Copycat Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread is soft, chewy, and sweetened with brown sugar, molasses, and honey. This simple bread recipe is easy to make and is best served warm with a little bit of butter.
My favorite thing at The Cheesecake Factory is the delicious, warm brown bread served with butter. They bring you a plate of it as an appetizer before they serve the main course and it’s really difficult not to fill up completely on bread because it is just so yummy! Now you can make this Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread right at home…you won’t even believe how easy it is to make! These loaves of brown bread are a little bit sweet and topped with oats. You can serve along with a meal, or just enjoy a slice or two for breakfast or as a snack.
There is nothing better than homemade bread. Especially when it bakes in your oven and the smell of freshly baked bread fills your whole house.
Ingredients in Copycat Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread
Milk – Whole milk works best, but you can use a dairy-free alternative if needed.
Brown sugar – A little bit of brown sugar adds some sweetness to the bread and is needed to help activate the yeast. For best results, make sure the brown sugar is fresh and soft.
Yeast – You will need 1 packet (or 2 1/4 teaspoons) of active dry yeast.
Molasses – The molasses is what gives the bread the unique brown color.
Honey – A little bit of honey adds more sweetness and flavor to the bread.
Butter – Just a little bit of butter is needed to create the perfect consistency in the bread. Make sure it is softened before adding to the other ingredients.
Flour – You will need 2 cups of whole wheat flour and 1 ½ – 2 cups of all-purpose flour. You may need to add a little bit more white flour if the dough is too sticky.
Cocoa powder – Dutch processed cocoa is darker and will provide a deeper flavor and color but any unsweetened cocoa will work. It may seem strange to add chocolate to the bread, but I promise that the amount is small enough that the bread doesn’t taste like chocolate!
Oats – You will need 1/4 cup of old-fashioned oats to sprinkle on top just before baking. You can skip this ingredient if you’d like, but it adds a little bit of texture to the bread. And that’s what the Cheesecake Factory does, so it must be a good idea, right?!
How to make Copycat Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread
Warm the milk in the microwave until it is just warm to the touch (100°-110°).
Add the warm milk, brown sugar, and yeast to a large mixing bowl and stir gently. Let the mixture sit for about 5-10 minutes until the yeast is activated and the mixture is frothy.
Add the molasses, honey, butter, wheat flour, all-purpose flour, and cocoa powder. Use a wooden spoon to mix everything until well combined. You can use a stand mixer if you’d like, but you definitely don’t want to mix very long. I have had better results with this bread when I’ve mixed it by hand!
Place the dough into an oiled bowl and cover with a clean dish towel.
Set aside to rise for about 1 hour. Once the dough has doubled in size, knead it for about 3-5 minutes on a lightly floured surface until smooth.
Separate the dough into 3 even portions.
Roll each portion into an 8-inch long loaf and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle the tops with the oats.
Gently cover with a clean dish towel and set aside to rise for about 30-40 minutes. Once the loaves have risen, place them in an oven that has been preheated to 375°.
Bake for about 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly before slicing.
Serve warm with whipped butter.
Copycat Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups whole milk
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 packet of active dry yeast
- ¼ cup molasses
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup salted butter softened
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 ½ – 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ cup old-fashioned oats to sprinkle on top just before baking
Instructions
- Warm the milk in the microwave until it is just warm to the touch (100°-110°).
- Add the warm milk, brown sugar, and yeast to a large mixing bowl and stir gently. Let the mixture sit for about 5-10 minutes until the yeast is activated and the mixture is frothy.
- Add the molasses, honey, butter, wheat flour, all-purpose flour, and cocoa powder. Use a wooden spoon to mix everything until well combined. You can use a stand mixer if you'd like, but you definitely don't want to mix very long. I have had better results with this bread when I've mixed it by hand!
- Place the dough into an oiled bowl and cover with a clean dish towel.
- Set aside to rise for about 1 hour. Once the dough has doubled in size, knead it for about 3-5 minutes on a lightly floured surface until smooth.
- Separate the dough into 3 even portions.
- Roll each portion into an 8-inch long loaf and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle the tops with the oats.
- Gently cover with a clean dish towel and set aside to rise for about 30-40 minutes. Once the loaves have risen, place them in an oven that has been preheated to 375°.
- Bake for about 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly before slicing.
- Serve warm with whipped butter.
Nutrition
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How to store homemade bread
Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You can freeze the baked loaves for up to 3 months. If you freeze the bread, make sure it is wrapped in plastic wrap and placed in an airtight container or bag before freezing.
Tips to create the BEST bread every time
If you have never baked homemade bread before, here are a few tips that will help you make the most delicious and soft bread ever.
- Weather can affect your ingredients. If you live in a moist climate, chances are you will need at least the recommended amount of flour, maybe even 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup more. Bread dough should be sticky, but still manageable, especially after the first rise. While you are kneading, the dough should come together and pull away from the sides of the bowl, leaving the bowl mostly clean. (I try not to add too much flour because your bread will be more dense.) When you pick the dough up, some will stick to your fingers. After the first rise, it will be easier to handle!
- Kitchen too cool to rise? In the wintertime when my house is cooler than normal, I like to turn the oven on for 2-3 minutes, then turn it off and let the bowl of dough rise in there. The oven traps the heat for a long time and it is the perfect atmosphere for rising dough.
- After the first rise, don’t overwork the dough. I usually knead and shape my dough in about 1 minute, then it is back in the pan to rest, for the 2nd rise.
HOW TO AVOID SUNKEN BREAD
The easiest and best way to avoid sunken bread is to use a cooking thermometer to check the inside of the loaf. Fully cooked bread will register 200°F on a thermometer. My all-time favorite thermometer is the Thermapen. It’s super fast and incredibly durable. Another great cooking thermometer is the ThermoPop which is a more basic version that works just as well!
Here are even more recipes for homemade bread to try:
- Honey Wheat Bread
- How to Make Bread
- Homemade Hawaiian Bread
- Honey Oat Bread recipe
- Cinnamon Raisin Bread
- Parmesan Garlic Dinner Rolls
- Fabulous French Bread
- Sweet Orange Dinner Rolls
- Homemade Hawaiian Bread
- Easy Homemade Cheesy Breadsticks
- Tomato Parmesan Flatbread
- Potato Bread Recipe
- Soft Cornmeal Dinner Rolls
- White Bread Recipe
Copycat Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread is soft, chewy, and sweetened with brown sugar, molasses, and honey. This simple bread recipe is easy to make and is best served warm with a little bit of butter.
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