This bread is special. It's made in a Pullman pan.(Don't have one?*) A very long narrow pan with a lid. Years ago it was used on trains that needed narrow stackable loaf pans for the small ovens. It's known for its perfectly square shape, with a very very thin crust. The crumb (mie) is enriched with sugar, milk, and butter. I used a bread machine to begin the process of making this bread. Warning. This bread has some extra steps.
***you can use an ordinary loaf pan, cover the pan with a sheet of baking paper (Julia Child suggests foil) followed by a metal sheet pan, and top that with an oven-proof weight (such as a brick, cast-iron skillet or cast-iron lid) to hold the sheet pan down like the lid on a Pullman loaf pan.
Ingredients
1 1/3 cups milk 300g (2% works)
2/3 cup water 150g
1 1/2 tbsp white sugar 20g
5 cups all-purpose flour 675g
3 tsp instant yeast 9g
2 1/4 tsp salt
4 tbsp unsalted butter, soft and chopped in small 1/2" pieces 56g--do unsalted
Instructions
Scald the milk. In a wide pot heat milk to 170F/76C. Let cool. Now add barely warm water to the milk. This will bring down the temperature so it is safe to use in your recipe without killing your yeast (136F/57C).
Place the milk/water and sugar ingredients in your bread machine.
Add flour and yeast. Hold back about 1/3 cup-to see if you need it -check that dough ball ball about 6 minutes in.
Once the ball has formed evenly sprinkle in the salt.
Let that mix in for a minute or so. Now add chopped bit of butter into the pan. It will mix in. If necessary; you can add that 1/3 cup (40g)you set aside. (You want a ball that is tacky; not sticky. Touch it. Don't just look at it.) Squeeze in your hand and if it's sticking to your hand--add a tbsp or so of that flour. Let the dough continue kneading. When it's done allow the dough to rise.
Remove the dough mass and punch out the gases. Form into two long lengths. Twist them together (a braid) and place in a light greased Pullman pan including the lid. Be sure and press out the gases; you do not want holes in your loaf.
Place the lid on 3/4s of the way on. Cover with a towel to keep warm and rise. You want the dough to nearly rise to the top of the rim. Close the box.
Place in a well preheated oven at 400F/204C. Place on the center rack and bake approximately 30-40 minutes. Carefully remove the lid and bake another 10-12 minutes so the top will brown nicely. If you want you can check the center with a thermometer. You are looking for 200F/94C.
Susie's Tips and Tricks
Heating milk up can kill off enzymes that keep bread dough and batters from fully rising, it's an old school trick that for this recipe I think is warranted. ATK recommends it for certain recipes. I think this is one of them. You can skip. No worries.
Why add salt separately? It's so the gluten can form from absorbing the liquid. The gluten proteins need time to bond properly. This helps make the dough form nicely before the butter is added too.
Look at your dough ball. Touch your ball. Tacky--not sticky.
My pan is 10x3.93x4.4 worked well for this recipe.
Be sure to twist the dough nicely. Lay inside the pan. It will fill up the entire surface.
I use unsalted butter.
I made my dough in a smaller bread machine. You don't have to worry about limits in this recipe as you aren't baking the bread in the machine. You are only using the kneading and some rising.