How to strengthen pain de mie?
My pain de mie slices are soft and tasty, but they break apart easily and when sliced and toasted, shower crumbs like mad. What could I do to toughen up the loaves to make slices sturdy enough to carry in school lunches and "bound" tightly enough to reduce the crumb fallout? I've shifted from AP flour to bread flour on one try. It was a bit tougher, but not much improved.
I'm using the KA recipe:
3C AP flour
2 1/4T instant yeast
1C rolled oats
1 1/2T salt
4T butter
3T honey
1C water
Could I use leaner (i.e. French) dough recipes? Will other recipes take to the 13" Pullman pan? The size and shape really work well for sandwiches and toasting and it seems a practical 1-day recipe as compared to the batards and boules I make when I have time.
Thanks for your ideas.
Greg