In today’s post: Love the soft brown bread at The Outback Steakhouse? Now you can make it at home with my Outback bread recipe.
My very favorite part of eating out at the Outback Steakhouse is the sweet dark brown bread they bring out before the meal. It’s soft and delicious, with hints of molasses and honey. A few years ago I tinkered with my best dinner rolls recipe to see if I could modify it to resemble the sweet molasses bread from the Outback. I got pretty close, but a few readers let me know their bread didn’t rise very well, so I’ve had another go it. This time it’s just about perfect (IMO): soft, tender, with hints of honey and molasses and a gorgeous brown color. I’m pretty sure you’re going to love my Outback bread recipe!
There’s just not much I love more than soft bread. I usually prefer white bread to wheat, but this brown bread recipe uses half whole wheat flour and it’s amazing! It’s mildly sweet with a lot of flavor from the honey and molasses in it. I could honestly skip the meal and just eat this bread.
This bread gets some color from the molasses and baking cocoa that are in it (don’t worry, it doesn’t taste like chocolate!) but if you want a nice deep brown you’ll want to add some coloring. Most commercial dark brown breads are made with caramel coloring, which is hard to find in your local grocery store. You can mix red/yellow/blue from your standard food colors to get a brown, or pick up some brown paste food coloring from the cake decorating section. You’ll need quite a lot of coloring to get the very dark brown color you see at the restaurant. I used just a bit of brown gel coloring.
Make sure you whip up some butter to serve with!
So before we get to the recipe, let me tell you a little secret: I like this bread even better made as rolls. Actually, I like just about ANY bread recipe better made as rolls. Why? Because they don’t have crust! Rolls don’t take as long to bake and so they stay soft and tender the whole way through. So I’ll show you how to make this bread in small loaves just like you get at The Outback, but then I’ll also show you how to make it as rolls, which is what I do almost exclusively.
Outback Bread Recipe
Outback Sweet Molasses Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup Warm Water
- 1 tablespoon Active Dry Yeast
- 1 tablespoon Sugar
- 1 and 3/4 cups Whole Wheat Flour
- 1 Egg
- 2 tablespoons Butter room temperature
- 2 tablespoons Molasses
- 1/4 cup Honey
- 1.5 to 2 cups Bread Flour
- 1 tablespoon Natural Baking Cocoa
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Place warm water, yeast and sugar in bowl of a stand mixer.
- Allow to proof for 10 minutes (mixture will bubble).
- Add in whole wheat flour, egg, butter, molasses and honey and turn mixer on low, using the dough hook.
- Add in 1 cup of bread flour, cocoa and salt and continue to mix on low.
- Gradually add in remaining half cup to one cup of bread flour. Dough should pull away from the sides of the mixing bowl.
- Continue to knead on low for about 10 minutes until dough is soft and elastic.
- Turn dough out and roll into a ball. Allow to rise in a warm place, covered, for 60-90 minutes until doubled in size.
- Shape as 6 small loaves on a cookie sheet or as 16 rolls in a 9x13 pan and rise again until doubled (45-60 minutes).
- Bake at 350 for 27-30 minutes for loaves or about 20 minutes for rolls.
And here’s some extra explanation and photos to help you make gorgeous Outback brown bread:
You’ll start by placing the warm water, yeast, and sugar in the bowl of your mixer. The water should feel warm to the touch, but not hot. Give it about 10 minutes to let the yeast proof – it will get nice and puffy looking, like this:
Then you can start adding the other ingredients. First add the whole wheat flour, the butter, the egg, the molasses, and the honey. If you want to add food coloring, do so now. Using a dough hook, turn the mixer on to low and start letting everything combine.
Once that’s going add one and a half cups of bread flour, the baking cocoa, and the salt. Keep mixing until everything is incorporated.
At this point you may need to add 1/4 to 1/2 cup more bread flour. You want the dough to pull away from the sides of the mixer bowl, so add more flour as needed. If the dough is already pulling away from the mixer, you don’t need to add more. It should look like this:
You’re going to let the dough knead for about 10 minutes total to really build up a lot of gluten, which will help give it a nice rise. If it starts sticking to the bowl too much, you can add some more flour to keep it looking like it does in the photo above. After about ten minutes you should have a nice dough that’s smooth and very elastic. You can pinch off a piece and do the “window pane test” – if it’s ready you’ll be able to stretch the dough thin enough that you can see light through it without the dough tearing.
After kneading, turn the dough out and form it into a tight ball. I spray the inside of my mixer bowl and place my dough back inside it to rise. When I’m making this dough in the winter months I like to turn on my oven for a few minutes to warm it up and then turn it off and place the dough inside it to rise. If you do this, be sure you put it in a bowl with high sides and cover it with a damp towel to keep it from drying out.
Rise time will be 60-90 minutes depending on how warm it is. You want the dough to double in size.
Shaping + baking the Outback molasses bread recipe
Once the dough has risen, decide whether you’d like to make your Outback bread into small loaves or rolls. For small loaves, divide the dough into 6 equal sections. Gently press each section into a 6×6 inch square. Roll the square up into a log, pinching the seam at the bottom.
Place each log onto a greased cookie sheet pan. Spray gently with water and sprinkle with cornmeal. Cover with a dry towel and allow to rise until doubled again, about 50-60 minutes. The second rise won’t look as dramatic as the first rise, but you’re still looking for an increase in volume and a nice puffiness:
Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until loaf sounds hollow when you tap on the bottom.
How to make Outback bread rolls
Once the dough has doubled in size, separate it into 16 sections and form into balls. Place them in a greased 9×13 pan and let them rise, covered, for another hour until the dough balls have grown in size enough that they touch one another. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes until cooked through. If you use food coloring, it can be hard to tell when the rolls are done, since they won’t get much browner than they already are. The easiest way to tell if they’re finished is to gently pull one roll away from the one next to it and check to make sure they look baked through. If in doubt, give them another minute or two. Better slightly overdone than doughy inside.
Here’s how I shape rolls. I cut the dough into 16 equal sections, then pick up one section in my right hand. I make a circle with the thumb and forefinger on my left hand, then gently push the dough piece through it, dusting it with flour if needed. Once I’ve pushed the entire piece through, I crimp it together at the bottom. That makes a nice tight ball.
Here’s what the whole process looks like if you’re making rolls:
Outback Bread recipe tips
Ok, I have a couple final tips to make sure your bread turns out amazing:
- Flour: This bread uses two types of flour – whole wheat flour and bread flour. I use white whole wheat flour whenever I’m baking wheat bread. It gives you a bit lighter finished product, but if you only have normal whole wheat flour you’ll be just fine. HOWEVER, you should definitely use bread flour and not all purpose flour. It has a much higher protein content which does a better job building gluten and will make sure you get a good rise on the bread.
- Cocoa: Yes, we use a bit of baking cocoa in the recipe. It adds color and a little depth of flavor, although the bread does not taste like chocolate. DO NOT use dutch process cocoa, as it’s extra acidic and can make it hard for the yeast to rise. Look for natural baking cocoa (like the Hershey’s brand). If you do not want to use cocoa, I’ve had readers recommend substituting instant coffee instead.
- If you need help with bread baking in general, you can click over to my Very best dinner roll recipe. That post includes a step by step video that walks you through the entire process.
Love bread? Give some of these recipes a try:
Easy 4 ingredient artisan bread recipe
The very best dinner rolls recipe
How to make homemade french bread
Better than Olive Garden garlic breadsticks
Brianna says
These look WONDERFUL!!!
Freta says
I loved reading your brown bread recipe and enjoyed photos. . HOWEVER, the Outback loaves are actually ½ fine pure Rye Flour and ½ Whole Wheat Flour. The rye flower adds the soft brown color & the honey-like hint taste. So, no need to add cocoa and food dye. – happy more experimenting😊❤️.
Freta says
I actually gave you 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
Stars are wrong.
😊
Linda Thomson says
I can’t wait to make these! I just have to get molasses. Thanks – very good instructions.
Kathy says
On my way to get molasses and whole wheat flour right now. thnx
cathy says
again light blue text is very hard for some people to see.
melissa says
There always has to be one sour apple in the bunch. This is a delicious recipe. Try it it might change your attitude.
Harriet says
When I can’t see a blog’s text very well I highlight it, right click the mouse, select ‘copy’, open a Word Doc , right click again and select ‘paste’. Once it is in the Word Doc I can change the color or font size to be agreeable to my aging eyes. It takes all of 5 seconds. If I don’t want the recipe I delete the document. And I’m grateful the blogger posted it for free when she didn’t have to post it at all.
The recipe looks outstanding. I think I will make it today to go with the pulled pork in the crockpot that’s perfuming the house! Thanks for the labor involved to duplicate the bread!
Linda K says
I am so very sorry for some people ignorance. Don’t pay any attention you can’t buy class. She will eat her words one day and yes the text is hard to read. Have a bless day darling
Nicole Romero says
Agree with Harriet. The world doesnt conform to you! How entitled are you! No one else has a problem here. There are many solutions if you cant see the text well. Also you said “again” if she ignored you the first time take a hint.
Richard says
WOW! Aren’t you a real sweetheart to someone with a disability! I bet you park in the Handy Capped spots too.
Many people have a problem with low contrast printing. That’s why most (not all) packaging instructions are not black on red. And yes, it does bother others. They just haven’t said it here.
Ruthie says
I agree with Richard. Maybe you should have a little less ‘ME’ and a little more ‘WE’.
Violet says
The point here is that someone took time to perfect and share a recipe that others can choose to enjoy or ignore. It’s rude and thankless to demand she change something just because it’s inconvenient for you. If you do ask, it should at least be respectfully. Whether the poster has time or desire to change is up to them. I think we’re all just tired of snarky people using the comment box.
Karen says
Are we becoming a culture where we’re not happy unless we’re criticizing or putting someone down. If so, this is not the place to do it.
Cecilia says
So very true! Thank you for posting this!
Cecilia says
Karen- thank you for posting your comment on some of us who have disabilities.
Liz says
Autum, love your blog. Looking forward to trying these. Fellow commentors, please be considerate.
Understand how fortunate you are to be able to see and read this lovely blog without any issues..Sadly not all are as fortunate as you. Things that some take for granted can be and are arduous for others. A helpful hint is most appreciated-Harriet- thank you? Do NOT assume that all are able to just navigate around on computers- we can’t. Do not assume that we all have internet access in our homes or on our phones. People w/ limited mobility who can’t just jump on over to the library are enjoying these lovely blogs. So next time give a hand up verses a kick in the heart..
Ali says
Color of text is an accessibility consideration in web design.
Mary says
Aren’t you blessed, Nicole to be able to see so well. Not all of us have that ability. Sometimes my husband has to read things to me. You seem to have very little charity in your heart.
Gail says
You might want to adjust the color on your computer. I have dark Blue color on my computer.
Sarah says
So rude…
Dorothy says
I agree. Web design needs to take into account visual challenges.
Vanessa says
Wow, these look amazing. I can almost taste them through the screen. Bookmarking recipe for later, for sure.
Beth says
Could you leave out the cocoa? My husband is allergic to cocoa.
autumn says
Beth – I haven’t tried it without cocoa, but I’m sure you could leave it out. It will be lighter in color and the flavor might not be quite as deep, but since what you taste most is the molasses and honey anyway, I think you’ll be just fine! Be sure to add a few extra tablespoons of flour to compensate.
Sue Prewitt says
The cocoa just gives it a little ‘something’. But if your husband can’t have, substitute the same amount of instant coffee.
Believe me, it is out standing!
trista says
What a fabulous idea, ty so much for this….the potential is staggering for some people I know with cocoa issues!
Sharon says
I make this type of bread all the time. You do not need to use cocoa if you use Blackstrap Molasses which is a very dark molasses.
doug says
You can omit the cocoa, you will just have a lighter colored roll, you could also substitute 1 tbls of kitchen bouquet or as another poster mentioned, instant coffee.
Kasey says
Like a previous commenter asked, what purpose does the cocoa have? I have these rising right now,
I am soooo excited as Outback is probably my favorite bread of all time. I have a little one allergic to chocolate also. Wondering if I can omit it next time so she can enjoy this yummy bread too!?!?!?
autumn says
The cocoa is there for color and a little depth of flavor, so I’m sure you could omit it. You’ll just need a few extra tablespoons of flour if you leave it out and the flavor won’t be quite as rich, but I don’t think it will change the flavor too much. I hope it turned out for you!
Pamela Eastham says
For those of us in the UK looking for a brown colouring- the caramel colouring you mentioned is sold here as ‘gravy browning’. A tiny amount goes a VERY long way, so be warned, and no it won’t make your bread taste like gravy because of the small amount used.
Tracy says
Thank Pamela! 🙂
Janice says
I think the caramel coloring for this recipe is strictly brown food coloring, usually found at restaurant supply stores, etc (I found my quart bottle at GFS). The gravy browning I think you are referring to is also available here under other product names. I do believe they’re very different items. I haven’t shopped in England in many, many years, but was married to an Englishman for over 20, so I have some familiarity with the recipes and products. Browning sauce might indeed add an interesting flavor to this bread, though, and certainly would add the color. I never make beef stew without it. 🙂
Allison K Fritz says
Made there for my family. They really loved them. They are great warmed up as a snack! Thanks for sharing. I will be making yourbreadsticks next!
Jmom says
Some of the brown color you are looking for could be from graham flour. It also has some of that earthy, nutty sweetness.
Linda says
Made these wonderful rolls this afternoon to have with dinner. They were very easy to make and were very good!
Gin says
Can these be frozen and if so, would you freeze before or after baking???
Carol says
Any yeast bread can be made the day before and placed in the frig over night. Just take it out in the morning and shape Into rolls or loaves. I place dough in a bread sack to prevent any drying out and this also allows for some rising.
Joanne says
back house stake house rolls
Phyllis says
Could I throw all the ingredients in a breadmaker to make the dough for me?
autumn says
I don’t see why not!
Valerie Greer says
Glad to hear I can use my bread maker…I don’t do very well making bread “by hand”, I usually end up wasting precious ingredients! I will give this recipe a try, Outback Bread is my favorite bread of all time!
Mrs. K says
Can’t wait to try these. Also, unless they changed their recipe in the past 10 years, the butter is just whipped butter, there is no honey in it. I used to be a prep cook for Outback and it’s just butter and cream, whipped together.
autumn says
good to know – thanks!
Ellen says
Honey butter is available on request!! I always request 🙂
DONNA THOMAS says
I would love to have the honey butter recipe, please.
El says
I am planning to make these for Thanksgiving this year, and was wondering if I could make the dough the night before and leave the dough rising for the second time so I can save some prep time the day of. Do you think this will effect the rolls at all/ Have you or anyone else attempted this?
autumn says
I haven’t tried that with these rolls. With the roll recipe I normally use, I often mix, first rise, and shape the rolls, then place them in the dish I plan to bake them in and cover with saran wrap, then put them in the fridge. Then you can pull them out and let them come to room temperature and rise for the second time – that probably takes about 90 min to 2 hours. I don’t see why it wouldn’t work with this recipe, I’ve just never tried it so I can’t say for sure! You might want to give it a test run before Thanksgiving 🙂
Tracy says
Hi Autumn, I have a recipe for outbacks bread also. Yours actually looks a lot better though, I will be trying it thank you so much. I just wanted to make a suggestion to those who are allergic to the cocoa. Since cocoa is used for color, you could replace with instant coffee granules. they do not change the taste. Thanks again.
Lejing says
Could you post your outbacks bread recipe?
Lucy says
Hi,
I’m having trouble making them soft. My dough was super moist. I put it in the warm oven for rising but when I took it out the rise went down. Please advise.
Lois says
What would happen if I used all white flour, and no wheat? Would they turn out ok anyway? I’m sure it would affect the flavor some, but they should still bake up alright, not?
S. Mitchell says
I didn’t have whole wheat flour, so I just used white unbleached. The rolls looked fabulous and tasted delicious. I took soft butter and added some cinnamon, nothing could be better. Thank you for the recipe.
Erin says
Assembling all the ingredients to bake these today. Thanks so much for sharing! They look beautiful & delicious!
Ashley says
is it possible to make this in a loaf instead of rolls? If so, would there be any change to the process or baking time?
Megan says
Process is the same for a loaf, but it needs to bake longer. If you have an instant read thermometer, 190 degrees is a good internal temp. Otherwise, probably 30-40 minutes to be baked through.
Megan says
I mixed the dough in my bread machine. Didn’t change the ingredients except to add 2 tbps. of wheat gluten, which I always do when using whole wheat flour. Put the ingredients in my bread machine per manufacturer instructions (liquids on the bottom, solids on top, salt in with liquids) and then shaped the rolls. Froze half after shaping, baked the other half.
Final result? Amazing! Can’t wait to eat them for dinner tonight w/my homemade broccoli cheddar soup!
Lauren says
Hi, is it possible to use a hand mixer? I don’t have a mixer with the attachments that the recipe called for. Thanks 😉
autumn says
Hi Lauren! If you want to make this without a mixer, you can start with your hand mixer. As you add in the bulk of the flour, however, it will get too thick to use your hand mixer, so you’ll just want to knead it by hand. Check out this video for help: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/videos/bread-101-basic-white-bread-kneading-techniques
good luck!
Stephanie Wallace says
dumb question what are the little seeds or crumbs on top ? is that there on its own or do you sprinkle something on them?
autumn says
Hi Stephanie! I just sprinkled a few oats on top before baking to make them look prettier for my photos. Purely ornamental!
Nikki Snapp says
I am making this recipe right now and am so excited. I found them browsing pinterest. I am a blogger whom is just starting out and was wondering if they turn out well if you would mind me writing a review in my own blog. I am positive they will be delicious. Thanks! ~ Nikki
autumn says
Sure! I’d love a link back – thanks!
wendy says
Found these on pinterest as well. Made them today and they were terrific. Thanks so much for such a delicious recipe. My hubby loved them!
Brooks Martin says
Very nice bread, thanks for the recipe! I made some changes that worked out pretty well: 1. Cut the recipe in half for our small bread machine. 2. Substituted sourdough starter for the water. This left the dough dry, so added water to correct. Since I used a full egg (instead of a 1/2 egg), the dough then became too wet, so I added flour to correct. Dough was wet in the machine, which I prefer for sourdough growth. 3. Used the whole wheat dough machine setting (with 1 teaspoon of yeast, along with the sourdough starter); whole wheat setting gives a longer rise period. Even with this setting, though, it took about 6 hours (instead of the machine’s 3 1/2) to get sufficient rise. Slow rise due to a) lots of sugar in the dough, which suppresses yeast. b) not-too-active starter (I store it in the refrigerator, and don’t count on it for the rise, mostly just for flavor). Next time, I’ll use 2 teaspoons of yeast (which would have been the proper 1/2 recipe amount). 4. I had to increase the bake time (dough cooked in oven while still in the bread machine pan, did not make rolls). Even with extra time, the bottom of the loaf was not fully set; it was cooked, but soft. I just toasted the slices from the bottom of the loaf, and all was well in the eating 🙂
We ate the bread with actual left-over Outback whipped butter, totally delicious.
Thanks again, Autumn!
Donna Thomas says
Do you know where I could find the recipe for the sourdough bread starter. I lost mine a few years ago and have not been able to find out where to start it from. Also would love to have the honey butter recipe as well.
erin says
Did you use dutch-process cocoa or natural?
autumn says
I use natural. I don’t think it would affect the flavor much to use dutch-process instead since you’re not really tasting the cocoa. Dutch-process has a bit of a redder color, though, so they may look slightly different.
Cindy says
do you think if using instant yeast with this recipe is workable too?
Amanda Lewis says
This is a Steakhouse bread recipe that I obtained many years ago from a friend. It makes a very dense and flavorful bread. If you like, brush the rolls or bread with beaten egg, then sprinkle some uncooked oatmeal on top before baking. Enjoy!
BECCA says
I made these yesterday and they turned out beautifully. This was very first attempt at bread of any sort, so I’m pretty excited at how easy they were to make and how well they turned out.
I used my food processor to combine the first ingredients and then switched to the dough hook when I added the whole wheat flour. It took about 2 minutes to completely pull away from the sides. Surprisingly simple and fast!
I also did the second rise overnight in the fridge. I was a little worried, but they came out beautifully.
Thanks for the great recipe!
Michele Allen says
I have attempted to make this recipe twice – to the letter – and I am an avid bread baker – and it just won’t rise for me. Just stays a dense ball of dough. I can’t figure it out. I can make another bread sitting right next to it without issue – for some reason this recipe does not want to cooperate with me. Another dough ball in the trash 🙁
Kittish says
Try giving your yeast a bit of extra sugar. I proofed my yeast with the brown sugar for the recipe. Also, whole wheat dough will need a bit of resting time for the whole wheat flour to hydrate, then need up to twice the rising time that a white flour dough will. The dough should be fairly damp, soft and sticky when you get it mixed. A dry dough won’t rise. Cover the bowl with a damp towel for the first rise.
autumn says
Thanks for these tips!
Dawn says
Had the kind of the same issue. My white bread recipes always turns out, but when I use whole wheat flour, the dough gets too dry and only get a slight rise. The dough was already was getting dry after the first cup of bread flour. Barely got another half cup of bread flour before it got too dry. Rolls tasted pretty good even with the struggles but were slightly heavy, not light like they should be.
AMy says
I usually have trouble getting an getting anything to rise in my kitchen (not sure if temperature or moisture level in house??) I usually correct by placing rising dough in oven at lowest temperature and turning oven off when its preheated (leaving dough in) rises in about half to three-quarters of the time, too.
tHERESA says
I tried these rolls and they are amazing! I did not use any food coloring, and the molasses and cocoa powder give the dough a beautiful brown color. I make bread a lot, and this is the best recipe ever. I just threw the ingredients in my bread machine and put it on the dough setting. At the end of the cycle, I gave it an extra 15 minutes to rise. Thank you for this recipe!
Aimee Graham says
Hi – Can you make these ahead and either refrigerate or freeze and then pull out and cook?
Roberta Wiebe says
To make these gluten free, I guess you could use an all purpose GF flour for the white flour, and what would you use in place of the brown flour? Thank-you
autumn says
Sorry, I’m no help when it comes to gluten free – I have no idea!
Marie says
Try brown rice flour. It has a nice nutty flavor and is similar in color to whole wheat flour.
Janette says
I could eat Outback Steakhouses bread for DAYS! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe! I’m going to make immediately!
Alana says
This is an amazing recipe for me! I only have 1 child but this recipe doesn’t take up a lot of time and I can spend more with her or doing other things and still have homemade bread! Plus it is nice you don’t have to stay home all day just to make bread!
I’ve used it for pizza too and I love it, Husband says its a little crispy so lets it sit a bit to let the steam soften it. 🙂 I wasn’t sure how i would like it pre-baking the crust so I experimented some and it works great to just put the dough on the stone cold, add toppings and bake! Still turned out super with a little thinner crust and also not quite as crispy. Thank you for posting!
Alana says
oops ^^ I comment on the wrong recipe! Making this one for the first time! Can’t wait to try!
Teresa says
Do you know if the whole wheat you used is hard red or hard white?
Thanks,
autumn says
Sorry, I’m not sure. I just buy the bags of whole wheat flour at the store and they don’t say which they are.
Alex lee says
Make sure you just use normal cocoa powder, I accidentally used Hersey’s special dark and my rolls tasted like chocolate cake.
autumn says
Oh darn! How disappointing. Although I do like chocolate cake 🙂 Anyway, thanks for letting us know!
Sherri Davis says
This is good to know. I was going to use the special dark cocoa to give it a darker look. So glad I read your comment first.
Terri Speer says
This made me lol! But it sounds good! ?
Terri Speer says
This made me lol! It sounds goo! ?
Akemi says
So glad I found your blog through Pinterest. I just baked these babies today and boy was it a big treat. My Mom, Dad, and hubby loved it. My mom asked for the recipe, my Dad said it was very good, and the hubs said it was really good too. I even ran across the street in excitement and gave some to our neighbors. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. Looking forward to trying some of your other recipes now. *(^ _ ^)*
autumn says
Fantastic! That’s what we like to hear 🙂 I’m always way too proud of myself when I make bread. It’s not even *that* hard but it feels like a pretty big deal, you know? I’m glad to hear it went over so well!
Kittish says
I made this bread for a dinner party last week. Made two batches, the only change to the recipe was to use bread flour in place of all purpose. I shaped each batch into six small loaves. The bread came out wonderfully, and was a big hit. For my taste it’s just a little too sweet to be quite perfect, so next time I’ll probably cut back on the honey and brown sugar. I may also leave out the cocoa, it seemed to give the bread just a bit of bitter aftertaste.
Sandra B says
I have made these almost daily (or at least every other day) for the last month. We love them. I switched up the amounts of molasses and honey because we love the molasses taste. Tonight I am going to try and make it into loaves to go with some chicken salad I made. After baking, I wrap two rolls each in foil while they are still hot. When we want one or two, 30 seconds in the microwave and they are almost like they just came out of the oven.
autumn says
I’m so glad you love the recipe! I think it would be amazing with chicken salad – good luck!
Kittish says
Made a few small changes that makes this bread the best bread ever (for this household anyway). Cut the brown sugar back to one rounded teaspoon, added into your yeast as it proofs. Cut the cocoa back to one tablespoon, and be sure not to use Special Dark baking cocoa (too bitter). Use unbleached bread flour in place of all purpose (gives a chewier texture and better crumb). Add one or two more tablespoons of water near the end of kneading, your dough should be very soft and kind of wet. Brush your loaves or rolls lightly with water before letting them rise for the second time. Bake at 325 for about 18-21 minutes for small loaves. Bacon grease can be used instead of butter, doesn’t seem to make a noticeable difference in the finished bread. Might try olive oil as the fat next time.
Julia says
Will this recipe still turn out if it is halved?
autumn says
I don’t know why it wouldn’t!
Stephanie p says
why so much yeast? Most recipes call for one packet (2 1/4 tsp) this calls for 4 tsp. I have it rising for the first time right now with the 4 tsp indicated in the recipe. Could that be causing the bitterness everyone is talking about? What happens if i reduce the yeast?
lydia says
Do I sub with as much 2 tbsp of coffee instead of cocoa? That much coffee?
Dolly says
I made these last night for my husband who loves Outback’s bread. They came out awesome. The honey butter makes the difference. Guess what I ate as my lunch today? lol
regena napilot says
thanks for sharing this recipe i love brown bread. i well try it tomorrow.
Sunshine says
I’m wondering why there’s no rye flour in yours? Every recipe I’ve ever seen/tried had rye flour instead of all purpose. Was there a reason you didn’t use rye?
rona says
Has anyone tried these in a bread machine?
angIe G says
Yes, I tried these in my bread machine today! They’re baking in the oven now! I followed a typical bread machine recipe by adding liquid ingredients first, then dry ingredients (flour & cocoa last), and yeast on top and set it on the dough cycle. It was so convenient! I can’t wait to devour them! 😛
cindy curel says
This is the easiest bread recipe I’ve ever come across and it is better than store-bought…Thank you so much for posting your recipe. I mixed the dough in my bread machine.I put same ingredients. I followed all instructions. Froze half after shaping, baked the other half.
Finaly we saw great results. It was so delicious. But now I have some trouble because My husband loves it and he said he would never buy bread from store again 🙂
L says
I made these last night and they were good! I only put 1 packet of yeast ( 2 1/4 tsp) instead of 4 teaspoons of yeast. Thanks for this recipe!
Karin says
I made these and you hit it on the nose. Perfect. Just like down town. Thanks so much, I can eat these instead of my dinner.
Kaitlyn says
Was wondering if anyone has made these with only AP white flour and not the wheat flour. If so was there any changes you had to make else where?
Karen says
I found there are many recipes for this steakhouse bread and I already bought the Molasses. Now I have all ingredients u listed out, time to make! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Charles Brown says
I always find bread recipe online, I like to cook for my family, and I also like to bake, thanks for your tips
Julie says
Can you replace wheat flour with spelt flour?
Jules says
Made these yesterday. Used my bread machine to make the dough then shaped into rolls and let rise an hour. My fam thought they were great-would only bake them maybe a few minutes less per our taste buds like a “softer roll.” And they do taste just like outbacks- we used Reg butter also- just fine. Thanks for the recipe!
Jennifer says
Hi!! These rolls look amazing!!!cant wait to try them!!you did a wonderful job on making them~jennifer
Nancy says
My dough was a little heavy, didn’t seem to want to rise that much. Would using less wheat flour and adding more all purpose flour lighten it up a bit?? Like maybe a half cup less of the wheat maybe??
jacque says
I can’t seem to get a good rise out of these and I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong. I know its not my yeast because I used it yesterday for another recipe and that came out fine. Could the fact that I’m halving the recipe have any effect on the outcome? I’ve tried this recipe twice now and it still have good flavor but it doesn’t rise correctly and get fluffy like it should. Any ideas?
Kristen says
I’ve been wanting to try this recipe for awhile and finally remembered to purchase molasses.
My first attempt was a flop — I followed recipe as written, and the taste was exactly as expected, but the rolls did not rise properly and thus the texture/consistency wasn’t right.
I tried it again the next day, and this time had success. It’s not scientific, but the things I changed were 1) Mixed the dough in my bread machine instead of my stand mixer, which adds that tiny bit of heat during the rise process, 2) I used real, unsalted butter instead of margarine, 3) I used bread flour instead of all-purpose flour, 4) I let the formed rolls rise in a slightly preheated oven instead of on the counter covered with a cloth.
Once I got the texture and rise correct, these were fantastic! They have a great taste, they are wonderful with butter, and a big hit at my house!
autumn says
Thanks for your comments, Kristen! It does seem to be a touchy recipe and I’ve been trying to figure out why it works well for some people but doesn’t for others. This info will be very helpful!
Dawne..aka TechQn says
I had a tough time on another recipe like this one where they didn’t rise. I almost failed the first time on these but they rose…what I did was made sure my yeast was room temp..then put in the very warm water…let sit for 5 mins then added the honey and brown sugar and let it sit for remaining 5_7mins….this gives the yeast the sugar it needs to start activating….then added the remaining wet ingredients….in separate bowl I did the flour, salt and cocoa…once I had all my wet nicely mixed, including softened butter nicely melted, I then added my dry to wet and kept mixing. Once dough was ready I put it in a slightly warmed oven for 90 minutes…
The trick is the yeast…not the flour. Although I assume you can use bread flour, I stuck with the all purpose unbleached and it worked fine. It rises slowly, but it rose nonetheless.
Heather @ What Does She Do All Day? says
I made these today and enjoyed them with dinner tonight. They were so good! Very comparable to what you get at the restaurant! Thanks for sharing.
Dawne..aka TechQn says
I made these yesterday EXACTLY as your recipe said and I am so amazed at how good they not only looked but the AMAZING taste!! You hit the nail on the head with this one!! I had people screaming at me to send them the recipe when I posted my goodies on Facebook! Bravo!!! And thank you!!
I’ve tried others but this is bar none the best recipe for making those to die for sweet rolls we all love from Outback!!!!
Stephanie L. Smith says
These went so far beyond my expectations! Thank you for writing an accurate recipe that tastes amazing! It is soooo disappointing to make recipes off of blogs and end up dumping everything in the trash because of mistakes in the recipe.
These were AMAZING and will be a regular roll on my dinner menu. My hubby and guests were so impressed!
Natalie says
I’ve tried to make this recipe twice and have had trouble getting it to rise both times. I’m not sure if I’m over working or under working the dough or adding too much flour. Could you please answer the following;
1. Should I be able to get a gluten window in this dough when it’s ready?
2. What speed do you have your mixer on when mixing for 7-10 mins? Mine has a kneading/folding speed which is quite slow.
3. How sticky should this dough be? I ended up adding about another 1.5 – 2 cups of flour to get it to come away from the sides of the bowl and whilst kneading by hand so that it didn’t stick to everything. A lot of this was white flour as I was worried that much whole wheat flour wouldn’t give enough gluten to rise.
Myrtle says
Thank you for this recipe, am sure to try it real soon.
Noelle says
Thank you very much for sharing your recipe. I followed it exactly. These rolls are fabulous. My family loved them. Thank you again. Noelle
Clara says
Would it affect the dough to substitute the whole wheat flour for more all-purpose flour? Or is it optional?
renita jackson says
This is a great blog. I love eating and making bread myself. I have been looking for different bread recipes like this one. Thanks for sharing . I’m so excited to try this. Certainly it will be great. I love using my bread machine. After try this one , I will try your other bread recipes for my bread machine. I am looking forward to your other recipes:)
Whitney says
I’m so excited to have stumbled across this recipe! My husband is a huge bread lover. I can’t wait to surprise him with this! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
Amanda says
For the wheat flour, are you using regular or bread flour?
Joann Grossman says
I love this recipe….can not stop eating them. And the dough is so easy to work with.
Aimee @ Whispers of Worth says
These are so soft and moist and rich tasting! My husband especially enjoyed them. My kids were split; they were unfamiliar with these flavors in a bread. The girls loved them; the boys not so much. Thank you for the recipe!
Amber Thompson says
I have made these delicious rolls the last 2 years for Thanksgiving and Christmas. My family loves them. I wanted to know if I could post your recipe on my sister’s and mine blog. I don’t put in the coloring but wanted to use your recipe with a link up to your blog for the original recipe. Let me know if that’s okay. Thanks!
Amber Thompson says
Sorry, I am not at my desktop so please disregard the coloring thing. I use the cocoa for the coloring just like it says on your recipe. Again, so sorry for the confusion!
Carly says
These look delicious!! Can’t wait to make them, what should I do if I want to make the dough today and cook them tomorrow??
Harold W frush says
What do I do differently to make this into a loaf of bread instead of dinner rolls?
VENDA says
I haven’t eaten at Outback in years so I don’t know how the two breads compare, but I do know that this is a delicious bread and on that I will be making often.
MermaidMama702 says
Were these dusted with corn meal? It looks like they are.
MermaidMama702 says
Nevermind that. I didn’t see it til I continued on. I need my glasses. ROFL
Kim says
I made these tonight and they were a hit. Although… I don’t think my yeast was the best as I had trouble getting them to rise. Finally turned the oven on and then off, put them in the oven and they rose better with the second rise. I will certainly keep this recipe and make it again. Thank you for sharing.
Amy says
What a fun change. Thank you for your hard work and sharing the recipe.
Andrea says
Hello, can’t wait to try , was wondering if can be made in glass loaf pans and if anyone has done this what is the baking time
stevenwinkelman says
Sweet bread is my favorite dish
Mareen Cope says
I wonder if this would make good bread pudding? I think the flavor might be very surprising!
Jolene says
I bake bread frequently, and my bread is good!!!! But, this sure did not resemble rolls, more like hockey pucks!! I definitely did something very wrong!!!
Maunia says
Is it possible to make these without the cocoa? I really want to try them but can’t have cocoa!
Connie says
I never have luck making bread. These were very heavy. My husband made the comment “do these have chocolate in them”. Don’t think I’ll be making these again
Brandy says
Molasses bread is supposed to be a heavier bread….. at least any I’ve consumed has been. I could be wrong.
Danielle says
I just made these and they are absolutely delicious and so simple to put together! Do you think they can be frozen? I’m thinking I may want to make them for Thanksgiving this year and with 35 guests I would have to bake in batches! Thanks again for sharing the recipe!
Jacquie says
This bread looks great, can’t wait to try it! Thanks for posting it 🙂
Alma simmnons says
Amazing. This outback rolls recipe is amazing. Thanks for sharing.
Kenna says
I tasted the dough and it tastes amazing, but I’m doing my first rise and it hasn’t grown ): It’s been an hour and a half. I must have killed the yeast somehow – I temped the water to make sure that didn’t happen. Who knows. Super bummed!
Maegan says
Dude, you have no idea how many questions of yester year this answers. That is a serious carb load in a little roll that accompanies shrimp on a skewer. I had no idea that there was molasses, cocoa, and dreaded honey in those little suckers. I no longer do much gluten, but I now feel enlightened.
Brandy says
I can’t bake! Outside burnt, inside raw. That’s what I’m known for. This is the first baking recipe that I made to perfection! WOW! I didn’t know it was possible. Finally my time, energy and $ weren’t wasted. Thank you!
Angela says
I’m eating one right now. So amazing!!! I used our bread machine to mix and rise the dough (as I was preppeong dinner and getting ready for work) They are going to gobble these up tonight with dinner! We will reheat and serve. Def making these again
KT says
QUESTION: Could you possibly re-post the pdf with the first “Add” corrected from the “And” typo? You made me smile from ear-to-ear with this recipe! Thanks bunches!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jen T says
The recipe that I’ve been using was for rolls and it looks like you just switched to loaves. Did any of the recipe particulars change when you switched to loaves? I’ve made the rolls 3 time and we LOVE them! I don’t have the recipe committed to memory and I don’t want to alter what I’ve been doing. 🙂
Thank you!
autumn says
I did make a few changes small changes to the recipe to help them rise a bit better. Basically just used bread flour instead of all purpose and decreased the total flour a bit, plus I decreased the cocoa from 2 tablespoons to 1. Glad to hear it’s been working well for you!
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Jenn Starns says
Hi Autumn. Thank you so MUCH for this recipe. I must confess the warm molasses bread is the reason I go to the steakhouses in the first place. I’ve been trying to find a recipe to make at home that has that same great look and flavor! It’s been several attempts with sad results, until YOUR post of course. It was so soft, sweet, and flavorful!! I have a blog where I try new recipes, and so I am going to post my success and to link back to you, if that is okay. Since I was trying to make it more like the Blank Angus bread from our area, I did an egg wash at the end (before baking) and added some quick oats to the top to get that same look they have.
Heidi says
Your recipe sounds great! Now that the weather has turned cooler, I have been making a lot of bread. About 18 years ago I came across a similar recipe which had a little coffee in it as well. I don’t have the recipe anymore, so I’ll give yours a try. I would like to mention that Dutch Process cocoa is cocoa which has had the acidity removed so that it is alkaline instead of acidic. I use it every day in my homemade hot cocoa because of its non-acidic, smooth flavor. But if you say it will keep the bread from rising well, I’ll take your word for it :).
Robert Lamp says
Hello Autumn,
Thank you very much for your article. Your recipe is very good. It seems, that my grandmother made something like that, when i was a child. Really want to try it. I will ask my wife to make it for me,
Lisa says
Can this recipe be done in a Breadmaker?
Mnga says
Which flour should we use whole wheat or bread flour?? Or both?
Sally says
Can this recipe be made into loaves….If so how many loaves could it make….
Monica S says
Thanks so much for the recipe. I made two batches of rolls for a soup luncheon and decorated with oats just as you had done. I’m sorry to say that there were no leftovers for me.
Sarah says
Thank you so much for posting this!
I do not have honey often but keep a gallon of molasses around, and was thinking molasses would naturally darken the bread more than honey, so I doubled your recipe and did this:
Weighed out 335 grams of unsulphured molasses into my ankarsrum mixer bowl. My molasses is not blackstrap, just says unsulphured. Then added 2 cups of water that I had microwaved for 1.5 minutes. The temp was at 100f then, so I added 2.25 tsp of instant yeast to the mix, then 525 grams of wheat flour, (I weighed that much of hard winter red wheat and blended into flour right before adding to water/molasses mix). Then I added two eggs, 1/4 cup room temp unsalted butter, 2 tsp kosher salt (should of I doubled? Not sure what salt you used), 2 tbsp natural unsweetened cocoa and 2 tsp of espresso powder. Mine was in a clump, so I measured out 4 grams of an espresso powder nugget. Hope it blended okay. then I started adding Tony’s California Artisan bread flour, 1 cup at a time until I hit 4 cups. I scooped flour into a 1 cup measure and then leveled the top, did not weight this flour as it was the variable. I let this knead on the last one square hollow on the ankarsrum for 12 minutes, 3rd from highest speed. It was pretty sticky when done, so I threw in another 1/4 cup of the bread flour, and kneaded until the dough came off the sides and stuck to itself rather then the sides of the bowl, which did not take long. It is still sticky, and does not seem over floured, so I left it as is. I think with egg and that much molasses, it will always be sticky and if was not, might have too much flour at that point.
I am sorry I changed your recipe so much, but I do not have much honey and have plenty of molasses. Also, I saw some Outback bread recipes added the espresso along with the cocoa powder, probably for more darkness. I have a beautiful shade of brown going on in my dough right now. It is on the first proof, I will let you know how long I baked and how it came out and send a pic to show color, if it comes out well. I prefer weighing over measuring when possible, and especially like that I did not have to get sticky molasses out of a measuring cup. 🙂
Also, what kind of salt do you use? I use diamond kosher and know that I need more to add more if the recipe calls for fine sea salt or table salt.
Thanks again for posting, I sure love Outback’s bread!
Kathy says
This was amazing!! Made a few changes to make it vegan: a flax egg instead of regular egg and coconut oil instead of butter. It made a LOT more of the small loaves but they were delicious! I haven’t been to Outback in many years, but my sister-in-law said they DO taste just like their bread.
Jodie Morgan says
These look amazing! I worked at outback for a while in my younger days and always loved the bread!
Erik Himmel says
This was astounding!! Made a couple of changes to make it vegetarian: a flax egg rather than a normal egg and coconut oil rather than margarine. It made a LOT a greater amount of the little portions however they were delectable! I haven’t been to Outback in numerous years, yet my sister-in-law said they DO taste simply like their bread.
El says
I love this and bake them for Thanksgiving every year I host. Taking the time is key, so let them proof, and you’ll have delicious rolls!
Melissa says
My entire family loves bread and this is one of my favorites. I was wondering can I shape it into rolls and refrigerate overnight? Can the shaped dough be frozen for later use? If so how long does it stay good? I’m a very novice baker. This is the first time I’ve tried it and only then because of the wonderful amount of detail that you shared.
Teresa says
I was wondering I don’t have a stand mixer or bread book on my hand mixer could I just use a wooden spoon to mix it or I remember my grandmother just using her hands when she made bread 🍞 your recipe sounds great 👍
TeresaP says
I was wondering I don’t have a stand mixer or bread book on my hand mixer could I just use a wooden spoon to mix it or I remember my grandmother just using her hands when she made bread 🍞 your recipe sounds great 👍
Teresa says
I was wondering I don’t have a stand mixer or bread hook on my hand mixer could I just use a wooden spoon to mix it or I remember my grandmother just using her hands when she made bread 🍞 your recipe sounds great 👍