Sourdough Pullman Loaf is a toothsome sandwich bread that’s much easier to make than a standard sourdough loaf. 

Sourdough Pullman Loaf (Pain de Mie)

Sourdough bread is absolutely delicious, but making a crusty loaf with sourdough can be a bit tricky.  This simple sourdough sandwich bread is MUCH easier, and it allows you to turn an everyday sandwich into something extraordinary.

A pullman loaf pan is a square pan (with a lid) that allows you to bake a perfectly shaped loaf every time (without the complicated shaping steps involved in most sourdough baking).  Since it’s fully enclosed, the pan acts like an expensive “cloche” baker (or like the dutch oven with a lid that most sourdough bakers use as a quick inexpensive baking hack these days).

The crumb holds together wonderfully, and it’s perfect for everything from sandwiches to french toast.

In France, this type of bread is called Pain de Mie, but in the most of the US it goes by the name Pullman Loaf.  (And in some places, it’s called “Texas Toast,” too.)

No matter what you call it, it’s delicious, and it’s the perfect sourdough bread recipe for beginners.

The only trick is, you do need a pullman loaf pan.  You can get them from specialty baking stores (if you have one in your area), but I got mine online from King Arthur Baking.

This particular recipe comes from the book Easy Everyday Sourdough Bread Baking, which has lots of other beginner friendly sourdough recipes.

Reprinted with permission from Easy Everyday Sourdough Bread Baking by Elaine Boddy. Page Street Publishing Co. 2023. Photo credit: James Kennedy.

Same Day Perfectly Square Soft Sandwich Loaf

Pullman loaf pans produce an all-over square-edged loaf perfect for sandwiches and toast. This version is made with the addition of potato flakes in the dough, which add a softness to the baked loaf. If you do not have potato flakes, milk powder works perfectly instead. This recipe was designed to be made in one day, but the dough can be refrigerated overnight and baked the following morning if life gets in the way.

Equipment: A 9” Pullman loaf pan, 9 x 4 x 4 inches (22 x 13 x 12 cm), lined with parchment paper or lightly sprayed with a neutral or flavorless oil.  If you have a larger 13” pullman loaf pan, multiply the recipe by 1 1/2.

Location: Use a warm place to proof the dough. I use my oven with the pilot light on and the door propped open, which creates an even temperature of 77°F (25°C). Alternatively, use a proofing box.

Yield: Makes 1 standard loaf

This recipe comes together quickly, at least for sourdough, and you’ll have a loaf of sourdough sandwich bread the same day you start.

Yield: Makes one 9'' loaf

Sourdough Pullman Loaf (Pain de Mie Sandwich Bread)

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Ingredients

• 100 g (½ cup) active starter
• 350 g (1½ cups) warm water, around 100°F (38°C)
• 425 g (3½ cups) strong white bread flour
• 25 g (¼ cup) dried potato flakes or milk powder
• 7 g (1 tsp) salt, or to taste

Instructions

1. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, roughly mix together all the ingredients until you have a shaggy, rough dough. The dough will be sticky. Cover the bowl with a clean shower cap or your choice of cover, and leave the bowl in your chosen warm spot.
2. After half an hour, perform the first set of pulls and folds until the dough feels less sticky and comes together into a soft ball. This will be a warm, soft, stretchy dough. Cover the bowl again and place it back in the warmth.
3. After half an hour, perform the next set of pulls and folds; the dough should be nice and stretchy and bouncy, and it will come together into a smooth, soft ball. Place the covered bowl back in the warmth for another 30 minutes.
4. Perform the last set of pulls and folds; the dough should come together into a nice, smooth, bouncy ball. Place the covered bowl back in the warmth for the next 3 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.
5. Once the dough is double its original size—it may be soft from the warm proofing, but it should not be floppy—gently but firmly perform a set of pulls and folds on the dough to pull it into a ball. Place the dough, smooth side down, into your prepared pan. Cover the pan with the same cover and place it back in your warm place until the dough grows up to an inch (2.5 cm) below the top edges of the pan. This will take 1½ to 2 hours. This step can also be done in the fridge for a longer, slower second proof—up to 24 hours—and can then be baked directly from the fridge.
6. When you are ready to bake, decide whether you would like to bake in a preheated oven or from a cold start. If preheating, set the oven to 350°F (180°C) convection or 400°F (200°C) conventional.
7. If you preheated the oven, put the lid on the pan and bake it for 45 minutes. If you are using a cold start, place the covered pan of dough in the oven, set the temperature as above and set a timer for 50 minutes.
8. Remove the loaf from the oven and the pan, tap the base of the loaf and if it sounds hollow, the loaf is baked. If not, return it to the oven, out of the pan, directly onto the rack to bake it for a further 5 to 10 minutes. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool on a wire rack for at least an hour before slicing.

Sourdough Recipes

Looking for more easy sourdough recipes?

• Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Sourdough Discard Crackers
• Sourdough Banana Bread
• Sourdough Whole Wheat Banana Bread