Yes, I confess, I am one of those freaks who likes my sandwich bread square. No, I have no idea why. But it is the reason why I own a Pullman Sandwich loaf pan--and LOVE it! Perfectly square and completely covered it gives me great bread in that childhood Iron Kids bread shape.
The bread itself is the same lovely dense, chewy bread perfect for sandwiches, holds up well with both white and red wheat, and has the added fiber and cholesterol-busting help of a cup of oat bran.
the only two tricks I've found that I need to keep in mind when using this pan is to A) spray or grease the inside of the lid and B) Keep the lid cracked during the rising stage so I can see where the bread dough level is. Not doing those things can cause an "Oops! Re-rise!" moment if the ungreased lid or even the greased lids pulls against dough pressing against the lid when it's opened to check and cause the dough to deflate. Other than rising technique, no question, it's one of my favorite bread pans.
The pan is available at several stores including King Arthur Flour (9" or 13") and Bed, Bath, & Beyond.(9"). Mine is the larger 2lb loaf.
Whole Wheat & Oat Bran English Muffin Bread
Recipe adapted from Little House Living (check out this blog!). For the original recipe using white all-purpose flour, please click here: Little House Living English Muffin Bread
Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups Whole White Wheat or regular Whole Wheat Flour can be used as well. (Most of the flour sold in the grocery store is red wheat, white wheat is a different type of wheat, whole grained, but a little lighter in taste and texture and can be found at specialty mills like War Eagle Mill and King Arthur Flour)
1 cup Oat Bran (Can be purchased from War Eagle Mill, Ben's Red Mill, or King Arthur Flours)
1 1/2 Tbsp dry yeast
1/4 cup Sugar
1 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 cups warm milk (110-120 degrees)
1/2 cup warm water (110-120 degrees)
Cooking spray
Directions:
1) Here's the really fun easy part. Dump all the ingredients into the stand mixer with the paddle (not the dough hook, this dough is too wet) and mix until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Then mix 1 minute longer. This is long enough to coat all the little proteins in the flour with liquid and start the elasticizing of those protein bonds (check out the photo below) but you don't want to knead it too much. The crumb should come out very dense, halfway between that of yeasted bread and quick bread ...and with lots of little yeast air pockets....like English Muffins.
2) Scoop into 1 large greased bread pan, 1 Pullman (square) bread loaf pan, or 2 small greased bread pans, filling the pans about 2/3-3/4 full.
3) Set in a warm place and let rise for 30-45 minutes ONLY. After about 20 minutes pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. You only want the dough to rise to the top of bread pan. As soon as the dough rises to the top of the pan (but not rounded up over), bake for 40-50 minutes or until golden brown (dough will rise a little more in the oven.). Let cool for 20 minutes before cutting.
Nutrition per 1/24 of total recipe: Calories: 102; Protein: 5; Carbs: 21: Fat: 1; Fiber 3.