Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread is a soft, fluffy, easy-to-make, and the best bread recipe ever. The dark brown color comes from adding cocoa powder, coffee, honey, molasses, and wheat flour. This unique combination of ingredients makes this bread tasty and highly addictive.
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Recipe card
Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups Warm water
- 1 tablespoon Brown sugar or granulated sugar
- 2 ¼ teaspoon Active dry yeast 1 packet, 7g
- 1 ½ to 2 cups Whole wheat flour
- 2 cups All purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 2 tablespoon Cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoon Coffee powder or Espresso
- 2 tablespoon Vegetable oil or butter, softened
- 3 tablespoon Honey or Agave nectar
- 2 tablespoon Molasses
- Oats - to dust on top of the bread
Instructions
Activate the yeast
- In a bowl, mix sugar and warm water. Sprinkle yeast. Cover it and keep it undisturbed for 5 minutes or until the yeast activates.1 ½ cups Warm water, 1 tablespoon Brown sugar, 2 ¼ teaspoon Active dry yeast
Make the brown bread dough
- Add wheat flour, all-purpose flour, salt, cocoa powder, coffee powder, butter, honey, and molasses, and knead it for about 8 to 10 minutes till you get a soft and smooth dough. This dough will be tacky but should not stick to your hands. (If you feel the dough is sticky, then add some more flour).1 ½ to 2 cups Whole wheat flour, 2 cups All purpose flour, 1 teaspoon Salt, 2 tablespoon Cocoa powder, 2 teaspoon Coffee powder, 2 tablespoon Vegetable oil, 3 tablespoon Honey or Agave nectar, 2 tablespoon Molasses
- Place the dough in a bowl coated with oil. Cover it and let it rise in a warm place for about 2 hours or until doubled in size.
Shape brown bread
- Divide the dough into six equal pieces and shape them into mini baguette logs.
- Place these logs on a baking sheet. Keep enough space between them, as they will double in size. I have used a silicone baking sheet. If you do not have a silicone baking sheet, then line the baking pan with parchment paper or dust it with some all-purpose flour or cornmeal to prevent the bread from sticking to the sheet.
- Wet the top of each loaf lightly with some water and sprinkle some oats.Oats - to dust on top of the bread
- Cover it and keep it in a warm place for about 1 hour to 90 minutes or until it doubles in size.
Bake Cheesecake factory brown bread
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes or until done. The crust of this bread is going to be soft.
- Let it cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
- Serve with butter or as a side with your favorite pasta, and enjoy.
Notes
- The amount of flour required may vary depending on the weather conditions and brand of flour used. I adjust the flour every time I make bread based on the weather. See that the dough is tacky and not sticky.
- You can use agave nectar instead of honey for a vegan version.
- Instead of 6 loaves, you can split them into 2, 3, or 4 loaves based on the size you want.
- For a rich flavor, you can knead the dough with warm milk instead of water.
- I have used oil and agave nectar to keep this brown bread vegan. You can use the substitutes given.
- Leftover bread can be plastic-wrapped and stored at room temperature for two days. Keep it in the refrigerator for one week or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Just reheat in the microwave and serve warm.
Nutrition
Cheesecake Factory Bread
American Cheesecake Factory is not only for cheesecakes. This restaurant serves warm loaves of bread when you order entrees for lunch or dinner. My husband loves the brown bread loaves that they serve with butter, and most of the time, ends up filling them, thereby leaving little or no room for their delicious desserts. These breads are soft with a fluffy texture sprinkled with rolled oats on top.
These loaves are also called Cheesecake Factory Chocolate Bread and Cheesecake Factory Honey Wheat Brown Bread.
Since my husband loves this bread, I recently decided to bake some for him. This was my first time combining cocoa powder, coffee powder, and molasses for a bread recipe. These ingredients give the bread its signature flavor and color. The bread is easy to bake, soft when served warm, and melts in your mouth.
Try this Cheesecake factory-inspired Brown Bread recipe; I am sure it will be a regular feature on your dinner table. Also, make sure to check out shrimp scampi pasta, also inspired by The Cheesecake Factory.
Don't miss out on our popular Vienna bread, French baguette, and Indian garlic cheese naan.
Ingredients
Yeast: Helps the bread rise
Sugar: Activate the yeast. Use brown or regular granulated sugar.
Butter: Makes it rich.
Honey: For sweetness.
Flour: Combining all-purpose flour and wheat flour makes this bread fluffy.
Coffee: This complements the sweet ingredients. You will not make out the coffee flavor at all.
Cocoa powder: This is also popular as chocolate bread. Make sure you use Unsweetened cocoa.
Salt: To balance flavor
Oats: For texture and to make it look pretty.
Molasses: Adds moisture and chewiness to the bread.
Step-by-step instructions
Activate the yeast
In a bowl, mix sugar and warm water. Sprinkle yeast. Cover it and keep it undisturbed for 5 minutes or until the yeast activates.
Make the brown bread dough
- Add wheat flour, all-purpose flour, salt, cocoa powder, coffee powder, butter, honey, and molasses, and knead it for about 8 to 10 minutes till you get a soft and smooth dough. This dough will be tacky but should not stick to your hands. (If you feel the dough is sticky, then add some more flour).
- Place the dough in a bowl coated with oil. Cover it and let it rise in a warm place for about 2 hours or until doubled in size.
Shape brown bread
- Divide the dough into six equal pieces and shape them into mini baguette logs.
- Place these logs on a baking sheet. Keep enough space between them, as they will double in size. I have used a silicone baking sheet. If you do not have a silicone baking sheet, then line the baking pan with parchment paper or dust it with some all-purpose flour or cornmeal to prevent the bread from sticking to the sheet.
- Wet the top of each loaf lightly with some water and sprinkle some oats.
- Cover it and keep it in a warm place for about 1 hour to 90 minutes or until it doubles in size.
Bake Cheesecake factory brown bread
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes or until done. The crust of this bread is going to be soft.
- Let it cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
- Serve with butter or as a side with your favorite pasta, and enjoy.
Chef Tips
- The amount of flour required may vary depending on the weather conditions and brand of flour used. I adjust the flour every time I make bread based on the weather. See that the dough is tacky and not sticky.
- You can use agave nectar instead of honey for a vegan version.
- Instead of 6 loaves, you can split them into 2, 3, or 4 loaves based on the size you want.
- For a rich flavor, you can knead the dough with warm milk instead of water.
- I have used oil and agave nectar to keep this brown bread vegan. You can use the substitutes given.
Store
Leftover bread can be plastic-wrapped and stored at room temperature for two days. Keep it in the refrigerator for one week or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Just reheat in the microwave and serve warm.
Recipe FAQs
The rich brown color of the Cheesecake factory bread comes from the addition of coffee(espresso), cocoa, molasses, honey, and wheat flour.
In America, brown bread is called whole wheat bread to differentiate it from regular white bread.
With a unique combination of ingredients, this bread has a rich flavor with a hint of chocolate and sweet flavors from honey and molasses.
More bread loaves to try
Did you like this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below and/or a review in the comments section. You can also stay in touch with us through social media by following us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Note: This recipe is adapted from kitchentrials.com. We originally posted this best vegan brown bread recipe in July 2016. It has now been modified inJan 2024 with Expert Chef Tips, FAQs, Storage Instructions, etc.
Glenn
Looks great! Imagine the smell of that fresh cheesecake brown bread from the oven, definitely a win. I’m not baking, but I’ll share your recipe to some friends.
Savita
The rich, molasses-infused aroma and the unmistakable taste of this iconic bread are spot-on. The step-by-step instructions made the process a breeze, and the result was two perfectly baked loaves that rival the Cheesecake Factory's famous offering.