Baking Tools: Pullman Loaf Pan

That Pyrex baking tube from the other day reminded us of a similar, and actually much older, kind of baking pan. It's called a Pullman pan, and it has very straight sides and a lid that slides on top to keep the loaf entirely contained. Have you ever baked in one of these pans?

Aside from being perfectly symmetrical, loaves baked in these kinds of pans have a very thin crust and a soft, finely-textured crumb. In fact, these loaves are called pain de mie in French, which literally means "bread of the crumb." These loaves are perfect for sandwiches.

Many pumpernickel bread recipes also call for using a Pullman pan. It helps to get that dense, chewy crumb and to keep the loaf from drying out during the traditionally long baking time.

Pullman pans can be found at most any well-stocked kitchen supply store. You can also order them online:

• Pain de Mie (Pullman) Pan and Lid, $35.95 from King Arthur Flour
• Pullman Loaf Pan and Lid, purchased separately for $25 and $16 from Sur La Table

What have you baked in your Pullman pan?

(Images: King Arthur Flour Blog)

Comments (13)

I love pain de mie and have always wanted one of these pans. $40 for a single pan is way too much for me though!

You can approximate this by placing a baking sheet over a loaf pan (with good square edges) and weighting it down with a few foil-wrapped bricks. It's not a perfect solution though. It's surprising how strong yeasted dough is and the results aren't as even as I'd like. So it's not quite the same as a Pullman but it sure is a lot cheaper!

I actually have one of these pans, but I'm ashamed to report, I've never used it. I bought it at a cookware going-out-of-business sale so I know I didn't pay much.

you don't really need the lid to make pain de mie. the top will balloon out a bit, but the crust will still be very thin and soft.

@foodefafa - I find the texture of the crumb is not quite the way I like pain de mie unless it has been forcefully contained during the baking. A pain de mie with a risen top is just a loaf of white bread to me. But it's probably still better than most store loaves I'm sure.

Pullman's are also great for quick breads and poundcakes.

so is this the secret to the bread that I had the other day? I bought bread at a mennonite grocery store and it was light and dense all at the same time, it seemed like it had fewer air pockets then regular bread.

it made the best toast I have had in ages--stayed nice and crispy to the very last bite.

I love my Pain de Mie. I use it at least twice a month--for whole wheat sandwich bread and then whatever a feel like experimenting with: rye, cinnamon swirl, multi-grain, etc.

While sandwich bread can be bought cheaply at the supermarket, I never finished a loaf. With fresh bread from my pain de mie, I eat the whole thing and I know what goes into it.

Even though it's an expensive pan, for me, it was a great investment.

I use mine to make bread for french toast. It's a lot of work but worth it for great brunches!

I love my Pullman Pan! I bought it last summer when I vowed to not buy sandwich bread anymore, but my daughter was not a fan of the "too crusty" bread. This is a great solution - The bread looks like store bought for the kids, but I know what's in it (no chemicals!). I figure if I made 10 loaves I would have paid for it - I have definitely made more than 10 loaves since I bought it. With my family of 3, I kind of wish I had bought the 9" pan some King Arthur instead of the 13" (standard sized) - sometimes the end gets stale before we finish the loaf, but then I can make breadcrumbs!

These look really interesting - I wonder if they would translate to cake tins, as it would be so useful to have cakes with nice flat tops for layering, rather than carving off any rounding.

I've never used one but I'm not sure I want to-like Seinfeld and muffins, I like the part where the bread 'breaks free of the pan and.. does it's own thing!'

Rucy said - 'Pullman's are also great for quick breads and poundcakes.'

I'll have to try that out! Thanks for the tip!