All Roads Lead to the Kitchen: Pullman Loaf

The Artisan Bread Machine

Author: Judith Fertig
Publisher: Robert Rose
Soft Cover: 317 Pages
Photos: yes

Chapters/Sections: Using Your Bread Machine, Classic White Breads, Whole-Grain Breads, Flavored Breads, Sweet Breads, Sourdough and Slow-Rise Breads, Flatbreads and Pizzas, Savory Rolls, Sweet Rolls, Festive Breads, Gluten-Free Breads, The Artisan Bread Machine Pantry, Bread Machine Ingredients A-Z, Resources

Unique or Cool Features: A fabulous section at the beginning of the book entitled Using Your Bread Machine. This is a comprehensive section on how to use your bread machine, no matter the model. Fertig includes hands-on tips and information on "how-to's" like timing, temperature, size, measuring, scalding, adding ingredients to your bread machine, kneading in, topping, forming, and filling. You will also find info on letting the dough rise, baking, cooling, glazing or icing as well as what to do if you forgot to add something. There are tips on storage of the bread and cleaning your machine. Plus, there is a handy chart on which cycle to use when. In the back of the book are two more helpful sections, one being the Bread Machine Ingredients, A to Z and the other being a Resources page in which you can find websites and phone numbers for some bread machine manufacturers so that you may be able to locate that long-lost instruction manual...or have questions about discontinued models.

(a few of the many) Recipes Destined for my Kitchen: Bolillos, Chipotle, Cilantro, and Pepper Jack Bread, Bacon, Green Onion and Blue Cheese Bread, Cheddar Beer Bread, Cheddar and Green Olive Bread, Brewhouse Bread, Orange-Caramel Sticky Buns, Almond-Filled Bear Claws, Pan de los Muertos, Sweet Applesauce Bread, Ciabattini, Iced Almond and Cherry Babka

My Thoughts/Review: Once upon a time I had this crazy notion in my head that using a bread machine was cheating, somehow. That all changed one day last autumn. I've come to think of my old, trusty bread machine as an indispensable tool in my kitchen. I enjoy the fact that I don't dirty bowls, utensils, or my counter excessively. I'm not exclusive, I mean...sometimes I just need to get my hands into some dough and feel the love...or sometimes I give my KitchenAid a chance at the fun...but I do love my bread machine. This is the perfect book for those who either already love their bread machine, those who want to fall in love with their bread machine all over again, or those who are interested in using one for the first time. There are so many types of recipes. From ones that can be baked right in the machine to doughs that you let the machine mix, knead and rise for you before you turn them out and shape or form them yourself. Many recipes have ingredient amounts for different size loaves (depending on the capacity of your machine or the size of the loaf you want to make). I will be keeping this book close at hand and making the most of it. A++.

Recipes I have already tried:

Sugar and Spice Monkey Bread

Pan de Mie (Pullman Loaf)

...yay, I finally bought a lid for my pullman pan!

Bacon, Green Onion, and Blue Cheese Bread

about the author: Food/lifestyle writer and cookbook author, Judith Fertig, spends a lot of her time these days working life in a tiara - as one of the BBQ Queens. With co-author Karen Adler, she has written eight barbecue books, including 300 Big & Bold BBQ & Grilling Recipes and 200 Fast & Easy Artisan Breads: No-Knead, One Bowl. Fertig’s food and lifestyle writing has appeared in Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, Vegetarian Times, Natural Awakenings, Better Homes & Gardens, Saveur, Country Living, Cooking Pleasures, Family Fun, Coastal Living, Southern Living, Family Fun, La Vie Claire, and Cooking Light. Judith's work has appeared internationally in Country Homes and Interiors (London), The New York Times, and The London Sunday Times.

Judith recently ended a six-year run as a columnist for the James Beard and Association of Food Journalists’ award-winning Kansas City Star newspaper. She has taught culinary classes throughout the country, does TV spots around North America, and her professional culinary training includes La Varenne Ecole de Cuisine in Paris, the Cordon Bleu in London, and a Ph.B. (Doctor of Barbecue Philosophy) from the prestigious, if fictitious, Greasehouse University. Judith is a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier, Slow Food, The Kansas City Barbeque Society, and IACP. She lives in Overland Park, KS

*I received a free copy of this book to review from the publisher. All thoughts and opinions stated in this post are 100% mine.
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I thought this would be the loaf to end all store-bought loaves. The white loaf, that is. My oldest is set in his ways and must have a loaf of white bread in the house. He'll eat a whole grain white or the occasional oatmeal or potato loaf. He tries every loaf I bake...except pumpernickel. But there's just something about that good ol' loaf of white sandwich bread that has him hooked. So, I bought myself a Pullman pan. Although, I didn't buy the lid...that's next. I armed myself with a well-reviewed recipe. I was prepared to be store-bought-white-bread-free. Well. I was ready for a revelation that never came about. Sure, it was good. But it still wasn't quite what I was hoping for. I mean, I'll probably even make it again. It did taste pretty much like a typical white sandwich bread...it wasn't that. I think it was the structure that wasn't quite "right" for me. Could it have been that I used potato starch flour instead of potato flour...is there even a difference? It was a bit crumblier than I thought it would be. Although, in all fairness to the recipe, that was probably my fault. I improvised by using a make shift lid...errrr, ahhhh...sheet pan with a weight on top. So I probably messed up the integrity of the loaf. If I had just let the top be domed, it may have worked. That said, I'll try it again before I make my final decision...and I'll let you know the results. And I'll try it again when I order my lid. Plus, I have a few more variations on a Pullman loaf bookmarked. I want to try a wheat version, as well. I used the bread machine method.

Pullman Loaf (white) or Pain de Mie

recipe from King Arthur Flour
makes 1 loaf

2/3 c. (5 3/8 oz.) milk
1 c. (8 oz.) water
6 Tbs. (3 ounces) butter, soft
2¼ tsp. salt
3 Tbs. (1¼ oz.) sugar
1/4 c. (1 1/8 oz.) nonfat dry milk
3 Tbs. (1¼ oz.) potato flour I used potato starch flour
4¾ c. (20 oz.) Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 tsp. instant yeast

Manual Method: In a large bowl, combine the milk, water, butter, salt and sugar. Add the dried milk, flours and yeast, stirring till the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased surface, oil your hands, and knead it for 5 to 8 minutes, or until it's smooth and supple. Because of the relatively high fat content of this dough, it's a real pleasure to work with. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl or dough-rising bucket, cover the bowl or bucket, and allow the dough to rise till puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.

Mixer Method: Combine the ingredients as above, using a flat beater paddle or beaters, then switch to the dough hook(s) and knead for 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl or dough-rising bucket, cover the bowl or bucket, and allow the dough to rise till doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours.

Bread Machine Method: Place all of the ingredients into the pan of your machine, program the machine for Manual or Dough, and press Start. When the cycle is finished, remove the dough and proceed as follows.

Lightly grease a 13 x 4" pain de mie pan. Transfer the risen dough to a lightly greased work surface, shape it into a 13" log, and fit it into the pan. Cover the pan with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow to rise until it's just below the lip of the pan, 45 mins-1 hour, it depends on the warmth of your kitchen.

Remove the plastic, and carefully place the cover on the pan, let it rest an additional 10 minutes while you preheat your oven to 350°F. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove pan from the oven, remove the lid, and return to the oven to bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 190°F. Remove the bread from the oven, and turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool completely.

A few observations when making this loaf...the dough is super soft after first rise in machine. I turned it out onto buttered cutting board...and was able to sort-of fold dough lengthwise into thirds to make a log-ish shape and lift up into greased pan quickly. Mine took ~50 minutes to rise to top. Since I don't have a lid for my pan yet, I greased some foil instead and set a sheet tray on top for a little weight (kind of worked...spilled out just a bit over edges, but basically square!)

Made a good peanut butter and jelly!

Okay, so from what I've heard and read so far, POTATO STARCH and POTATO STARCH FLOUR are the same thing. Why would they stick the word flour in there? Sheesh. As long as the word starch is in there, it's starch. POTATO FLOUR is dehydrated and ground potatoes. I think that is correct. I'm sure you'll tell me if it's not. Starch is...well...starchy...like corn starch. Flour is thicker. I don't know. I have never seen Potato Flour in any of "my" markets. I know you can order it through King Arthur. I really don't think that the three tablespoons in this recipe made that big of a difference. But...

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