This bread in all its chewy, soft glory might look a smidge familiar. You know that little California based chain, they serve cheesecake and have a menu the thickness similar to that of a Jersey diner? You may have heard of it...The Cheesecake Factory.
If you know it, then you know about the freaking brown bread. THAT BREAD. Oh my lord, I'm getting the bread sweats. It's soft and sweet and tender and just the best way to start a meal.
And this Honey Wheat Brown Bread is an at-home version that's simple to make and so so delicious.
Ok, hold on. Let's just talk about this honey wheat brown bread.
Tips for starting yeast doughs
New to yeast? Don't be scared, just keep a few things in mind and your bread is going to come out great!
Yeast doughs typically start with letting the yeast get foamy and involve
- a warm liquid (milk or water),
- sugar or some sort of sweet like honey (think of it as yeast food),
- and of course the yeast itself.
The yeast eats the sweet and turns into a foamy, liquidy starter. Not so scary right?
And here's my foolproof tip: temp your liquid. It should be around 100-110°F. If it's too hot it will kill the yeast and you'll get no foam. If it's too cold, your foam won't get foamy enough. And that's sad. Nobody wants sad yeast foam.
I use my digital meat thermometer to temp it. It's easy to read and if it is too hot you can just leave it in and watch the temp go down.
Two Rises
For the first rise, it'll happen in a greased bowl. Cover it with either a linen towel or plastic wrap to create a warm, incubator like environment.
The next rise will happen after you shape the dough before baking.
See these little beauties?? They're just one rise away from being this.
Ultimate fluff-dom.
After baking, enjoy while hot with a nice slather of butter or store up to 4 days for later. This bread is my absolute favorite for making croutons. It provides a nice crunch and adds are great flavor to salads without being overpowering.
You should try them in this kale salad with pomegranate and blue cheese or autumn salad with apples and cheddar. Pretty much if there's any sort of seasonal salad, clearly I'm finding a reason to make this honey wheat brown bread into croutons for it. You should join me. If making this bread to go along with dinner, comfort food classic pot roast or lemony chicken thighs are a welcome sight on the dinner table.
If you're making this bread to go with dinner or for croutons be sure to tell me about it in the comments and leave a rating below. Tag #hungerthirstplay on all your tasty Instagram photos!
Honey Wheat Brown Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water, 105-110°F (236ml)
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 2 ¼ teaspoons dry active yeast
- 4 tablespoons honey
- 2 cups bread flour (241g)
- 1 ⅔ cup white whole wheat flour (191g)
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons espresso powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- ¼ cup rolled oats
Instructions
- In the bowl of the standing mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine warm water and molasses. Sprinkle the liquid with yeast. Let sit for 5 minutes until foamy, then add in the honey.
- In a medium size bowl, whisk together the bread flour, whole wheat flour, cocoa powder, granulated sugar, espresso and salt. Slowly add dry ingredients to the yeast mixture on low speed. Once combined add butter and increase speed to medium until combined and a soft, smooth dough is formed - about 90 seconds.
- Lightly grease a large bowl with oil. Transfer the dough to the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm area to rose for 1 hour, or until double in size.
- Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and cut into 8 pieces. Shape each piece into small, log shaped loaf then onto a greased or parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle each loaf with whole rolled oats.
- Let the loaves rise until double in size - about 1 hour. Towards the end of the rising, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake the bread for 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack for cooling. Honey Wheat Brown Bread is fresh for up to 4 days, wrapped, at room temperature.
Notes
- Molasses provides a natural, dark color to the bread but honey can be used in its place if you do not have molasses.
Nutrition
baker101 says
Hey! The recipe looks delicious. Just one question... Can I replace the bread flour with all purpose flour? Will it affect the consistency or taste of the bread?
Thanks!
Lauren says
Yes, you can make the switch to all purpose. Bread flour has a higher protein content and so it absorbs more liquid than all purpose so it might make a small difference in the overall texture but not tremendously.
Charlie says
Hi there, I'm hoping to make this recipe this weekend. I just have some questions. Firstly, when you make this recipe yourself, do you personally follow the weight measurements or the cup measurements for the flour? And secondly, in my country the oven has an option of a fan-forced oven or just a standard/conventional oven, can you tell me what type you use for this recipe? As it effects the baking temp. Thank you.
Lauren says
I usually follow the weighted measurements because it's easier/faster. This recipe is written for a standard/conventional oven. Hope that helps, thanks!
Lyla says
These look fantastic. But I wonder what does coffee contribute in this recipe. I am a bread lover and I try to experiment with different recipes. I will try this one definitely. But would the bread have a coffee taste?
Lauren says
Hi Lyla - the bread definitely doesn't end up with a coffee taste, it just adds a rich deeper flavor with just a smidge of bitter to balance out the sweet. If you'd rather skip it, it won't really affect the outcome much!
Patty says
The amount of flours in grams remain the same as i click on x2.. so just double the grams?
Lauren says
Yes! Sorry, not sure why that didn't double as well.
Michelle says
These rolls look perfect! Great tips for using yeast too. I'm on a mission to make more bread this year so will definitely be trying these x
Julie says
These are such an incredibly gorgeous color! I am sure they are so delicious still warm out of the oven.
Krista Price says
Wow! This bread looks incredible. I have a jar of apple butter that would go perfect with it! Looking forward to making this very soon!
Lauren says
apple butter! genius!
Tammy says
Your rolls look wonderful and so soft! 😀 I would love to try one right now with a little pat of butter along side dinner...ahh perfection!
Farwin says
Those breads look perfect. The perfect accompaniment to a warm soup!
Ruchi says
Oh it looks so soft, fluffy and warming! Perfect bread to pair with my favorite winter soups!
Eileen Kelly says
My love of a great piece of bread runs deep! These rolls are so fluffy and they look delicious! Your instructions are so easy to follow! I would love these with either a warm bowl of soup or a great salad!
Lorie says
One of my goals this year is to focus on making my own fresh bread. This is first and a huge win!
Lauren says
That's a goal of mine too! Sourdough is on my list to tackle!
Jennifer says
I just made this bread and it's DELICIOUS!!!! My husband loved it too!! Awesome, recipe!
Lauren says
so glad you loved it jennifer!!
Donna says
These are gorgeous! I love nothing more than fresh bread, and the subtle sweetness of the honey here is fantastic!
Jacque Hastert says
I would eat this as a whole meal. I can't believe how simple this is to make.
Lauren says
Thanks Jacque! I'm definitely guilty of that!!
Therina says
Is it okay to use one packet of yeast?
Lauren says
yes!
Denise says
Wow those look fantastic! I have always wanted to be able to make good bread so I can't wait to try this. You make it look so easy!