helps give this bread its soft texture. 

Salt

Sourdough starter, bubbly and active

Whole milk

Water

All-purpose flour – Although I love baking with a combo of white flour and whole wheat flour, this bread comes out best using all-purpose only. 

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.

Tools You May Need

Measuring Cups and Spoons – For many sourdough loaves, I use a kitchen scale and go by weight measurements for my ingredients. I find this one is simple enough that using volume measurements is easier. 

Stand Mixer (optional)

Pullpan Pan – I used a large Pullman pan for this recipe (13.6″×5.4″×4.7″). 

How to Make Pain de Mie

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add all of the ingredients. I typically will add the flour last so I can adjust the amount as needed. The hydration of your starter, humidity, and other factors will effect exactly how much flour is needed. 

Using a dough hook attachment, knead the dough in the mixer until it is smooth and elastic. You will know it is ready once it pulls away from the sides of the bowl and passes the windowpane test.

This may take about 10 minutes or more. This is not a super hydrated dough like other sourdough loaves. If you feel it is too sticky, you may need to add more flour. 

Bulk Fermentation 

Allow your dough to bulk rise in a large bowl covered with a lid or plastic wrap for 10-12 hours in a warm place. In the summer time, this may take less time. Usually I will bulk rise for about 8 hours in the warmer months. 

Be careful not to over ferment the dough. You’ll know if it has fermented too long because it will be a sloppy mess when you try to shape your dough. 

Shape

Shape your dough by gently stretching it into a rough rectangle until it is about 13 inches long. Roll it up and place the shaped dough in the Pullman pan seam side down. If your pan is not nonstick, spray it with an olive oil nonstick spray or grease it with butter. 

Put the lid on the pan and let your dough rest for about 2 to 4 hours at room temperature. The dough should rise to within about an inch of the top of the pan.

To test if your dough has risen sufficiently on the second rise, gently press your finger in the dough. It should leave an imprint, and not spring back.

Bake

Preheat your oven to 375 F. 

Bake with the lid on for 45 minutes.

After a few minutes, carefully remove the bread from the pan and let it cool on a wire rack until completely cooled. 

Storage

Store at room temperature in an air-tight container for up to 5 days.

Not sure how to best store your bread? I put together a list of my favorite ways to keep my sourdough fresh for longer here. 

For longer storage, you can also freeze it. To learn how to best freeze sourdough bread, check out my how-to guide. 

How to Serve

While this is truly the perfect sandwich bread, you can enjoy this white loaf in a variety of ways. 

• Avocado Toast – Mash a ripe avocado, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and add an over easy egg on top for a special breakfast treat. 
• French Toast  – While I typically use my sourdough brioche for French toast, this bread also works great. I love to do this when a loaf is about to go stale. 
• Breakfast Sandwich ​- When you think of a breakfast sandwich, an English muffin or bagel may first come to mind. But Pain de Mie slices toasted on a hot cast iron skillet can make wonderful ends to a breakfast sandwich of eggs, bacon, and cheese. 

Of course, if your loaf does not turn out the way you wanted it or if you can’t eat it all before it goes stale, you can always turn this into sourdough croutons or bread crumbs. 

FAQ

More Sourdough Recipes from the Farmhouse

• Easy Sourdough Discard Hamburger Buns
• How to Bake Sourdough Bread in a Dutch Oven
• Homemade Sourdough Calzone Recipe
• Easy Sourdough Discard Naan Recipe
• How to Make Small Batch Sourdough Bread

If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone

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