Semolina Pain de Mie

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“Pain” in French means “bread”, and “la mie” refers to the soft part of bread, called the crumb. In layman terms, pain de mie is a perfectly rectangular bread with very little crust. It is typically made in a pullman loaf pan or any other loaf pan with lid, which restricts the expansion of the dough, ensures a tighter crumb and yields perfect square slices best suited for sandwiches or breakfast toasts.

Type of Pan

Although the rectangular loaf pans were used in Europe since the early 18th century, the name Pullman comes from Pullman railway cars , which used these loaf pans in its kitchens. The company wanted rectangular loaves instead of the rounded ones to maximise storage space. If you really feel like investing in a good pullman pan, you can buy the USA Pan Pullman Loaf Tin . I have not yet purchased this one, because truth be told, it’s very expensive. So I use regular aluminium tins with lids which I purchase from local shops or online. You can check the tin from Finedecor displayed here. I have used it and can vouch for it’s quality. You can also buy tins from the website Bakerykart depending on stock availability. If you find any good source / website do let me know in the comments below.

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About this recipe

The recipe here is a 100% Semolina pain de mie. I like semolina breads because of the nutty flavour and also because they taste excellent when toasted. It takes a while to get the perfect loaf, as it takes the right amount of flour in accordance with the size of the tin you are using and also the right proofing time. So don’t get disheartened if you do not succeed in the first attempt. I have used a 9*3.5” tin for 450 grams of semolina. I have also tried out 570 grams of semolina in a 11” tin.

This recipe is adapted from here.

Semolina Pain de Mei

Zarna Bheda

Get perfect square slices to make a delicious sandwich or a warm toast for breakfast!

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Resting time 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Total Time 3 hours hrs

Course Breakfast, Main Course

Servings 4

Equipment

• Loaf pan with lid
• OTG

Ingredients

  

• 450 grams Fine Semolina
• 1 tsp Salt
• 2 tsp Instant Dry Yeast
• ¾ tbsp Jaggery or sugar
• 1½ tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 20 grams Milk Powder
• 150 ml Lukewarm Milk
• 150-200 ml Lukewarm Water

Instructions

 

• To get lukewarm water/milk microwave a cup of the liquid at medium temperature for 8-10 seconds. Please check that the liquid is not boiling hot or else it will kill the yeast. It should just be warm to touch.
• Put all the ingredients including milk but excluding water and olive oil in a big mixing bowl and stir well.
• Add lukewarm water little by little to your mixing bowl and mix till you get a shaggy dough. Be careful while adding water. Don't add the entire quantity at one go. It needs to be a slightly sticky dough (not of pourable consistency like cake batter).
• Transfer this dough to a kneading surface and knead for 10 – 12 minutes using the stretch and pull method. You can add the oil little by little and just knead it in. The dough will be sticky. Don't be tempted to add too much flour. If it's really unmanageable, then you can sprinkle some flour on the surface. Keep kneading till the dough turns into a smooth, soft dough.
• Form this dough in the shape of a ball, tucking the ends beneath. Place it in a well oiled bowl and move the dough around a bit so that it gets oiled as well. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth or with a cling wrap and keep it in a warm place. Allow it to double in size (usually takes an hour).
  
• Once the dough has doubled, gently punch it to release all the gases and knead it for a minute or two.
  
• Roll out the dough in the shape of a rectangle and then fold it tightly like a log.
  
• Seal the ends well.
  
• Place the log in a well oiled loaf pan. Apply a little milk or oil on top so that it doesn't dry out. I have used an 9*3.5 inch tin here. Grease the inner side of the lid with butter/oil and cover the loaf pan. Let the dough rise till it has reached almost an inch below the brim of the tin. You can check this by opening the lid slightly after 20-25 minutes and then close the pan again.
  
• Once the dough has risen to an inch below the brim, begin preheating your oven to 180 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes. Bake the bread with the lid on for around 25 minutes. Thereafter, gently remove the lid and bake for another 10-15 minutes. If the top of the loaf starts to brown too much, just cover it with the lid/ aluminium foil again.
• Remove the bread from the oven and apply butter on top. After 4-5 minutes take it out of the tin and allow to cool on a wire rack for 2-3 hours before slicing it.
  
• Slice and serve!
  

Notes

1. Use the fine variety of unroasted semolina. If you don’t have it, just grind regular semolina in a mixer to obtain a finer version.
2. You can use butter in place of olive oil.
3. Bread can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for a couple of days (depending on the climate in your region). It would be better to cover leftover slices in a cling wrap/ freezer safe bag and freeze.  Thaw in refrigerator/ microwave for few seconds before eating.
4. Check out other recipes with semolina :- Semolina and Whole Wheat Bread ,  Whole Wheat + Semolina +All Purpose Flour Subway Bread, Whole Wheat and Semolina Bread Rusk

Keyword semolina

If you try out this recipe do post your comments on my blog. You can also post on Instagram and tag me @my.loaf.story

Click here to choose from a variety of stand mixers

I am using this Bosch Stand Mixer and I am very happy with it’s performance. It is suitable for needing upto 500 grams of flour which makes a loaf measuring around 800-900 grams.

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