Soft wholemeal bread is baked in a Pullman tin with a lid to give you a straight-sided loaf of bread. It can also be baked without the lid for that classic rounded-top look.
Bread baking is just one of my favorite things these days. I absolutely love the smell of bread baking in the oven, especially when it comes to wholemeal or whole wheat bread. They smell extra nutty. This wholemeal bread recipe yields a soft loaf and if you don’t have the Pullman tin, don’t sweat it, you can use your regular loaf pan. The term wholemeal or whole wheat bread means the same thing. Wholemeal is commonly used in Asia and Europe, especially the U.K. Here in the U.S., I never really hear the term wholemeal being used. Whole wheat is the common term here.
What is Pullman bread?
Pullman bread is also known as sandwich bread or pain de mie in French. It is basically a bread baked in a straight-sided pan and it usually comes with a lid that you can close off just before baking to give you that rectangular or square loaf on all sides instead of the classic rounded-top look (which I like too, to be honest!). According to history, lidded loaf pan has been used back in the 18th century in Europe. George Pullman uses this pan for efficiency reasons. The bread loaves can be stored flat and don’t consume as much space compared to the rounded-top loaves and hence it becomes popular and the name Pullman loaf or Pullman tin followed.
Can I bake this bread without Pullman tin?
Absolutely, you can use your regular standard loaf pan 9 x 5 or 8 1/2 x 4 size. They will have that classic rounded-top look.
Where to get Pullman tin?
Any stores that sell baking supplies will usually carry Pullman tin. I just got mine from Amazon. I have purchased several different Pullman loaf tins in the past and I like this Pullman tin the best. It’s high quality at a reasonable price. I don’t usually make a big loaf, so this pan is perfect for our family. It’s 7 1/2 x 4 x 4 and perfect for 1 to 1 1/2 lbs dough.
What contributes to the softness in this bread
1. A mixture of wholemeal/ whole wheat flour and bread flour
I didn’t use all wholemeal flour in this recipe. I use about 60% wholemeal flour and about 40% bread flour. Of course, you can also use 100% wholemeal. You may need to adjust the amount of liquid a little bit. Wholemeal usually needs a bit more extra hydration
2. Whole milk
I use whole milk in this recipe. The extra fat helps to contribute to that softness too, but you are welcome to use other non-dairy milk or if you prefer low-fat milk
3. Fat
You can use butter or other non-dairy fat such as coconut oil or margarine. I used coconut oil
4. Wrap the bread in a towel to keep the bread moist
After removing the bread from the loaf pan, I wrap it with a clean dry kitchen towel. This step actually helps to keep the bread moist and soft
How to make soft wholemeal Pullman loaf (Whole wheat pain de mie)
1. Even though we’re using instant yeast, activating the yeast will make the proofing process a bit quicker. You can warm up the milk in the microwave for few seconds until it is just warm. You can warm it up on the stove too. It should be lukewarm and not hot. Sprinkle the yeast and stir to combine. Let it sits for 10 minutes.
2. It will turn foamy and doubles in size. If nothing happens after 10 minutes, the yeast is no longer good or the milk is too hot that it kills the yeast. Do not proceed until you get a new yeast
3. Put all ingredients in a mixing bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, except for the butter. Add the activated yeast
4. Knead on a low speed (speed 2 on KA) until the dough comes into a rough dough and pulls away from the side
5. Spread the butter on the dough and continue to knead at a high speed (speed 6 on KA) for another 5 minutes
6. The dough will be smooth and soft and just slightly sticky. Don’t be tempted to keep adding flour. If your dough appears dry, you can add a bit more milk, one tablespoon at a time
7. Oil the bowl lightly so the dough won’t stick to the bowl later. Cover with a plastic wrap and put at a warm place. I used my oven bread proof function to proof the dough until doubles in size, about 1 hour or so. It may take longer if the temperature at your place is cooler. The dough is done proofing if you push it down and the indentation stays
8. After first proofing, punch the dough down. Give the dough a few kneads to remove any air bubbles and divide the dough into 2 or 3 balls. Cover with plastic wraps and let them rest for 15 minutes. This is not to proof the dough. It’s to relax the dough so we can roll them out without the dough keep pulling back
9. After 15 minutes, brush your Pullman tin with some oil on all sides, including the lid. I don’t recommend using the non-stick spray as it ruined my previous Pullman tin. It leaves some residue on the pan that I couldn’t get rid off
10. Get one dough, fold both sides and roll it out into about 1 inch thick. Roll it up like a Swiss roll and put it inside the Pullman tin. Continue with the rest of the dough
11. Put them inside the tin (as shown in the photos above). Cover with plastic wrap. Don’t cover with the lid yet so we can see how much the dough has risen
12. Put them at a warm place again and let it rises until it reaches about 90% of the height of the tin (about 1/2-inch below the top edge of the tin). Don’t let it reaches beyond the top of the tin as you won’t be able to close the lid anymore without ruining the dough
13. Once it has reaches about 90%, close the lid and start preheating the oven to 425 F (220 C)
14. Bake at the middle rack for 10 minutes and then lower the oven temperature to 350 F (180 C) and bake for another 25-30 minutes. If you take the bread out from the pan and tap on the bottom, it should sound hollow. That’s the sign that the bread is done baking. You can also use an instant-read thermometer to check. It should read 190 F (88-90 C). Remove the bread from the pan onto a cooling rack. It should plop right out from the tin.
15. This is optional, but I cover the top of the bread with a clean tea towel while bread is cooling on the rack, for about 10 minutes. The steam will keep the crust soft. Let the bread cools down for at least 2 hours before slicing
The satisfaction of baking a loaf of bread 🙂
How to store Pullman sandwich bread
1. Let the bread cools down completely
2. I like to wrap them in a cling wrap and they can be kept at room temperature for about 4 days if humidity is not an issue. If it’s too humid where you are, 2-3 days is probably the longest you can keep at room temperature
3. For longer storage, I recommend freezing instead of storing it in the fridge. The fridge will dry out the bread. I like to pre-slice the loaf into 4-6 slices and then wrap them together. When I need them, I just took them out from the freezer and they will soften again at room temperature. You can always also wrap them up in the foil and reheat in the oven at 350 F for 5 minutes or so if you don’t have the time to wait . If you are making toast, simply put the frozen bread in the toast
Did you make this soft wholemeal Pullman loaf (Pain de mie) recipe?
I love it when you guys snap a photo and tag to show me what you’ve made 🙂 Simply tag me @WhatToCookToday #WhatToCookToday on Instagram and I’ll be sure to stop by and take a peek for real!
Soft Wholemeal / Whole Wheat Bread (Pain De Mie)
Ingredients
- 200 gr wholemeal /whole wheat flour
- 125 gr bread flour
- 1 ½ tsp instant yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 180 ml whole milk warm. Start with this amount and add as needed
- 30 gr butter unsalted, softened
Instructions
Activate the yeast:
- Even though we're using instant yeast, activating the yeast will make the proofing process a bit quicker. You can warm up the milk in the microwave for few seconds until it is just warm. You can warm it up on the stove too. It should be lukewarm and not hot. Sprinkle the yeast and stir to combine. Let it sits for 10 minutes. It will turn foamy and doubles in size. If nothing happens after 10 minutes, the yeast is no longer good or the milk is too hot that it kills the yeast. Do not proceed until you get a new yeast
Prepare the dough:
- Put all ingredients, except for the butter, in a mixing bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. Add the activated yeast. Knead on a low speed (speed 2 on KA) until the dough comes into a rough dough and pulls away from the side. Spread the butter on the dough and continue to knead at a high speed (speed 6 on KA) for another 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and soft and just slightly sticky. Don't be tempted to keep adding flour. If your dough appears dry, you can add a bit more milk, one tablespoon at a time.
First proofing:
- Oil the bowl lightly so the dough won't stick to the bowl later. Cover with a plastic wrap and put at a warm place. I used my oven bread proof function to proof the dough until doubles in size, about 1 hour or so. It may take longer if the temperature at your place is cooler
- After first proofing, punch the dough down. Give the dough a few kneads to remove any air bubbles and divide the dough into 2 or 3 balls. Cover with plastic wraps and let them rest for 15 minutes. This is not to proof the dough. It's to relax the dough so we can roll them out without the dough keep pulling back
- After 15 minutes, brush your Pullman tin with some oil on all sides, including the lid. I don't recommend using the non-stick spray as it ruined my previous Pullman tin. It leaves some residue on the pan that I couldn't get rid of. Get one dough and roll it out into about 1 inch thick. Roll it up like a Swiss roll and put it inside the Pullman tin. Continue with the rest of the dough. Put them inside the tin (as shown in the photos above). Cover with plastic wrap. Don't cover with the lid yet so we can see how much the dough has risen
Second proofing:
- Put them at a warm place again and let it rises until it reaches about 90% of the height of the tin (about 1/2-inch below the top of the tin). Don't let it reaches beyond the top of the tin as you won't be able to close the lid anymore without ruining the dough. Once it has reaches about 90%, close the lid and start preheating the oven to 425 F (220 C)
Baking:
- Bake at the middle rack for 10 minutes. Then lower the oven temperature to 350 F (180 C) and bake for another 25-30 minutes. If you take the bread out from the pan and tap on the bottom, it should sound hollow. That's the sign that the bread is done baking. You can also use an instant-read thermometer to check. It should read 190 F (88-90 C)
Cooling down:
- Remove the bread from the pan onto a cooling rack. It should plop right out from the tin. This is optional, but I cover the top of the bread with a clean tea towel while bread is cooling on the rack, for about 10 minutes. The steam will keep the crust soft. Let the bread cools down for at least 2 hours before slicing
5 comments
Does 2 grams of fiber really count as high-fiber food? I wonder how much bran I could add to make it truly high in fiber.
Hi. Would you have a sourdough version of wholemeal Pullman loaf please? Thank you
Hi Ellyna, I will definitely work on that soon! I can’t believe I haven’t tried the sourdough version yet 🙂
I have a large pullman pan. Can this recipe be doubled to fit?
Doubling the recipe would probably be a bit too much for your large Pullman pan. I think if you 1.5x the recipe should be able to fit nicely.