Pain de Mie
The soft, fine-crumbed French sandwich loaf that makes the perfect croque-monsieur and the best breakfast toast.
Ingredients
- 500 g strong white bread flour
- 7 g fast-action dried yeast
- 25 g Sugar
- 9 g Salt
- 300 ml lukewarm milk
- 50 g Butter, softened
Method
- Mix the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the milk and mix to a shaggy dough.
- Knead for 10 min by hand (or 6 min in a mixer) until smooth, then work in the butter a little at a time and knead for 5 min more until silky and elastic.
- Cover and leave to rise in a warm place for 1–1½ hours, until doubled.
- Knock back, shape into a tight log and place in a buttered 1 kg loaf tin (or a lidded pullman tin). Cover and prove for 45–60 min, until the dough has risen just to the rim.
- Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan, 400°F). Bake for 35–40 min (with the lid on if using a pullman tin), until golden and hollow-sounding when tapped underneath. Cool completely on a rack before slicing.
Tips
- Baking with a lid (or a heavy baking tray on top) gives the classic square loaf with almost no crust.
- Freeze sliced and toast straight from frozen.
Sources
Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:
Open Pain de Mie in Nouns Cooking