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Three Pain de Mie loaves
Lavender, sourdough, and teff, all from the Pullman pan
Cathy Warner
July 19, 2026
If you have ever pulled a loaf from the oven, sliced into it the next morning, and found a crumb so soft and even it seemed store-bought, although it tasted like nothing a store has ever sold, you have met Pain de Mie.
This month, I want to give it the spotlight it deserves. Below are three loaves from the archives, one yeasted, one sourdough, one gently floral, each a different take on the same beautifully square idea.
What Is Pain de Mie?
Pain de Mie translates to “bread of the crumb,” and the name tells you exactly where the priority lies. This is a loaf built for its interior, not its crust. Enriched with butter and milk, and baked in a lidded pan so the dough doesn’t dome, it comes out with a whisper-thin crust and a tight, tender, uniform crumb.
In the U.S., you will more often hear it called a Pullman loaf, named for the Pullman railcar, those long, straight-sided pans stacked neatly in tight kitchen galleys. Square slices, no waste, no awkward heel. It is the loaf that sandwiches are waiting for.
Three Pain de Mie Sandwich Loaves
Bee Keeper’s Pain de Mie (Yeast)
Bee Keeper’s Pain de Mie is a rich and buttery, melt-in-your-mouth bread infused with wildflower lavender tea. The tea provides a lovely floral undertone without overpowering the other flavors of the loaf.
Sourdough Pain de Mie
This Sourdough Pain de Mie, or Pullman Loaf as it is more commonly referred to in the U.S., is a tender and buttery sandwich bread that can be made with up to 30% whole grain and still retain its fluffy texture. To achieve the unique shape, it is baked in a long Pullman Pan with a lid.
Toast Bread with Teff (Yeast)
This Toast Bread with Teff utilizes a small portion of teff flour, combined with bread flour and a bit of high-gluten flour, to make a delicious, light-textured bread with a creamy, earthy color. I have been having fun experimenting with different grains and flours, so I wanted to try something different with this bread. I had seen a recipe for a Pullman Grain Bread that included teff and spelt, and that gave me the idea to add some teff flour to this one.
Pullman Pan Tips
Figure about 100 grams of dough per inch of pan. My 13-inch Pullman takes somewhere between 1150 and 1300 grams. A lively yeasted dough fills it with less; a sourdough needs a bit more.
Proof to about half an inch to an inch below the rim, not to the top. The dough still has oven spring left in it, and the lid gives it nowhere to go.
Grease the lid too, including the runners it slides along. This is the step everyone skips exactly once.
For square corners, press the dough gently into the corners when you pan it. For rounded ones, just let it proof as it likes.
Slide the lid on before the loaf goes in the oven, and pull it off for the last 5 to 10 minutes if you want more color on top.
Weigh your flour. Volume measures drift, especially with whole grains, and a Pullman loaf is unforgiving about it.
Cool completely before slicing. An enriched crumb this tender will compress under the knife while warm.
How I Like to Eat Them
The Bee Keeper’s loaf leans sweet and floral, so treat it accordingly: tea sandwiches, toast with honey butter, or the best French toast you will make all year.
The Sourdough Pullman is the workhorse. I sliced it thin for cucumber and pimento cheese sandwiches at a tea party, and cut it thick for French toast. That tight crumb means fillings stay put instead of escaping through holes.
The Teff loaf is definitely a toast bread. I especially like it for grilled cheese sandwiches, and it also tastes good as cinnamon toast.
Whether you reach for the yeasted loaves or the sourdough, the Pullman pan does most of the work. The lid keeps the crumb tight and the slices square, which is the whole point of a bread of the crumb.
Happy baking,
Cathy
Baked something from this issue? Reply and tell me how it turned out. I read every note.