This loaf had a substantial, dense but delicious crumb. Nothing like those loaves of supermarket “Gardenia” or similar white bread loaves that are literally light as air when weighed up against a home baked loaf like this one. This one had presence, and fantastic flavor and richness, and mouthfeel. It also made a spectacular showing as a piece of toast, ready for butter and jam, thanks.
I had spotted a couple of locally made pullman loaf pans in Quiapo the last time I was there, and was thrilled to find out they were just PHP150 or so a piece, so I bought three of them. Back at home, the unique pans, with a slip on cover to contain the dough and shape it like a standard sandwich loaf, the pans hung out for a few weeks until I decided to take them for a maiden journey into our oven.
Didn’t bother to reinvent the wheel, just googled a “pain de mie” and found this very nice sounding recipe, so I decided to try it. Here’s a link to detailed photos and instructions using that same recipe on “the paupered chef”…
The dough was incredibly easy to make, and rose like it was on gas, literally, what with the incredibly hot weather we have had over the past few days in Manila…
Place the dough in the pans, let it grow until almost at the top, cover the pans and bake as recommended. The pans I bought are NOT a standard western size, and apparently are 4 inches shorter than usual, so I had to guess at reducing the dough to try and get it right. Too much dough and your loaf will be too heavy and dense and will want to burst out of your pan. Too little dough and you won’t get that characteristic loaf shape. I erred on a little too much dough, it seems, hence ending up with the dense loaf.
Butter and milk make this a tasty bread, almost like a loaf of brioche which you could slice.
For a first attempt? I thought they came out very well, and tasted just terrific. Pretty soon if we bother to make a couple of loaves of this bread every week, we can banish those airy supermarket loaves from the MM kitchens forever… :)
23 Responses
Thank you for this, MM! looking forward to more bread recipes. cakes and pastries too!!! :)
antonette, have you checked the archives? There are dozens of recipes from the earlier years… :)
You should watch BBC’s ‘Jimmy’s Food Factory’ on the episode on supermarket bread. I love homemade bread, even though they are usually heavy/dense compared to store-bought bread. It is the smell of baking bread that you cannot buy.
Should we use bread flour or APF?
So sorry, MM! I must have forgotten! I’ve been following your blog since 2004 (if I remember correctly.) :) Your blog really keeps me close to home. :) My family is taking a holiday in July and we’re flying to Cebu first before going home to Naga City. It would be an absolute pleasure to meet you in Cebu or here in Tokyo (should you visit in the near future). maybe an eyeball here sometime? :)
just by looking at the photos you know that the bread is dense. :D I checked the recipe link you posted too – wanted to see if the resulting product will be sweet based on the ingredients. Thankfully only roughly 2.5 tbsps of sugar were used. But just to confirm – it wasn’t sweet, was it? (I dislike most supermarket-bought bread because they’re sweet and alter the taste of certain spreads. If my budget will only permit I’d gladly eat sourdough bread every day. :D)
super like. we make our own bread at home! super easy!
hmm, bread it is today. Mr. MM i’m hooked on to your blog, i read it all the time though i seldom write comments. was thinking of what to make today, then i saw your bread. btw, BBC fans, there’s another one called “Bakeation ” from the Hairy Bikers. they drive around Europe looking for each nation’s favourite cake, bread and pastries, etc… and they make it too on the show.
Not to kill the pleasure out of bread lovers, as in polished rice vs. brown rice , here below is something to consider. I could eat a whole loaf of regular bread the whole day but with numerous allergies, migraine, skin and other health problems of family members I found out a whole lot about refined wheat and gluten. Switched to sprouted grain bread instead.
https://www.care2.com/greenliving/whole-grains-vs-refined-grains.html
“A new study in the journal BMC Medicine may shed some light on why. It shows gluten can set off a distinct reaction in the intestines and the immune system, even in people who don’t have celiac disease.”
“For the first time, we have scientific evidence that indeed, gluten sensitivity not only exists, but is very different from celiac disease,” says lead author Alessio Fasano, medical director of the University of Maryland’s Center for Celiac Research.
The incidence of celiac disease is rising sharply—and not just due to greater awareness. Tests comparing old blood samples to recent ones show the rate has increased four-fold in the last 50 years, to at least 1 in 133 Americans. It’s also being diagnosed in people as old as 70 who have eaten gluten safely all their lives.
“People aren’t born with this. Something triggers it and with this dramatic rise in all ages, it must be something pervasive in the environment,” says Joseph A. Murray, a gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. One possible culprit: agricultural changes to wheat that have boosted its protein content.”
https://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704893604576200393522456636.html
For more on the problem:
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/757916_6
Perfection, MM!! Photogenic na, masarap pa!
Woe is me, MM!! For the protected password only posts, I am looking longingly from outside the wall. Never did get the hang nor the directions how to solve the puzzle. Cong malu-oy si Lee (cay pareho cami Negrense cag amigo siya ni Pam H. J.) contani ihatag ya sa acon ang password.
ahhhh … bakery/bake-shop coming?
Beautiful loaves! :)
I missed out on the password…can’t read protected posts :(((
Bread?! Naku, carbs, kalaban ng katawan ni JB yan. Ang siksik pa naman yan.
This is contrary to the saying “greatest thing since sliced bread” ;)
This dense type of bread makes wonderful french toast & bread pudding.
Hi MM,
Is this doable without a mixer?
That’s one mean – looking loaf of bread. The aroma while it was baking must have been heavenly :)
note-to-self: Must get those loaf pans :D
Could you please tell me where did you buy the Pullman Pan? Pls. send me the complete address. tnx
hello there! I just want to ask where in quiapo can i buy the pullman loaf pans?
Anj, try sin kian heng, near the “ilalim” ng tulay… there are several kitchen stores in the area, most should have the pullman loaf pans…
Hi! I see pullman loaf pans in our palengke pero magkakaka-kabit in groups of 3. Did you get your pullman loaf pan in Sin Kian Heng na solo? What I saw in Marikina market costs P450 for 3 medium loaf pans. P550 for 3 large ones. I guess I could just rip them apart in separate pieces kaysa bumiyahe pa sa Maynila.
pantone, I bought these by piece, not by 3’s…