Soft Wholemeal / Whole Wheat Bread (Pain De Mie)

Step 1

Even though we're using instant yeast, activating the yeast will make the proofing process a bit quicker. You can warm up the milk in the microwave for few seconds until it is just warm. You can warm it up on the stove too. It should be lukewarm and not hot. Sprinkle the yeast and stir to combine. Let it sits for 10 minutes. It will turn foamy and doubles in size. If nothing happens after 10 minutes, the yeast is no longer good or the milk is too hot that it kills the yeast. Do not proceed until you get a new yeast

Step 2

Put all ingredients, except for the butter, in a mixing bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. Add the activated yeast. Knead on a low speed (speed 2 on KA) until the dough comes into a rough dough and pulls away from the side. Spread the butter on the dough and continue to knead at a high speed (speed 6 on KA) for another 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and soft and just slightly sticky. Don't be tempted to keep adding flour. If your dough appears dry, you can add a bit more milk, one tablespoon at a time.

Step 3

Oil the bowl lightly so the dough won't stick to the bowl later. Cover with a plastic wrap and put at a warm place. I used my oven bread proof function to proof the dough until doubles in size, about 1 hour or so. It may take longer if the temperature at your place is cooler

Step 4

After first proofing, punch the dough down. Give the dough a few kneads to remove any air bubbles and divide the dough into 2 or 3 balls. Cover with plastic wraps and let them rest for 15 minutes. This is not to proof the dough. It's to relax the dough so we can roll them out without the dough keep pulling back

Step 5

After 15 minutes, brush your Pullman tin with some oil on all sides, including the lid. I don't recommend using the non-stick spray as it ruined my previous Pullman tin. It leaves some residue on the pan that I couldn't get rid of. Get one dough and roll it out into about 1 inch thick. Roll it up like a Swiss roll and put it inside the Pullman tin. Continue with the rest of the dough. Put them inside the tin (as shown in the photos above). Cover with plastic wrap. Don't cover with the lid yet so we can see how much the dough has risen

Step 6

Put them at a warm place again and let it rises until it reaches about 90% of the height of the tin (about 1/2-inch below the top of the tin). Don't let it reaches beyond the top of the tin as you won't be able to close the lid anymore without ruining the dough. Once it has reaches about 90%, close the lid and start preheating the oven to 350 F (180 C)

Step 7

Bake at the middle rack for 30 minutes. If you take the bread out from the pan and tap on the bottom, it should sound hollow. That's the sign that the bread is done baking. You can also use an instant-read thermometer to check. It should read 190 F (88-90 C)

Step 8

Remove the bread from the pan onto a cooling rack. It should plop right out from the tin. This is optional, but I wrap the warm bread with a clean and dry large kitchen towel. The steam will keep the bread moist and soft later. Let the bread cools down for at least 2 hours before slicing