pullman loaf (a.k.a. perfect sandwich bread)
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i have made many loaves of bread over the years. for soup and pasta i love ciabatta bread. for breakfast i’m a fan of cinnamon raisin bread toasted. french toast is best when made with challah. when it comes to sandwiches nothing, and i mean nothing is better than a pullman loaf.
what is a pullman loaf
a pullman loaf is a basic white bread baked in a pullman pan. the bread is baked with the top on creating a perfectly squared loaf. most commercially sold white breads are actually pullman loaves. pullman bread is practically crust-less with a fine textured crumb.
the lack of crust is what my kids love. stella especially, she is notorious for eating only the centers of her sandwiches.
if you are looking for a basic, but delicious, white bread for sandwiches, this pullman loaf is it.
pullman loaf
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cup warm milk (110°)
- 3 Tbsp butter, at room temperature
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1 1/2 tsp Instant Yeast
- 3 cups Bread Flour
- 1/2 cup ap flour
- 3 Tbsp Dry Milk Powder
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
Directions:
- combine all of the bread ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer (can also be done by hand)
- mix until combined, then knead by hand until you have a smooth dough
- place dough in an oiled bowl, cover and let rise 30 minutes (may take longer if your room is cold) dough should be puffy but not doubled in volume
- gently deflate dough, form into a log, and place in a well greased Pullman Loaf Pan
, then place lid on pan
- let rise until dough is about 1/2 inch from the rim of the pan (30-40 minutes)
- pre-heat oven to 350°
- bake loaf covered for 40 minutes
- remove bread from pan and cool on a rack
- cool completely before wrapping and storing (bread will last at room temperature for 3 days)
, then place lid on pan
one of the things i love most about this pullman loaf recipe is how easy it is. there is very little hands on time and two short rise times.
and with the exception of instant yeast, you probably have everything already in your pantry to make this loaf.
a few tips for making the perfect pullman loaf
to get the fine texture of the pullman loaf, use bread flour. this recipe uses mostly bread flour with 1/2 cup of all purpose flour. using 100% all purpose flour will still create a delicious loaf, but it will be a bit more dense and not quite as chewy.
grease your pan well, and don’t forget the top. i have had more than one loaf stick to the lid.
during the second rise, you will want to watch your loaf closely. your bread is ready to bake when the dough has risen to about 1/2 inch below the rim. my loaves usually take about 40 minutes to rise in the pan, but check after 30 minutes.
i use my pullman pan for most of my bread recipes lately; i love the squared sides. but if you are looking for a basic white bread recipe, you can’t go wrong with this pullman loaf.
enjoy!
I tweaked your recipe the first time I baked this resulting in deep regret. Today, my second attempt, I followed it to a t and holy moly the loaf turned out perfect! Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Oops! I misread and used 1.5 cups of warm milk and 1.5 teaspoons of yeast! I also missed out the AP flour out. Yet it still turned out pretty good. It would be interesting to know how it would have turned out if I had done it correctly in our North Western English rainy climate.
Is the recipe for the small Pullman 9”by4”by4” or large Pullman one 13”by4”by4”?
small, sorry
Followed your recipe to the T and it turned out excellent. Thank you!!
This loaf is slightly moist, light and delicious as a perfect loaf should be. Great recipe1
thank you so much
Your bread looks amazing! I would like to try by using my bread machine to make the dough. My pulllman pan is 7.5×4.5. What adjustments would you recommend?
I’m not familiar with bread machines, sorry