from King Arthur Flour
Pain de mie is a fine-textured, moist bread baked in a special lidded pan. The lid keeps the loaf from crowning, giving it a flat top and perfectly square-edged slices. For toast (and French toast), sandwiches (including our favorite, grilled cheese), and the best bread-and-butter ever, you simply can’t beat pain de mie.
While most pain de mie recipes call for a traditional 13″ x 4″ x 4″ pan, this one is perfect for our smaller 9″ x 4″ pan. If you have the larger pan, see our recipe for classic Pain de Mie.
Prep: 15 mins
Bake: 30 to 35 mins
Total: 2 hrs 45 mins
Yield: one 9″ loaf
Ingredients
- 7/8 cup to 1 cup (198g to 227g) lukewarm water*
- 1 heaping tablespoon (32g) honey
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (9g) table salt
- 2 tablespoons (28g) soft butter
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 3 1/4 cups (390g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 1/4 cup (28g) King Arthur Baker’s Special Dry Milk or nonfat dry milk
*Use the lesser amount in a humid environment or during the summer; the greater amount in a dry climate, or during the winter.
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, till 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.
- Yield: one 9″ loaf, about 18 to 24 servings, depending on how you slice it.
Tips from our Bakers
- For a bit of tang and wonderful overall flavor, make a simple sourdough pain de mie using your sourdough starter discard (the starter you’d potentially discard during the feeding process). Substitute 227g (1 cup) starter for 113g (1/2 cup) of the water and 113g (1 cup) of the flour in the recipe. Adjust the remaining water and/or flour if necessary; starters may vary in consistency.
Anna = yes
Ma = yes
Sean = OK