• I use this Pullman loaf pan that measures 8.3x 4.8 x 4.5 inch on the exterior and the interior measures 7.5 x 4 x 4.4 inch. It's a tall loaf pan. You can also use a standard regular 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.75 inch loaf pan 
• For other pan size adjustment, please see the details in my post below

Prepare sweet stiff starter (SSS):

• I recommend using a starter that is at least one month old and consistently doubles or triples in 4-6 hours when you feed it at 1:1:1 ratio. Young starter will not give the best result
• About 8-10 hours before you plan to make the bread, combine all ingredients for the stiff starter in a bowl. Stir a bit to roughly combine and then use your clean hand to knead it. This is a stiff starter, it's like a dough. Make sure no pockets of dry flour is visible. Transfer to a large see-through container (plastic or glass is fine, preferably wide-mouth so you can get it out easier later). Loosely cover with the lid and let it ferment until triple in size

Prepare the dough (whether you use SSS or commercial yeast):

• Place all ingredients, including all of the stiff starter for sourdough version, in a mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Use the hook to stir everything around a bit so when you turn the machine on, the flour won't fly around and wet ingredients won't splash (it happened to me before!). Start with the lowest speed to mix things up and then increase to speed 2 and knead for about 5 minutes or until it forms a dough. If the dough too dry to come together, you can add a bit of milk one teaspoon at a time
• The dough should be soft and slightly sticky to the touch. It should be elastic and when you slowly and gently stretch a small amount of dough thinly, it doesn't break (window pane stage). Proceed to first proofing

First proofing:

• Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and proof at a warm place until double in size. If you use commercial yeast, this may take about 1-2 hours. For sourdough version, proof for 2 hours at a warm place 80-86 F (28-30 C) until just puffy, but not necessarily double in size. When you poke the dough with your lightly-floured finger, the indentation stays and the dough doesn't collapse

Shaping:

• Grease your loaf pan with some oil or non-stick spray. Make sure you grease the lid too
• Gently flatten the dough out to the long side about the length of the pan and then roll or fold over tightly and shape into a log so the dough has some strength and structure. Don't just shape it into a log or the dough may collapse.
• Place this inside the pan and flatten the dough a bit to fill up the pan. Cover with a cling wrap and let the dough final proof at a warm place again until it's about 1/4 inch from the top edge, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours with commercial yeast. About 3 - 4 hours for sourdough version. Slide the lid to close. You want to monitor closely so the dough won't go above the rim and you can't close the lid anymore if that happens
• If you plan to bake without the lid, let the dough rise until it is about 1 inch above the rim of the pan

Baking:

• If you bake with a Pullman tin with the lid, 10 minutes before the end of final proofing, preheat oven to 375 F (190 C) for a conventional oven. For a convection oven, lower the temperature by 20 F or 15 C. Place the loaf pan in the middle rack and bake for 10 minutes and then lower the temperature to 350 F (180 C) and continue baking for 23-25 minutes or until the internal temperature is 190 F (88 C)
• If you bake without a lid, preheat oven to 350 F (180 C) for conventional oven. For a convection oven, lower the temperature by 20 F or 15 C. Place the loaf pan in the middle rack and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the internal temperature is 190 F (88 C)

Cooling:

• Remove the pan from the oven and remove the bread from the pan onto a cooling rack and let it cool down completely on the rack. This may take 2-3 hours. Do not attempt to slice the bread while it is still warm. The crumb will turn gummy

Storing:

• Once they have cooled down completely, you can put them in an air-tight container and keep them at room temperature for 2-3 days. For longer storage, wrap with a plastic wrap and keep them in freezer bag for about 1 month
• Simply thaw at room temperature before serving