Spinach sandwich loaf/ Spinach Pain de Mie
A perfect whole wheat + plain flour sandwich loaf flavoured with spinach as good as or better than the store-bought sandwich sliced bread.
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For a change, I made this bread not as a main component but as an ‘accompaniment’ for my palak paneer sandwich (spinach and paneer sandwich) The idea was to make a simple paneer sandwich for dinner one of the evenings but then again why not go a bit further and make the loaf too?
So, I go digging in my baking supplies and pull out the pullman loaf pan that makes perfectly rectangular slices of bread. Pullman loaf pan is a regular loaf tin with taller sides and a lid to close. A bread that is baked in a pullman loaf pan looks similar to commercially sold sandwich breads that we are so used to. And since I was intending to use it for palak paneer sandwich, this was the way to go as the bread baked in pullman doesn’t doom or crack on the top which results in uneven slices.
Pain de Mie means soft bread or a crustless bread and it is called so because the way it is baked. The bread has almost no crust with a soft, tight crumb. The lid allows little space for the bread to expand resulting in smaller air pockets and a non-crumbly compact interior.
Here it is then, a simple straightforward Pain de Mei flavoured with spinach puree in a loaf that has 50% whole wheat flour making it nutritional compared to the store-bought white sandwich bread. Enjoy it as a buttered toast or with any fillings that you like in a sandwich. I used the paneer stuffing that is an all-time favourite at my home to make the delicious palak paneer sandwich. However, the choices to enjoy this flavorful loaf is endless; use this loaf to make the famous Mumbai sandwich or corn + cheese + capsicum stuffing or rava toast or anything else you fancy. 
For this recipe, I have used a nonstick 8-inch pullman loaf tin with these dimensions: 8.5 inches in length, 4 inches in width and 4 inches in height
Recipe Card
Spinach sandwich loaf/ Spinach Pain de Mie
Recipe Rating
AUTHOR
Hema B Kathrani
CUISINE
International
PREP TIME
3 hours
COOK TIME
30-35 minutes
SERVINGS
makes a 8 inch loaf
Author: Hema B Kathrani | Cuisine: International | Category: Breads
Prep Time: 3 hours | Cook Time: 30-35 minutes | Servings: makes a 8 inch loaf
A perfect whole wheat + plain flour sandwich loaf flavoured with spinach as good as or better than the store-bought sandwich sliced bread.
Ingredients
- To activate the yeast:
- 120 ml water
- 2 ¼ tsp instant yeast
- 2 tbsp sugar
- For the dough:
- 1 ½ cups plain flour
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
- ¼ cup milk powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp malai (heavy cream)
- 1 cup spinach puree *see notes
Method
- Make the spinach puree:
- Place 3 cups of spinach in a pot of boiling water for 2 minutes.
- Drain and place in an ice-cold water to stop cooking. This will also help maintain its vibrant green colour.
- Blend it in a puree with 1-2 tbsp of water.
- Remove in a bowl and keep it aside.
- Activating the yeast:
- In a bowl, mix 120 ml of warm water, sugar and instant yeast. Stir well.
- Keep it aside till the mix becomes frothy.
- Make the dough:
- In a big bowl, combine both flours, salt, milk powder, malai (cream) and spinach puree.
- Add the activated yeast and bring the dough together.
- Transfer the sticky dough to a clean counter surface and knead for 10 minutes until you have a soft and pliable dough.
- Place it in a greased bowl and cover it for an hour or until it doubles.
- Once the dough has risen, gently deflate the dough and transfer it to a clean counter surface.
- Shaping the loaf:
- Roll the dough in a large rectangle, keeping your baking pan as a guideline to check the length.
- Start to roll the rectangle in a log and pinch the seam well where the ends meet.
- Carefully lift the roll and place it in a greased 8-inch sandwich loaf pan.
- Cover it loosely with a cling wrap or a cloth until it is just short of 1 inch from the edge of the loaf pan.
- Grease the lid and close the pan and start to preheat your oven.
- Baking the bread:
- Pre heat the oven to 180 C
- Keep a tray with 2 glasses of water at the bottom rack to create steam in the oven
- Bake the bread in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
- Gently, open the lid, invert the pan and remove the bread on a wire rack to cool.
- Slice it when it has cooled completely.
Notes
- I got 1 cup of thick spinach puree out of 3 cups of packed spinach leaves. You might need to adjust the quantity of spinach according to the type of spinach and how it is used. I used leaves as well as stalks.
- I would recommend using a bench scraper while kneading as this dough is sticky.
- Each flour is different. If you find your dough too sticky, add 1 tbsp of flour to the mix.
- The temperature of the water should be warm, not hot. To test, simply put your finger in the bowl. If you are able to comfortably keep you finger in, it is good to go.
- If the yeast does not become frothy, it is best to discard and start again.
- Put the lid once the bread has proofed just short of 1 inch from the edge of the pan.
- Do not open the lid to check until the baking is complete and it has rested for few minutes as the top part of the bread can tear easily.
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Let me know how this recipe turned out for you by writing to me in the comments below. And if you take a picture, please tag me on my instagram handle @acookwithin 
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2 thoughts on “Spinach sandwich loaf/ Spinach Pain de Mie”
Thanks Hema Ma’am
With your recipe my bread turns out very soft
And tasty . Thanks for sharing your awesome recipe
Manisha Gupta
I am so happy to hear that! Thank you so much for having faith in my recipe 🙂