Whole wheat flour, molasses, cocoa powder, and espresso powder give this Copycat Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread its classic brown color and unique flavor. A little sweet, a little savory, and so good served warm with butter!
I swear the best thing at The Cheesecake Factory is their delicious, warm brown bread served with butter. Now you can make this Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread right at home! These loaves are a brown bread that is a little sweet and topped with oats. It is the best part of the meal and easy to make at home with just a few ingredients.
Why You’ll Love This Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread Recipe
What makes this bread recipe so good? Here are a few things!
- Incredible flavor. Arguably the best part of Cheesecake Factory brown bread is the unique flavor. It’s a little sweet and a little savory, thanks to ingredients like molasses, cocoa powder, and espresso powder.
- Soft texture. The texture of this bread is soft and fluffy on the inside with a nice crust on the outside. Not to mention the crunchy oats on top.
- Pairs with everything. This bread goes with everything, whether it’s soup or pasta to soak up every last drop of sauce or just as a side to a nice main course. It is the first thing you eat at the Cheesecake Factory and their menu is extensive so don’t be shy when it comes to serving this bread!
For more copycat bread recipes from your favorite restaurants, be sure to check out my Outback Steakhouse Bread and Olive Garden Breadsticks.
What You’ll Need
This brown bread recipe is made with yeast, instant coffee powder, unsweetened cocoa powder, and a few other staples. Scroll down to the recipe card below for measurements.
- Whole milk
- Brown sugar – Using brown sugar over white sugar helps amplify the molasses flavor.
- Active dry yeast – Check the date as yeast does expire.
- Molasses – Adds the classic warm flavor throughout the bread.
- Honey – Sweetens the bread.
- Salted butter – Softened. If you use unsalted butter, you’ll likely want to add a small amount of salt.
- Flour – You’ll need both whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour.
- Instant coffee powder – You can skip the espresso powder or use a decaf coffee powder instead.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder – Dutch processed cocoa is darker and will provide a deeper flavor and color but any unsweetened cocoa will work.
- Oats – For the top of the bread.
How To Make Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread
Here’s an overview of how to make this copycat recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card below for the printable version of the instructions.
- Prep the yeast. Warm the milk in the microwave until just warm to the touch. Combine it with the brown sugar and yeast in a large bowl. Stir until combined and the yeast has bloomed.
- Form the dough. Add the molasses, honey, butter, wheat flour, 2 cups of all-purpose flour, instant coffee powder, and cocoa powder. Use a wooden spoon to mix until combined.
- Let rise. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl. Cover and set aside to rise for an hour.
- Form the loaves. Knead the dough for 3-5 minutes on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Separate into 3 balls, roll each one into an 8-inch loaf, and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle the tops with oats.
- Let rise again. Allow the loaves to rise for 30-40 minutes.
- Bake. Bake the loaves at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Let cool slightly then serve warm.
Tips for Success
Here are a few key things to keep in mind when making this Cheesecake Factory brown bread recipe.
- Make sure the yeast blooms. If the yeast does not bloom in the first step, toss it out and try again. Yeast does expire so always make sure it’s still within the date.
- Rise in a warm place. The dough needs to sit somewhere warm to rise. The kitchen counter is usually a good spot but if your kitchen is cold, you can heat your oven to the lowest temperature then turn it off, crack the oven, and place the bowl in there.
- Knead until smooth. This bread recipe is easy enough to knead by hand. It should take about 3-5 minutes of kneading for the dough to come together in a smooth ball.
- Form other shapes. This recipe makes three 8 inch loaves of bread but you can easily make two larger loaves or even divide the dough into 6-8 rolls. You’ll just need to adjust the cooking time a bit.
Serving Suggestions
I highly recommend enjoying your brown bread warm with some butter. Regular butter or whipped butter is great but I also like to use cinnamon honey butter for extra flavor.
Enjoy this bread as a starter or side dish for any dinner. They do serve it at the Cheesecake Factory where the menu offers a little bit of everything, after all! A few of my favorite dinners include honey BBQ riblets, pan seared steak, grilled lobster tail, and eggplant parmesan.
Proper Storage
- Counter. Store Cheesecake Factory brown bread in an airtight container for up to 3 days on the counter.
- Freezer. This bread can also be frozen. Once it has cooled completely, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter.
More Bread Recipes To Try
Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups whole milk
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 pack 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 instant coffee powder
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ cup oats for the top
Instructions
- Warm your milk in the microwave until it is just warm to the touch.
- To a large mixing bowl add the warm milk, brown sugar, and yeast.
- Stir until everything is combined and the yeast has bloomed.
- To that mixture add the molasses, honey, butter, wheat flour, 2 cups of all-purpose flour, the instant coffee powder and cocoa powder.
- Using a wooden spoon mix everything together until combined.
- Place the dough into an oiled bowl and cover.
- Set aside to rise for 1 hour.
- Once the dough has doubled in size knead it for about 3-5 minutes on a lightly floured surface until smooth.
- Separate into 3 even balls.
- Roll each ball into about an 8 inch long loaf and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Sprinkle the tops with the oats.
- Set aside to rise for about 30-40 minutes.
- Once the loaves have risen slightly place a 375 degree preheated oven.
- Bake for about 20-25 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.
- Serve warm with whipped butter.
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2 comments on “Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread”
I love this bread. It does call for the whole wheat flour which I don’t use often so I am keeping it in the freezer for next time. I love the flavor and the loaves freeze well. I pop them in the oven and they are just as good as the day I made it
That’s great. Thank you Pat!