Super Sandwich Bread (Pain De Mie) (Levain Bakery)

"Pain De Mie (French) literally means 'Sandwich loaf'. Equivalent of a Pullman loaf but not as sweet as American sandwich bread. Levain Bakery is located on New York City's Upper West side but it bakes with a distinct French accent. Co-founded by two friends who had worked in the fashion and finance industries, the bakery has won kudos from Zagat and others for its artisanal methods and the authentic flavors of its breads and pastries. Time does not include rise-time. We've not tried the recipe yet, but it's put here for safe keeping. NOTE: We plan on re-inventing this recipe shortly and getting it right. Many thanks to jujubegirl, for her insightful review. You can view the original recipe here: http://www.levainbakery.com/baking/recipies/pain-de-mie-super-sandwich-bread.aspx"
 
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Ready In:
1hr
Ingredients:
8
Yields:
2 loaves
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ingredients

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directions

  • Put yeast and warm water in a small mixing bowl. Whisk until creamy. Set aside for 1-2 minutes.
  • Using a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, combine the flour and salt. While mixing on low speed, gradually add in the cut-up butter and buttermilk. Then add in the cool water as needed to form smooth dough. TIP: When first combining water and flour, its essential to create dough with the right consistency. If dough is too wet and sticky, add a bit more flour. If dough is too dry and hard, add a bit more cool water.
  • Continue mixing for 5 to 8 minutes until dough is elastic. Remove mixing bowl from stand. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in the refrigerator for 8 to 24 hours.
  • After dough has risen, lightly grease two 8-inch loaf pans. Divide risen dough in half and form each piece into a rectangular loaf shape. Place shaped loaves into prepared pans. Dust the tops of the dough with flour and cover the loaf pans loosely with plastic wrap. Let the dough proof for 8-24 hours in the refrigerator.
  • When dough has done proofing, preheat the oven to 375°F Lightly flour the top of each loaf. With a razor blade or very sharp knife, score the top of each loaf diagonally 3 times. Place the sheet pan in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 50 minutes.

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Reviews

  1. This recipe has a few issues. (Please note that I am very experienced at baking bread.)<br/><br/>1. The directions do not indicate when to add the proofed yeast to the dry ingredients. I chose to add it along with the butter and the buttermilk.<br/><br/>2. My dough was very wet. I did not add the 1/2 cup of cool water and I still had to add an extra cup of flour to make a workable dough.<br/><br/>3. #3 and #4 on the directions both indicate putting the dough in the fridge for 8-24 hours. No mention is made of bringing the dough up to room temp before baking or proofing the dough in a warm place. I did refrigerate for 24 hours as indicated, then covered and proofed for about 3 hours in a warm place. After that, I split the dough into two loaf pans and let it proof again for about an hour before baking.<br/><br/>4. Directions do not indicate whether a cooling period is needed. I cut one loaf immediately and waited on the other one to see if there was a difference, but they were similar.<br/><br/>5. Minor nitpick: "Pain de Mie" usually means a sweeter bread with sugar in it.<br/><br/>><br/>Conclusion: In the end, this bread was edible. Due to the high amount of cubed butter and low amount of yeast, the end result was very much like a biscuit. The crumb had the same fluffy quality as a biscuit and the crust had the same brittle, crackly, buttery crust. The flavor was a bit bland. I used unsalted butter because it is the norm when baking bread. But salted would have been better, or simply adding more salt.<br/><br/>If there were more salt, this recipe could be quite successful as a biscuit equivalent. However, biscuits are a quick bread, and doing the extra prep time of 24 hours for refrigeration plus the long baking time makes it a less desirable alternative.
     
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

Original Zaaarite. Food lovers. Lynnda passed away in March 2020. Her recipes live on here for everyone to enjoy and Rick continues the tradition. We will forever live together through our food. Live well. Eat well.?
 
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