Pain de mie
Soft square sandwich loaf
France's square, soft-crusted sandwich loaf
Ask a Paris café what goes into a croque-monsieur and the answer is pain de mie, the 'crumb bread' baked in a lidded tin so it comes out as a neat square block. Shut away from the oven's heat, the dough rises against the lid into a fine, soft, close crumb with a thin, pale golden crust that barely needs trimming. French children take it to school as tartines with butter and chocolate spread, it makes the best croques, French toast and canapés, and it is the loaf to choose for neat cucumber sandwiches. Milk and butter keep it tender for several days. The tricky moment is the final rise: if the dough reaches the rim before the lid goes on, it squeezes out of the seams and bakes with a dense band; too little rise and the corners come out rounded. Chef's tip: put the lid on when the dough is about 1 cm below the rim, and grease the underside of the lid as well as the tin so the block turns out cleanly.
- Total time
- 190 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 16
Ingredients
For the dough
- 16 oz strong white bread flour
- ¼ oz instant dried yeast1 sachet
- ⅞ oz caster sugar
- ¼ oz salt
- 1 ¼ cups whole milklukewarm
- 1 ⅜ oz unsalted buttersoft, in small pieces
For the tin
- ⅓ oz buttersoft
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Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Mix 16 oz strong white bread flour, ¼ oz instant dried yeast, ⅞ oz caster sugar and ¼ oz salt in a large bowl or stand mixer. Add 1 ¼ cups whole milk and mix to a firm, slightly sticky dough.
Step 2: Knead for 5 minutes, then work in 1 ⅜ oz unsalted butter a piece at a time. Keep kneading for 8–10 minutes more, until the dough is silky and stretches into a thin, translucent sheet without tearing.
15 minStep 3: Cover and leave in a warm place for 1–1½ hours, until doubled.
75 minStep 5: Knock the dough back and divide into 3 equal pieces. Roll each into an oval about 20 cm long, fold the sides in to the width of the tin, then roll up tightly like a Swiss roll.
Step 6: Place the three rolls side by side in the tin, seams down and spirals facing the long sides. Cover and prove for 45–60 minutes, until the dough is about 1 cm below the rim. Slide on the lid.
50 minStep 7: Meanwhile heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan). Bake with the lid on for 35 minutes.
35 minStep 8: Slide the lid off: the top should be flat and pale golden. If it looks very pale, bake uncovered for 3–5 minutes more. It is done when the turned-out base sounds hollow and the centre reads about 198°F.
4 minStep 9: Turn out at once onto a rack so the sides don't steam and soften. Cool completely, at least 2 hours, before slicing with a serrated knife. It keeps for 3–4 days wrapped, and freezes well sliced.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 130 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 23 g
- Fat
- 3 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pain de mie take?
- About 190 minutes in total: 150 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 16 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of strong white bread flour?
- Plain flour, same amount (the dough will be softer and rise a little less).
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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