Pullman Loaf – perfectly shaped sandwich bread
The beauty of a pullman loaf is the perfectly shaped slices. If you don’t want to take a chance on a loaf that has a slightly irregular shape, then this is the pan for you. It makes for a perfectly square sandwich loaf or movie-worthy toast. Any of our bread doughs will work in this pan, but some rise more than others, so you will have to adjust the amounts. In this post I used a 100% whole grain oat bread from The New Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day, which will rise less than our recipes using only white flour from The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. You may need to experiment a little, but I will walk you through the process below.
Pullman Loaf
What you will need:
1 to 3 pounds of dough: This will depend on the size of your pan and the type of dough. (Whole grain dough will rise less, which means you need more to fill the pan. Doughs made only with white flour will rise more, so it will take less dough to fill the pullman pan.)
Pullman Pan (this is the one I used in the post. It is 9x4x4. If you have a larger pullman pan then you will need more dough.
To make the loaf: Butter the loaf pan and lid very well. Fill the pan 2/3 full if using whole wheat dough (this took 3 pounds of dough for the 100% whole grain oat dough). Fill the pan just shy of 2/3 full if using doughs made with white flour.
Allow the chilled dough to rest for about 1 1/2 hours (unless your pan is much smaller).
Slide the cover on the loaf.
Preheat the oven to 450F and bake the loaf for about 45 to 60 minutes, depending on the type of dough and size of pan. My 100% whole grain oat bread took 55 minutes.
Turn the loaf out of the pan and allow to cool completely.
Enjoy!
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Wow! I had been wondering if this would work to get more uniform slices for sandwiches. Now I have to get my hands on a Pullman pan. Thanks!
Got the pan and baked a lovely 100% whole wheat honey bread from second book.
Thanks for th idea…. Great for sandwiches and the toaster!
I bake the 100% whole wheat bread recipe (the one with 1/2 cup oil in it, but no sweetening) in the very long pullman pan and my husband has 3 pieces every morning for his triple decker PB&J. It is too much too eat that quickly, so I get out my trusty old electric knife and slice it as soon as it is cool. I wrap it in 3-piece packages and put them in a single ziplock in the freezer. I remove a pack the night before and put it on the counter to thaw. If I forget to do that I just toast it in the toaster oven (usually toast it anyway) and it is perfect. So now I don’t worry about making too much. One recipe makes enough for my large pullman (about 4 pounds) and then I have a smaller loaf in a regular loaf pan that I bake alongside it in the oven. Or I use it for Algerian flatbread (yum). My pullman loaf is is done at 190-200. You can remove the lid after 30 or so minutes if you like. Makes checking easier. I don’t use any water (steam). Really beats buying supermarket bread. No extraneous stuff in this loaf! My husband loves it.
Hi Susan,
You had me at “triple decker PB&J”! 🙂
Thanks for the note, enjoy all the bread! Zoë
I ordered my pullman bread pan online from Bed Bath & Beyond (the least expensive prices for this USApan made in the USA). IMPORTANT: Make certain that you do NOT let the dough rise higher than 3/4 inch below the pan edge. Grease (NEVER SPRAY) the inside of the pan and the lid very well. Cover the dough with PARCHMENT PAPER cut to size. Slide that cover on AFTER the final dough rising before popping it into a preheated 350 degree oven.
thanks for sharing your experience!
This is what I came to the comments to find out: what baking temperature to use, because most Pullman pans seem to top out at 450 due to the nonstick coating. Thank you!
Great!
I’m working from the New Artisan Bread, page 134, whole wheat sandwich bread. The master recipe says when the dough bucket is empty just make the next batch right in the same bucket without cleaning it to sort of make a sourdough type starter over time. The book says not to do that with egg based dough recipes. The sandwich bread on page 134 has milk in it but not eggs. Can we do the same thing with the whole wheat sandwich dough from page 134 or should I clean the bucket each time given the milk in the dough?
It’s a food safety question and you can either be conservative or not so much. I don’t know if USDA has a guideline on milk (as opposed to eggs), but that’s where I’d look, and follow their guidance. It doesn’t come up in my world because unless I’m testing a recipe for one of our books, I don’t generally use milk as my liquid. Partly because of this question. Milk’s a tenderizer, and I just don’t value tenderness that much.
I have one and LOVE it!! The one thing I would add is to buy a smaller one. I got the 13 inch but the bread goes stale before we eat it. It goes stale before it “grows”…
I just got a 9x4x4 on from Amazon.
You can get a little 4 1/2 inch pullman pan @ Brown Cookie. It’s great for 1 or 2 people.
Just slice and freeze. Pull off (pry?) slices right out of the freezer. Better than thawing ahead. Toasting makes it just right.
I freeze it with wax paper pieces between the slices.
I know this is a very old thread, but I have a family of 6 (two teens!), and I still find the 13″ pan to be too much bread to eat before it goes stale.
Hi UlrikeDG,
You can always make a smaller loaf to fit your needs.
Nothing wrong with that. I was just agreeing with Beverly K in case other people were reading the comments and trying to decide what size to buy. I have two 13″ pans, and in retrospect, I would have preferred one 13″ and one 9″.
BTW, I baked a loaf of half-whole-wheat bread today (a cross between the 100% Whole Wheat and the Light Whole Wheat recipes in the original book), and it came out really good! I used 3 cups of water and 6 cups of flour total, and that made one 13″ Pullman loaf.
Hi UlrikeDG,
Ooops, I didn’t notice that you were responding to another comment! What you say is exactly true and having multiple sizes is the way to go.
Your whole grain loaf sounds great! Thanks, Zoë
Thank you for sharing! I had been debating which size to get for my family of 6! I was leaning towards the smaller one and figured I would just make bread more often so it doesn’t have a chance to get stale or grow anything.
Freeze half….
Thank you for this post Zoe. I was wondering how to make my bread less crusty. I have a 7 year old with a mouth full of loose/lost teeth and a mom with dentures… The generation in between love the crusts. =)
Fabulous! I pinned it on pinterest!
Just as a related FYI for those that like New England style hot dog rolls, your dough also works beautifully in the “Classic New England Hotdog Bun Pan” sold by King Arthur Flour (https://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/classic-new-england-hotdog-bun-pan). I use 1.5 pounds of a 50%AP/50%WW dough (it’s actually your challah recipe from Book 1 that I modified for 50/50) and the buns come out perfect. I use the same dough mix for hamburger rolls in KA’s burger pan. Actually, I use various versions of your dough recipes for all the bread-things we eat, so thank you for turning me into a happy, healthy bread baker.
Wendy: Thanks for the tip, maybe we’ll post on this at some point.
How do you store your pullman loaves so they don’t dry out? I’ve been making artisan breads and rolls with your doughs for over a year now (and love them) but if we don’t eat the artisan loaf that day, by the next day it is dry and/or hard. I’ve tried keeping in the fridge in a ziploc and keeping at room temperature in a ziploc.
I’ve had pretty good luck using one of those green plastic bags that are supposed to keep your veggies fresh longer. We only end up keeping an artisan loaf for about a day, but the bag keeps the bread from getting hard. Otherwise, if I get down to the last bit of the loaf, I slice it into small pieces and freeze to use for bruschetta later.
Thanks CJ and Zoe. I’ll try the bags and more of the whole grain doughs for larger loaves.
I use a bread box that seals. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001E95JBQ/ref=oh_o00_s00_i00_details It works pretty well and it has a slide thing that you push up to the last slice.
Hi Beverly,
This looks like a great container for the bread.
Which dough are you using to make your pullman that is done at 190°F?
Thanks, Zoë
I just any of the ones that are in your books or other recipes I have. I had my aunt get your UK book while she was on vacation over there. I like using the weights more!
Hi kara,
Some loaves stay fresher for longer. The more whole grains in the bread, the longer the shelf life tends to be. There are some German rye breads that are so dense and hearty, they actually are better after a few days. Breads made with white flour and no oil or butter don’t last very long before they get stale. You can either bake smaller loaves or try freezing the leftover loaf until you are ready to eat it. The refrigerator doesn’t really stretch the life of bread for very long. Storing breads with a crust in plastic will mean losing the crispness.
Thanks, Zoë
I looked up a bunch of breads and they were all at 190* internal temp. So I pre heat the oven to 400* and then drop it to 350 (not sure why but I have always done that!) Put a pan in and add water. After the bread is ready I put it in for 10 mins then put the prob in the bread. I only open it enough for the prob. When the bread gets to 190 I pull it out.
Slice it and freeze it, the slices will freshen up beautifully in the toaster or oven. This is the only way I have found to keep bread tasting as great as the day it’s made for a even few days, and the bonus is it stays that way up to several weeks.
Hello! I am having a problem with my last bit of bread from teh fridge tasting a little.. rancid or something. It’s very hard to describe the flavor, but its a bit bitter and lingers in the nose. Its always the very last of what’s left in the container after abotu day 3 or 4. Is it spoiling? What do I need to do? thanks!
Hi Denise,
I suspect what you are tasting is the fermentation in the dough. This is completely natural and healthy, but not everyone loves the taste. It can be reduced or eliminated by keeping the lid of your bucket cracked a bit to allow the gases from the yeast to escape. I actually put a tiny hole in my bucket lids to prevent this. https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2010/10/18/watching-dough-rise-how-high-should-it-go-plus-a-new-member-of-the-bread-in-five-family
Thanks, Zoë
Thank you so much! my bucket is actually just a huge bowl, it doesn’t have a cover, I just cover loosely with plastic wrap. Do you think this is the problem?
Denise: It’s possible that you have too much air circulation, though plastic wrap usually works for most people. Another is that long-fermented dough is just not to your liking. Consider freezing the dough before it takes on that flavor, see our FAQs page tab and click on “Freezing the dough…” Jeff
ok, you may be right about too much air circulation, as the wrap doesn’t stay in place very well most times. I will try harder to keep it better sealed, and also look up the freezing. May be time for me to invest in one of the fridge containers you all talk about! thanks again!
Hi Denise,
If you have a plate that is big enough to cover the bowl you can use that to keep the plastic in place.
Thanks, Zoë
You mentioned chilled dough…if I just made the dough should I let it rise in the bucket for two hours first and then move to the Pullman pan? Do I allow it to rise again in the pan? Thanks….I love your books!
Brenda: Which dough are you working with (from which book, page number)?
1st recipe…master one in your 1st book.
Hi Brenda,
After you mix your dough, then let it rise in the bucket for two hours, you’ll place the dough into the pullman pan and let it rise again. If the dough has not been chilled first then the second rise is nearly half as long before baking.
Thanks, Zoë
I let my doug rise while the oven is heating up for about 30 mins to 45. I also, after the 1st 10 mins of cooking I put a Thermometer in the bread and wait till it gets to 190* to take it out. I found that with the Pullman pan that it would not be done in the middle. This helped in that problem.
I was so excited to see this post. If I’m using the gluten free brioche recipe, I imagine I will need to use more dough. Any other hints you might recommend for gluten free bakers?
Cyndi: The GF doughs tend toward damper results— so that may be more of a problem when the loaf’s surfaces are enclosed by a loaf pan. You may need longer baking times but the temperature is the same. Jeff
Thanks Jeff, I’m going to give it a go this next week and let you know how it goes. There’s a lovely gluten free bakery here in Portland called New Cascadia, that bakes nice breads that look like they’re baked in pullman pans, I’m inspired by them to achieve my goal.
Not that I’d recommend it, but when I was a poor student in grad school, I improvised a pullman loaf pan from a length of aluminum gutter pipe from the hardware store for about $2, and it worked great.
I love your books and have been baking bread from scratch for the last 2 years because of them.
My question is, what is the best way to store bread so that it doesn’t get stale? Thanks
Leah: on our FAQs page, click on the item “Storing bread…”
Do you bake the bread at 425 or a lower temp when using pullman pan?
Hi Karen,
The temperature of the oven will somewhat depend on the dough you are baking. Which recipe are you using?
Thanks, Zoë
I am using just the master 5-minute dough, since that’s what I had in the fridge.I went with my intuition. I used 2 lbs of dough. It took forever to rise, but I baked it at 375 like my regular pullman loaf recipe calls for. It took about 25 minutes to bake.
Hi, I’m not associated with the sellers but there is a pullman pan about half size of the 9x4x4. It is 4-1/2 x 4-1/2 x 4-1/2. Sells at BrownCookie website.
I don’t particularly like non stick coatings on pans and this one is…. Oh well…
Hmm, think I’ll try 375 too when the small pullman pans arrive, will be my first loaf, never tried bread before. Only cooking for 2.
One on the way to me, wondering how long you bake the loaf for?
thanks,
Mandy
Hi Mandy,
It depends on the dough you are using and the size of the pan. Let us know and we can help you determine the baking time.
Thanks, Zoë
I was going to do the 100% whole wheat with honey from HBin 5 in the mini 4 1/2″ pan. (the left over I had from the same batch I did in the 9x4x4)
So I figure the temp to be 350*. How much to decrease baking? The 9x4x4 I did took almost 60 minutes, I was thinking decreasing by 1/2 since the pan is about 1/2 smaller?
Thanks for all your help!
Hi Mandy,
4 1/2 x 2 1/2 pan? If so, then you can reduce the baking by half.
Thanks, Zoë
I’ve been using Healthy Bread in Five for a few months now and love it! I happen to have a jar of sourdough starter bubbling away on my counter right now. I was recently reading sourdough recipes and read that you can replace 1/4tsp dry yeast with 1/4Cup sourdough starter. Do you think I might be able to use some of my wet sourdough starter in my HBI5 recipes in place of the yeast?
Cyndi: You can, see the FAQ tab above and click on “Sourdough starter…”
Oh no! I’m one of THOSE people! 🙂 Sorry about that and thanks for the directions! My dough is in its initial rise right now. I can’t wait to see how it turns out and if I can tell a difference!
I ordered my pullman pan and used it as soon as I received it in the mail! The bread looked beautiful. Golden, uniform, and it’s great for the toaster. My question is regarding your whole wheat recipes. I’ve now made both the 10 grain, and the oatmeal maple recipes. Both have kind of a bitter after taste… When I made the 10 grain I thought it might be because of the addition of the cereal, but the same taste is noticed even with the addition of milk and syrup in the oatmeal version. Is this just a characteristic of the whole wheat flour? I haven’t noticed this taste from store bought whole wheat bread. Or might I be doing something else wrong? Not baking long enough? Both versions have come out a little bit gummy… I LOVE your books… and very recently purchased all 3! 🙂
Hi Michelle,
A bitter taste in whole wheat bread can often be from a flour that is a bit rancid. The oils in whole wheat tend to spoil quicker than all-purpose flour. If your flour doesn’t smell sweet, this could be the cause.
How old was the dough when you baked it? If the dough is a few days old it may be a taste of the fermentation that you detect?
If your breads are a bit gummy this post may help:https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2010/05/17/underbaked-not-baked-through-to-the-center-what-am-i-doing-wrong
Thanks, Zoë
I am currently resting dough in a 13x4x4 inch Pullman loaf pan. It is the Master Recipe from HBin5. Should it bake at 350? And for about how long? Thank you! We started making your bread as part of a science project my daughter did on yeast and now we really are enjoying it!
Hi Erin,
I suppose you already baked the loaf? How did it go? In case you are still interested, I would bake the loaf for about 50 to 60 minutes if you are going to bake the bread at 350.
So glad you are baking with your daughter, it is such a fun way to do science and math. Zoë
Awesome, I have the master recipe from HB5 in the oven right now, in a 13x4x4 Pullman pan, following the instructions here.
I originally filled the pan 2/3 with fresh dough (after 2+hours rising at room temp, no chilling in the ref – I couldn’t wait!), and after 15 minutes it had risen almost to the top of the pan! I had to remove about 1/3 of the dough to make sure it didn’t overflow when I bake, leaving the dough about 1 inch from the top of the pan.
I’ll let you know how it goes.
great…
I ahve been making pain de mie with the King Arthur recipes and was wishing for an Atisan Bread in 5 and was delighted to find one the other day. I made a 13 loaf with the Whole Wheat Oat recipe from Healthy Bread and it turned out beautifully. Some hints: I bake at 350 for thirty and remove the lid and bake 20 more. This results in a loaf that is 190 degrees and perfectly done. Also, after buttering the pan I put a piece of parchment paper in the bottom and on top of the loaf and have never had one stick. I always bake on a baking sheet to catch the butter which bubbles over and somethimes the dough which rise out of the pan. This dough was freshly made and never refrigerated rose really quickly–30 minutes. Thanks for the recipe. I will try it with other breads.
Terrific, Susan!
The parchment tip was tremendously helpful–thank you!
Hi,
I just bought your HB book. I have been scouring the website as well and really enjoying both. I mixed up the master mix and will be baking it tomorrow. I can’t wait.
I wonder if your recipes turn out well if they are halved? As it is just me, I am worried it might go bad before I use it.
Thanks,
Angela
Angela: See the “yield” line, in bold-face type, right before the ingredients list for all the recipes in the book.
Hi!
I’ve been searching for recipes to do “Malt bread”. The german style, really dark, done with malt extract.
Do you have this recipe in any of your books?
Thanks
Hi Patricia,
We have several recipes for dark rye breads in our books. You use a caramel color, cocoa and coffee for the color. Malt is a pale color, so I bet that is more for the flavor than the color. Unless it calls for a certain malt that is darker?
Thanks, Zoë
Thanks!
I’ve tasted a great bread in a shop (very dark, crispy outside and very light in the inside). The lady just said that it was “malt bread”, and i’m trying to find one recipe since then.
Do you have those recipes for dark bread inside your book “Five Minute Bread”?
Thanks!
Patricia: Not sure– We have a recipe for English Granary-Style bread in the first book (https://bit.ly/cNtfJI) that calls for malted wheat flakes (hard to find except for King Arthur Flour https://ow.ly/8OJm0). Dark, like pumpernickel, the first two books have pumpernickel recipes (2nd book is https://bit.ly/3wYSSN). That book has a long list of whole grain breads that might be what you’re eating– but very hard to tell without hearing more about the ingredients– or at least the flavors.
Just baked my first loaf in my new Pullman pan and let me tell you, I am impressed! I have baked bread for nearly 40 years and wonder how I have done without this amazing tool all this time! I made your basic recipe for WW bread but found I only had half the necessary WW flour so substituted with 2 1/2 cups white flour and 1/2 cup cracked wheat. Right before closing the lid and baking, I did an egg wash on the top of the loaf and sprinkled with golden flax seeds. I used the 13 X 4 X 4 pan and it took about 2/3 or so of the dough recipe and 55 minutes to bake. It was perfect and all gone in two days, scarfed down by the men in my house! Just bought your newest cookbook so its on to try some of your amazing pizza crust this weekend. Oh, and here is a picture of the finished product! https://www.thatmom.com/2012/02/11/new-toy-pullman-loaf-pan/
Nice, Karen!
Three questions and one comment. Love the idea of the Pullman pan as the majority of bread I make is for sandwiches. I have wondered about managing a loaf that is 2 lbs or larger. I just can’t shape them properly and have to use copious amounts of flour. Maybe my hands are too small. Wondering if the dough could just be plopped into the loaf pans without shaping and the “gluten cloak.” Especially wondering how to manage 3 lbs of dough for the Pullman pan.
Second: when I make large loaves (2 lb) of whole wheat bread, they usually seem a little too moist in the center. I test for a temp of 200 degrees but that doesn’t seem to be a guarantee that they won’t be too wet.
Third question: my husband likes white bread best, unfortunately. Can I make the master loaf recipe with something like 5 cups white and 2.5 cups WW? How much vital wheat gluten should I use?
Comment: so many people worry about their bread going stale. I don’t understand why they don’t think to freeze it. We always slice up the loaves at one time and then freeze in Ziploc bags or in one of those locking plastic containers (the one made for soup crackers works great for a loaf of bread).
CJ: I often skip the gluten-cloak when I’m using a loaf pan, that’s fine. May rise a little unevenly– usually I don’t care.
Try 205 degrees for the bigger loaves– have you seen the “Larger loaves…” post under the FAQs tab above?
As for the part whole wheat, it’s kind of a flip from the basic recipe in HBin5. It’ll work, not positive how the water will need adjustment. And the VWG? Half dose of what we call for in HBin5 might be good, but you’ll have to experiment, I’ve not tried exactly this.
@CJ, I posted (Rob) above about the Brown Cookie website pullman loaf pan which is 1/2 size. It still makes over 1 pound loaf and requries exactly one half the dough compared to a 9x4x4. It might be easier. Works really great for me on the Artisan and Healthy basic recipes and the main rye recipe from HBI5.
I just recently came across your book “Artisan Bread in five” and tried out the basic boule recipe. Love it! Now I want to get a good bread knife for all the breads I plan to bake from your book. Can you recommend a good one? Thanks!
Hi Tara,
If you look on the left hand side of our site you will find an amazon store with all the equipment we use and recommend.
Thanks and enjoy the bread! Zoë
Hi Y’all,
I probably should know this answer, but since this is my first time using this pan, I want to be sure. I am making the loaf from the master recipe in the first Artisan bread book. Do I bake it at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes? I am so used to just using my pizza stone, and this will be a new challenge.
Thanks
Hi Vanessa,
I would go for 375°F for about 50 minutes.
Thanks, Zoë
Zoe,
I made the bread, but something went wrong. It looked so pretty when I removed it from the pan, but it was dense and a little gummy or rubbery. I don’t know if this would happen if the yeast was not fresh. My sons, love bread and said that it was dense, but they liked it. My boys would eat it no matter what. They just want me to bake bread for them. I was hoping for an airy loaf not so heavy. I used King Arthur flour. Any suggestions?
Thanks
Vanessa: Check out the FAQs tab (click above) and look at “Dense crumb…” Probably will “open up” as the dough ages. But try a shape other than the Pullman and see what you think. Could it have been restricting the rise…
Hi Vanessa,
If you want a lighter bread, then the pullman loaf may not be the right pan to use. You can use it, but don’t slide the top on. This will allow the loaf to rise more and have a lighter crumb.
King Arthur has a higher protein content which means it absorbs more water and will make for a drier dough. You will need to add a couple more tablespoons of water to make up for it.
As Jeff suggested, you want to read some of the other tips for Dense crumb and the loaf should improve. https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2008/02/10/qa-dense-crumb
Thanks, Zoë
Thanks for the replies. I will let y’all know what happens.
Vanessa: I have good luck following the recipies in the book, obviously they are very well tested, unlike other recipies from other sources. Somebody did a lot of work trial and error before it was published!
Nevertheless, sometimes bread I bake came out heavy dense. I find slightly less water and/or slightly more baking time will cure this.
For the basic recipie size, even 1 ounce less water makes a difference. What I did was to make the recipies using measurments from the book but also weighed the ingrediants at the same time for reference. Whenever the batch did come out perfect, I made those weights as the standard to which I then make all future batches by weight (faster than measuring with a ‘zeroing’ scale) and it comes out perfect every time.
We used to have scratch bisquets everyday. Now I do the bread, it is actually faster! Never thought I would be into cooking, and I’m not, except for daily bread…
I’m looking for the recipe used with this pan and I can’t find a whole grain oat bread in Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day. There is one on page 145, 100% Whole Grain Maple Oatmeal Bread. Is that it? I know other recipes can be used with this but I would love to try a whole grain oat bread that is more for sandwiches…so if I am missing something in the book, please advise! 🙂
Kristin: The other oat-containing recipes in HBin5 are on p. 147 and 191. But they’re not 100% whole grain. Likewise, non-100% whole grain loaves with oat are in the first book (Artisan Bread in Five, https://bit.ly/cNtfJI), on page 94 and 104.
Jeff & Zoë,
Wanting to share my joy of daily homemade bread, I am preparing a bread making workshop at my home for friends and family. I use the 100% whole wheat sandwich bread recipe from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, and am planning on having each person mix their own batch here to take home, in addition to practicing shaping and all.
My question: if their dough starts to rise here, will it get “damaged” (collapse) by the ride home in the car? Should any adjustment in rising time be made to compensate? Is it better to mix the dough first and let it rise here while we continue the workshop, or keep the mixing to the end so they can take their batch home sooner to rise in a still location?
Thank you for your gift of daily homemade bread, I can’t wait to share it!
Aline
Aline: It’s no problem can go straight to the fridge
I find that doubling the wheat gluten (e.g. 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup) helps with 100% whole wheat breads.
This helps to keep the bread from being overly sticky when flouring the cut off grapefruit size portion which is being set out to wait for baking.
I LOVE your books! Thanks for such an amazing idea. Now my twin 3 year olds enjoy fresh, health, preservative free bread daily!
On that note, I’ve been using the pullman pan (the same one you use) for some light whole wheat bread.
Tonight, I’m making a loaf using the master recipe (it is what I had in the fridge). It is taking forever to rise, but once it does, I am stumped for how long to cook it and at what temp. If anyone is out there…. HELP!!!
Hi Robin,
You can bake it at 375°F for about 50 minutes. I usually bake it for 40 minutes and then take it out of the pan to get a nice crust on the outside. This may take 10 more minutes.
How old is the dough that you are using?
Enjoy, Zoë
I think the dough is about 6 days old. I ended up baking it at 450 for 40 minutes. I used a thermometer and it hit 195, so I’m hoping it will be ok. It is cooling now. I will try your time and temp next week.
I hope it tastes as good as it looks! Thanks so much for your response – your posts are so helpful!
Hi Robin,
Your timing and temp should also work. Let me know if that temperature did it, we usually recommend 200 to 210 with such a wet dough.
Thanks, Zoë
Thanks! It tastes great but was a bit gummy on the inside. I’m thinking it is because I didn’t let it go to 200-210. I will try that next time.
Hi Robin,
Yeah, I feared that would be the case. I would let it go a bit longer next time.
Cheers, Zoë
I have a question regarding loaf size. I just today made up a batch of the Soft Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread in HBin5, I have it on my Kindle, but on my iPhone it says page 91 of 305, location 1557 of 5176. Anyway, it says it makes enough for two 2-lb loaves. I got half the dough out to make the first loaf today (which turned out fabulously and is delicious) but it only weights 1lb, 3oz. My concern on that, is based on those weights, this means the nutritional stats on that bread is close to 400 calories for a traditional 2oz serving. Is there something I did that kept the sizing down? My pan is a 9×5 loaf pan and the bread did mound up over the top some. It’s a little shorter than you would imagine a ‘sandwich bread’ being. Anyway, I just thought I would ask. I’m not sure I can imagine making this recipe again with those stats. I also made the 10 grain from the same book this week and had no issues with the weight on those loaves.
Hi Amanda,
You made a batch of the Soft Whole Wheat sandwich bread and the total weight of the dough was 2 pounds 6 ounces? Did you make a half batch of dough?
The numbers you are stating for the calories sound off, so you may want to check the calculation. Here is a post on determining nutritional information. https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2009/12/14/nutritional-information-for-whole-wheat-flaxseed-bread-or-any-other-recipe-in-our-book-using-the-usda-national-nutrient-database
Thanks, Zoë
Wow speedy response! Thanks! The weight of one-half the dough AFTER baking was 1lbs 3oz. I hadn’t weighed the entire batch. It was a complete batch of dough. I didn’t think to weigh it before. But since I watch my calorie intake, I wanted to weigh it to get an idea of how many servings were in the loaf. I was surprised to see just over 6 servings in one loaf. I double checked the rest of the dough to see if i had used less than half, but I cut right down the middle of the dough. Is it possible that I didn’t let it rise enough? The nutritional information I came up with was from http://www.myfitnesspal.com. I entered all the ingredients and their amounts. Then the number of servings (which would presumably be about 13-14 servings based on the weight of the first loaf) and the calorie count on that is 375 calories, 11 grams of fat, and 57 carbs. This is the recipe that called for 5 eggs, 2/3 cup of butter, 1/2 cup honey, etc. Although I think that even if you were to get two 2-lb loaves that would still be a hefty calorie/fat count. Now I LOVE good bread. However, I have to remember that calories in must still be equal or less than calories out and I’m not sure I could be ok with making my kids a pb&j on bread that is so high. 🙁 I guess I need to keep looking/testing for a sandwich worthy bread that is healthy (and without all the extras the store-bought stuff gets you) but also doesn’t pack such a large calorie punch. Is there a modification with less butter and eggs? I’d love any suggestion you can give me because I am LOVING this method and your books (I have both ABin5 and HBin5)
Hi Amanda,
I would suggest any of our breads that have little or no fats or sugar in them, if you are looking for a lower calorie option. There are many in HBin5 that are high in whole wheat and low in sugars. You could go with the Master recipe from that book, if you are looking for a loaf that is a bit lighter. It has some all-purpose flour, so it isn’t as dense as the 100% whole wheat breads.
Thanks and have a terrific holiday! Zoë
I just got my 9x4x4 pullman pan and was wondering if I should add steam when baking my loaves both with and without the top?
Thanks,
Jen
Hi Jen,
No steam is needed with this pan, since it has a lid.
Enjoy! Zoë
What about when I don’t use the lid?
Hi Jen,
If you choose to use the pan without the lid, you can use steam to have a crisper crust, or no steam if you want a softer one.
Thanks, Zoë
Thanks for the helpful post. I got the 13x4x4 USA Pan and it worked great with the 43 ounce sourdough recipe I had been baking in a 8.5×4.5×2.75 loaf pan. I used your tips on baking time, buttering, and temperature to produce a perfect loaf the first time.
great to hear…
Do you cook the loaf in the Pullman, just like you would cook in a cast iron dutch oven? This sounds like a lot of fun!
Thanks
Yep, just as you see here. Also in the new book, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250018285/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1250018285&linkCode=as2&tag=arbrinfimiada-20
I have a “Corning Bake-A-Round” for a round loaf of bread. It’s a glass tube with open ends and sits horizontal on a stand in the oven. Makes a 1 – 1 1/2 # loaf. Could any of your breads be baked in this? I have just purchased your latest book and am anxious to get started. Thanks
Hi Susan,
This looks like a great product. I’ve never used one, but I think it should work just fine with our recipes. You want to avoid using any water in the oven when you’re using glass. Please let me know how it goes!
Thanks, Zoë
I have been a long time user of your books. I just picked up your gluten free book tonight. I was wondering if I could make a Pullman loaf of the master Gluten-Free recipe? Would the egg option help or hinder? I currently use the olive oil variation of the master pizza recipe from the artisan pizza and flatbread book for my Pullman loaves. Very well received. Thanks for great recipes.
Hi Eric,
Yes, you sure can. You can make almost any of the GF recipes in a pullman. Because the GF dough doesn’t have as much oven spring you’ll want to use a bit more dough to get the pan full. I would recommend trying the challah recipe.
Thanks, Zoë
I am looking for a slotted bread slicer so that my pullman slices are uniform size. Can you recommend a slicer?
I am new to bread in 5 and feel like a kid at a fabulous new playground. Thank you.
Well– neither of us have ever used one, so we’re not experts on this sorry!
You know on the note of stale bread, the world cannot live without croutons. Cut your stale bread up and season them a bit and bake in your oven. Instant croutons, another money saver. Stale bread also makes great stuffing if you are thinking about a dinner side dish. Last but not least there is always bread pudding, not my favorite but hey some really love it.
I Would love some receipes bread, to make in my pan, Pain de mie pan.
We don’t have any specific pain de mie recipes. What effect are you looking for?
Wondering if you can help me… I tried to do the pullman loaf three times at 450 degrees but even though the inside registered between 195 and 203 degrees, but got a slightly yeasty alcohol smell after cutting into the loaf. Totally fine after toasting, but I don’t want this smell, because I don’t always want to eat the bread toasted. I baked one loaf that was 4 pounds in a 16-inch pullman pan, proofing for 1 hour 40 minutes, and ending at 203 degrees. I baked another in a 4″ cubed pan at the same 450 degrees for 525 grams of dough and 500 grams, proofing for 1 hr 45 minutes and 1 hr 15 minutes respectively (larger loaf came out at 203 degrees, smaller at 195). All times the bread was somewhat moist on the inside, whether I waited 1 hour to cool, 1.5 hours to cool, or overnight to cool, however with that same . Temperature probe inserted from top and sides.
I can’t figure it out. I made a boule with the same batch of wheat dough and there was no alcohol/yeasty smell at all with a 90 minute proof.
With 1 or 2 pound boules I never have this problem. No matter even if I have closed the container for a few days (could the alcohol smell build up then). Pizza and naan, have never had this problem. Is it because the closed pan doesn’t allow all the alcohol to be cooked of?
Help!! Thanks in advance.
Pullmans appear in a number of our books–Which of our books are you working from, and what recipe and page number? Also, in some of our books, the Tips and Techniques chapter has an entry about alcohol smell.
Hi Jeff,
Thanks for your response. By the way, I have loved your books, and been motivated to bake almost every other day! Yes, I worked with both the Master Recipe on page 81 of “The New Healthy Bread …” and from another dough made from page 92, the Honey Whole Wheat variation. In terms of making a Pullman sandwich loaf, I used the recipe “Pullman Sandwich Loaf” from page 87 in “The New Artisan Bread…,” as well as a combination of tips from the blog post “Pullman Loaf – perfectly shaped sandwich bread.” Also, as you reminded me again, I did re-check the “Strong Yeast or Alcohol Smell” section, but it doesn’t explain why it only seems to happen so far when baking in the Pullman pan, and not at all while making other shapes such as boules or flatbreads, even when the bakes come from the same batch of dough.
After making the pullman loaf four times in 13″ covered and 4″ cubed pans, I did several different things to see if I could improve things. First, I took the lid off as the recipe suggested in the last 5-10 minutes of the Pullman Loaf recipe. The next time, I didn’t take the lid off – and I think that was probably the strongest smell, and I even overcooked the loaf a bit. The last time, I took the lid off at the 20-minute mark for the 4″ inch cubed loaf, allowed it to bake for another 20 minutes. The last two times I would say it improved a lot, but didn’t totally eliminate the smell. BTW, all the bread has tasted excellent so far when toasted.
Finally, did lining parchment paper and butter on the bottom and top of the pan influence the cooking at all? I tried to vent holes on the bottom whenever I could.
I suppose I could try rising more slowly with less yeast in the next batch, not using parchment paper. I think I’m shooting a bit in the dark.
So is the alcohol/yeasty smell normal for this kind of loaf? Or am I doing something wrong?
Makes sense to me that this problem might be more noticeable in the closed environment of the Pullman pan–the gasses can’t as easily escape. Next thing to try would be a low-yeast version and I think that’ll take care of the problem. If you’re using a sweetened dough, decrease the sugar.
Did you remove the top of the pan at the end of your cooking process. I have found that lowering the temp just a bit and removing the top of the Pullman pan after oven spring takes place helps the bread finish with no alcohol or yeasty smell.
Hi John,
I think you’re probably right about removing the pan at the end of cooking process. When do you usually do it? How much did you lower the temp after the oven spring? Thanks in advance to both of you.
My Pullman pan doesn’t have a lid. Any thoughts on how to compensate?
Hi Frannie,
You can try setting a flat pan over it and then put something heavy on top, like a cast iron skillet. Let me know if it works!
Cheers, Zoë
Hi Zoe! Thank you. That’s what I tried, but the dough rose with enough strength to push the cookie sheet (heavy gage) and the 10-inch cast iron skillet off. Lol! So I just let it finish baking without a cover. I was truly a wonderful bread, though, with a fine crumb and no big holes at all. I do have a 12-inch cast iron skillet I can try next time. O
r maybe I should put the 10-inch inside the 12-inch and put them both on the cookie sheet! Thanks again for your response. Happy baking!!
Hi Frannie, Sorry it didn’t work, but it is hilarious how strong that little yeast can be! Yes, you will just need to find something heavy enough to hold it down! Let me know what works.
Cheers, Zoë
I just got a 13″ pullman loaf pan today and wondering how much dough (in weight pls) do I have to use ? I have a multi grain bread recipe that I’d like to bake in it.
We’ve never used one that size, you’ll just have to use the guideline we give in this post.
I am considering buying a Pullman but would like to know if a sourdough would have good results. I’m interested to see if I digest sourdough better than regular bread so I am currently making a starter and would like the option of having a square shape sourdough at times.
Hi Michelle,
I have never baked the sourdough in a pullman pan, but I think it is a great idea. There is no reason it shouldn’t work.
Enjoy, Zoë
Hi, I have two Pullman pans and love them both. Today after I baked my bread I noticed that the loaf had some marks on it and I think it was from the pan. I greased with olive oil before I used it and I don’t use parchment paper. Is this normal? Or shall I do something else.
Thank you
Hi Farah,
I’m not sure what you mean by “marks” on the bread? Can you give me more information and I will let you know how to fix it.
Thanks, Zoë
Hi Zoe,
Thank you for getting back to me. It looks like the pan is peeling off onto the bread. I know for a fact that it’s a non stick pan so am not sure why this is happening. There were no instructions for my pan when I got it so I had to research how to take care of it. I’ve been greasing it with olive oil so am not sure if that’s the reason or not. Looking forward to hearing from you. I could share a photo but not sure how to.
Thanksf
Farah
I have been trying the King Arthur Pain de Mie recipe for the 4th time now and it is not rising on the second proof. I am using the Pullman 13x4x4 pan (FYI I got mine directly from USA pan). I am new to baking and have been using a bread machine and no I am trying to up my game. The machine uses about 1 1/2 cups less flour and calls for 2 1/4 tsp of dry yeast. In this 4th attempt, I increase the Arthur recipe to 2 1/2 tsp of yeast.
I made a bread machine loaf while I am making this Pain de Mie the bread machine is fine the loaf is 1 1/2 hours in on 2nd proof and almost 1/2 way up the pan. 70 degree inside temp about 38% humidity inside. We are about 100 ft above sea level
I’m not familiar with KAF’s recipe for this kind of loaf, and wouldn’t feel comfortable recommending changes to their recipe. Have you tried our method for this type of bread, or others?
These instructions seem to leaves out a lot of useful detail. 1-3 lbs is a huge range when trying to match dough to the right size pan especially a Pullman with a lid. Bake at what temperature?
You’re right, the full detail is in one of our books (at https://artisanbreadinfive.com/artisan), on page 86 (The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day), where we used a 9x4x4-inch Pullman pan that took 2.5 pounds of dough. It baked at 450F for 45 min, then another 10 with the lid off.
I’m using the New ABIF book and am loving it. I’ve used the baking stone with the master recipe for the plain boule and the olive bread. YUM!
Since the baking stone is heavy and a pain to move, can I leave it place when I’m baking a pullman loaf? I made my first one yesterday and followed the instructions on pages 86-87 but set the pan on the stone. I followed the instructions, but thought the bread was a bit dense.
Is it okay to leave the baking stone in place or should I move it?
Thanks for this amazing book. I bought the hard copy, but next day delivery was too long, so I bought the Kindle version. Now I have both! 🙂
The stone shouldn’t cause a problem, but it does increase the preheat time–that stone absorbs a lot of energy. Glad the recipes are working well for you!
Thank you, Jeff. Is there a rule of thumb on how full to fill the Pullman pan if I’m using a smaller Pullman pan or a different recipe like an enriched bread? I was thinking of trying the Buttermilk Bread on page 237 or the Soft American-Style White Bread on page 324. I’ve ordered a couple of smaller Pullman pans, along with a set of 5-inch Benneton baskets. Can’t wait!
Thanks so much!
It’s right here in the post, about 2/3 full, with the adjustment above depending on whether you’re using white or whole grain dough
Should this be baked at 425⁰ as one would if they were making the boule, or 350°? Do you still put the pan with water in the oven with it?
Generally we do the boule at 450F, and that’s the starting point here as well (I’ve updated the post, sorry about that!).