Split Tin for Tea

I have a soft spot for milk loaves. There are fashions in the bread world as there are in every other field of endeavour, and freeform loaves with wild, open textures are still very much where it’s at right now. There is, though, much to be said for the refinement of a good pain de mie.I made a split-tin loaf by dividing the dough into two balls and placing them side by side in the tin to rise. Although this marginally increases the area of the crust, the reason for doing this is aesthetic rather than practical. An alternative is to divide the dough and roll it into two ‘sausages’. Laid together to rise, the resulting trough runs lengthways instead of across the loaf.Personally, I prefer it this way round. Great for sandwiches, toast, or just with a little good butter.