Pullman Loaf Test (AI Generated)

A good target for a 13 × 4 × 4 Pullman pan is roughly 1,050–1,200 g total dough (about 1,100 g is a reliable middle ground for a standard enriched white loaf). This fills the pan nicely without overflowing the lid.

The Cuisinart CBK-200 dough cycle handles this comfortably (the machine’s practical limit is about 5 cups / ~625 g flour).

Use the Dough/Pizza Dough cycle and the 2 lb size setting.Below is a scaled, bread-machine-friendly version of a typical basic white / light sandwich loaf (similar to the machine’s own 2 lb white bread recipe, slightly enriched and sized for the Pullman).

Add in this order to the bread pan

• Water, 80–90 °F (27–32 °C): 400 g
• Unsalted butter, room temperature, cut in pieces: 3 tablespoons (42 g)
• Granulated sugar or honey: 1 tablespoon (12–13 g)
• Salt: 1½ teaspoons (9 g)
• Nonfat dry milk: ¼ cup (30 g) — optional but recommended for softness and browning
• Bread flour: 560 g
• Instant, active dry, or bread-machine yeast: 2¼ teaspoons (7 g)

Approximate total dough weight: 1,060–1,070 g.

Bread-machine steps

1. Add ingredients to the pan in the order listed (liquids first, yeast last).
2. Select Dough/Pizza Dough, 2 lb size, and start.
3. When the cycle ends, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, gently deflate, and let it rest 10 minutes.

Shaping and baking in the Pullman pan

1. Grease the 13 × 4 × 4 pan (and the underside of the lid) well with butter or oil.
2. Shape the dough into a tight 13-inch log and place it seam-side down in the pan.
3. Cover and proof until the dough is about ½–¾ inch from the rim (typically 45–75 minutes, depending on kitchen temperature).
4. Preheat oven to 350 °F (175 °C).
5. Slide the lid on. Bake 25 minutes, then remove the lid and bake another 10–20 minutes until the top is golden and the internal temperature reaches 190–200 °F (88–93 °C).
6. Unmold immediately onto a rack and cool completely before slicing.

Notes and small adjustments

• If your original recipe used milk instead of water + dry milk, you can swap the 400 g water for 400 g warm milk and omit the dry milk.
• Dough should be soft and slightly tacky after kneading. If it looks very stiff in the machine, add water 1 tablespoon (15 g) at a time; if very slack, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time.
• For a slightly richer loaf closer to classic pain de mie, increase butter to 4 tablespoons (56 g) and sugar to 2 tablespoons (25 g); the dough weight stays in a safe range.
• Always weigh flour and water for consistency—cup measurements vary too much for Pullman work.

This should give you a fine-crumbed, square-sliced loaf that uses the machine for the hard part and the Pullman for the shape.

You don’t need the bread machine. A KitchenAid stand mixer with the dough hook will do the kneading just as well (often better, because you can watch and adjust the dough).Use the same recipe.

Mixer method

1. Add water, butter, sugar, salt, and dry milk to the mixer bowl. Sprinkle the flour on top, then the yeast.
2. Attach the dough hook and mix on low (speed 2) until everything comes together, about 1–2 minutes.
3. Scrape the bowl.
4. Knead on speed 2 for 6–8 minutes. The dough should become smooth, slightly tacky, and pull away from the sides. It should pass a windowpane test (a small piece stretches thin without tearing immediately). If it’s very sticky after 5 minutes, add flour 1 Tbsp at a time; if stiff and dry, add water 1 tsp at a time.
5. Turn the dough out, shape into a ball, place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise until puffy (about 60–90 minutes at room temperature).

From here the steps are identical to the bread-machine version: gently deflate, rest 10 minutes, shape into a tight 13-inch log, place seam-side down in the greased Pullman pan, proof until ~½–¾ inch from the rim, then bake at 350 °F with the lid on for 25 minutes and lid off for another 10–20 minutes until 190–200 °F internal.The mixer just replaces the machine’s mix/knead/first-rise cycle. Everything after that stays the same.

Master The Windowpane Test

Try A Hand Knead Method

do i use the dough hook for the entire mixing process

You can use the dough hook for the entire process. That’s the simplest and most common way for this kind of sandwich-bread dough.