MAKES 1 MEDIUM LOAF
White bread has a lot of negative connotations, largely owing to the plastic-wrapped, sugar-filled stuff lining the shelves of grocery stores. But when it’s homemade, a basic white bread can truly be one of life’s greatest pleasures. Baking this loaf in a covered pain de mie pan helps it attain a tender texture and soft crust that will satisfy your sense of nostalgia but give you a flavor leagues above the stuff you find in the store.
Use this bread to bookend your kid’s peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, or load a slice up with butter and toss it under the broiler for a few minutes for a thoroughly perfect snack.
520 grams (4¼ cups) all-purpose flour
50 grams (½ cup) potato flour
50 grams (½ cup) dry milk powder
35 grams (3 tablespoons) sugar
16 grams (1 tablespoon) fine sea salt
1½ grams (½ teaspoon) instant yeast
⅔ cup milk
1 cup water, warm (about 105°F)
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
13-inch pain de mie pan or loaf pan (see note)
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough-hook attachment or in a large mixing bowl, mix the flours, milk powder, sugar, salt, and yeast, and whisk to combine.
2. With the mixer running on low, add the milk, water, and melted butter and mix on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes to form a smooth, soft dough that begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. (Alternatively, add the milk, water, and melted butter while whisking and then knead 6 to 8 minutes by hand.)
3. Lightly oil or wet your hands to prevent sticking, transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover with a damp towel, and let rise for 1 hour.
4. Lightly grease a 13-inch loaf pan.
5. Gently punch down the dough, transfer it to a lightly floured work surface, shape it into a 13-inch-long log, and fit it into the pan, seam-side down. Cover the pan with lightly greased plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise for 24 hours. Once risen, it should reach just below the lip of the pan.
6. Position a rack in the middle of your oven and place the Baking Steel on top. Preheat oven to 350°F for 45 to 60 minutes.
7. Remove the plastic from the dough. Lightly grease the cover of the pan and place it on top.
8. Bake the bread for 35 minutes, rotating halfway through baking. Remove the pan from the oven, carefully remove the lid, and return the bread to the oven to bake for an additional 10 minutes. Then remove the bread from the oven and place the pan on a wire rack to cool.
9. Store well-wrapped leftovers at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.
EXTRA CREDIT What’s a pain de mie pan? A pain de mie pan, also called a pullman pan, is a sealed loaf pan. The name pain de mie translates to “bread of the crumb,” and the almost cakelike texture of bread baked in this pan is certainly unique. The lid keeps a healthy level of humidity contained in the bread, which means that the edges aren’t going to toast as rapidly, so the crust will be soft, and the interior of the bread is super-tender. It’s similar to the effect that you get if you tent foil over the edges of a pie crust to keep it from crisping too much. If you don’t have a pain de mie pan, you can use a 13-inch loaf pan and simply cover the top with foil. It may yield a slightly drier loaf, but it will do in a pinch.