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    Home » Hunger

    Honey Wheat Brown Bread

    By Lauren on January 4, 2019, Updated April 27, 2021 41 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
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    honey wheat brown bread rolls on a sheet tray
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    collage of honey wheat brown bread rolls photos
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    rolls of bread on a sheet tray
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    rolls of bread on a sheet tray
    overhead photos of honey wheat brown bread rolls

    This honey wheat brown bread is going to be the best thing you butter up this month. With a soft, tender inside, crunchy rolled oats on the outside, subtle sweet honey flavor and a hint of dark molasses for natural coloring you can literally have it with anything. Soup? Yes. Dinner? Yes. Breakfast? You guessed it, yes!

    overhead photos of honey wheat brown bread rolls

    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. 

    overhead photo of honey wheat brown bread

    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.

    up close photo of 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?

    stacked rolls of honey wheat brown bread

    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.

    close up of the soft layers of honey wheat brown bread

    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!

    overhead photos of honey wheat brown bread rolls

    Honey Wheat Brown Bread

    Honey Wheat Brown Bread is sweet, tender wheat bread with subtle taste of honey and molasses.
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    Course: bread
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: brown bread, copycat cheesecake factory brown bread, easy yeast doughs, sweet breads
    Prep Time: 25 minutes mins
    Cook Time: 20 minutes mins
    Rise Time: 2 hours hrs
    Total Time: 2 hours hrs 45 minutes mins
    Servings: 8 small loaves
    Calories: 309kcal
    Author: Lauren
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    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

    Calories: 309kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 443mg | Potassium: 196mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 132IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 1mg

     

     

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    Comments

    1. Farah says

      February 12, 2021 at 12:13 am

      Hi! Can I make this in a bread pan?

      Reply
      • Lauren says

        February 20, 2021 at 3:44 pm

        Hi Farah - I haven't tried to make this in a bread pan but I think it might be too much dough. I'd probably recommend dividing the dough into two before baking!

        Reply
    2. Sherry says

      November 28, 2020 at 4:35 am

      Hi, is this a no knead recipe? I usually do it by hand bc I don’t have a mixer. 🙂 it looks like I can mix it in the bowl then wait for a first rise. There’s no mention of kneading. Can’t wait to try this!!! 🙂

      Reply
      • Lauren says

        December 03, 2020 at 7:36 am

        Yes! You could definitely do this by hand, but it will take a little bit of kneading by hand when you need to add the butter.

        Reply
    3. Shauna says

      October 02, 2020 at 1:38 pm

      Delicious! I had to add more flour than it called for. They were just what I wanted.

      Reply
    4. Natascha says

      June 03, 2020 at 6:32 pm

      Couldn't wait for them to cool! Here's my twist without the stand mixer...I warmed the water and softened the butter in the microwave, then put those in my bread machine pan. Next I added the molasses and honey. I sifted the dry ingredients together and put them in, too. Finally, I dug a well and measured in the yeast (I used instant). I hit the dough setting and after an hour and a half the dough was ready. Shaped the loaves for the 2nd rise with the rolled oats and baked as instructed. They came out perfect!!!

      Reply
      • Lauren says

        June 04, 2020 at 7:18 am

        Thank you for your comments! This is super helpful for a by-hand method. Thanks for trying this recipe <3!

        Reply
    5. Marcia says

      May 19, 2020 at 9:21 am

      Thank you for this great recipe. What did you bake the rolls on? A pizza stone with parchment paper or something else? Thanks

      Reply
      • Lauren says

        May 20, 2020 at 12:15 am

        just a sheet tray with parchment paper will do!

        Reply
    6. Maria says

      May 10, 2020 at 4:41 pm

      Could I make these into dinner rolls? How would that affect the baking time? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Lauren says

        May 15, 2020 at 8:14 am

        To make these into dinner rolls, I'd cut them into 16 pieces rather than 8. During baking I'd check them around 10 to 12 minutes.

        Reply
    7. Bora says

      April 28, 2020 at 1:20 am

      I cannot find whole wheat flour anywhere!! Can i use a different flour please?

      Reply
      • Lauren says

        May 01, 2020 at 11:25 am

        you can substitute whole wheat flour but you may need to add 2 to 4 tablespoons more of it. whole wheat flour absorbs more liquid than regular all purpose so it might have a small effect on the overall dough.

        Reply
    8. Aaron says

      April 25, 2020 at 12:42 am

      Hi, When i make this recipe for some reason the dough does not rise. i have tried twice now. I am puzzled as to what is causing this. When i make basic white bread it rises fine. Any suggestions?

      Reply
      • Lauren says

        April 25, 2020 at 6:34 am

        Are you using a thermometer to temp the water? My guess would be that the water is too hot and killing the yeast. If you don't have a thermometer, shoot for slightly warmer than room temp. If you do have a thermometer, try lowering the temp of the water a little bit to 100°F or so. Let me know if that helps!

        Reply
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