Copycat Outback Bread Recipe (2024)

In today’s post: Love the soft brown bread at The Outback Steakhouse? Now you can make it at home with my Outback bread copycat recipe. Step by step instructions make it easy to bake this tender sweet molasses brown bread.

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 perfect!

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Why You’ll Love This Bread

Outback Steakhouse bread is soft, tender, with hints of honey and molasses and a gorgeous brown color. Usually bread made with whole wheat flour isn’t quite as soft as bread made with all white flour, but this recipe uses half whole wheat flour and it’s amazing! It’s better than your standard honey wheat bread because the molasses gives it an extra depth of flavor. I could honestly skip the meal and just eat this bread.

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Make sure you whip up some butter to serve with!

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A Note About Color

This bread gets some color from the molasses and unsweetened cocoa powder 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 localgrocery 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.

Loaves or Rolls?

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.

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How to Make Outback Bread

You’ll find a printable recipe card at the end of the post, but baking bread can be intimidating, so I’m including step by step instructions and photos for you here.

Proof the Yeast

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:

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Add The Other Ingredients

Then you can start adding the other ingredients to the water mixture. 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 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:

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Knead the Dough

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.

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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. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel to keep the dough from drying out. 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 then let the dough rise in the warm oven. If you let it rise in the oven, cover it with a damp towel instead of plastic wrap.

Rise time will be 60-90 minutes depending on how warm it is. You want the dough to double in size.

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Shaping the Dough

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 (no loaf pans needed). Spray gently with water and sprinkle with cornmeal if desired. 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:

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Bake the Outback Bread

Bake the bread in a preheated 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes until a loaf sounds hollow when you tap on the bottom. Allow loaves to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

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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.

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Here’s what the whole process looks like if you’re making rolls:

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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 little bit of baking cocoa (also known as unsweetened cocoa powder) 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 is 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.

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Let’s Make

Outback Sweet Molasses Bread Recipe

4.84 from 24 votes

Serves: 16 rolls

Prep Time: 2 hours hrs 50 minutes mins

Cook Time: 30 minutes mins

Total Time: 3 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Rate Recipe Print Recipe

Love the soft brown bread at The Outback Steakhouse? Now you can make it at home with my Outback 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 not Dutch process; Hershey's brand works great
  • 1 teaspoon Salt

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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 9×13 pan and rise again until doubled (45-60 minutes).

  • Bake at 350 for 27-30 minutes for loaves or about 20 minutes for rolls.

Course: Side Dish

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

Sweet Jiffy cornbread recipe

Copycat Outback Bread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What kind of bread does Outback use? ›

Everyone loves when the warm honey wheat bread comes to the table when dining out at Outback Steakhouse. It's soft, sweet, and perfect with whipped butter. It's the best way to start any steak and potato meal. Or serve it alongside a salad or soup.

Why is the bread at Outback Brown? ›

What kind of bread does Outback serve? They serve a dark honey wheat bread that is made sweet by the addition of honey and molasses. The iconic dark color of the loaf comes from 3 ingredients: cocoa powder, molasses, and caramel or brown food coloring.

Where can I buy the bread from Outback? ›

According to the former employee on Reddit, you can actually buy the brown bread at Outback, albeit under certain conditions. As the employee states, all you need to do is go into an Outback and ask for a bag of its brown bread. Then, if the restaurant has enough to spare, it may sell it to you.

Is Outback brown bread healthy? ›

The brown bread at Outback Steakhouse may seem good because it's dark, but it's still not freshly milled like you get when you use the Wondermill. Just because it's brown it doesn't mean that it's healthy or whole grain. This bread so dark mostly because of similar ingredients that are found in my healthier version.

Is Outback bread pumpernickel? ›

Even though it is the dark brown color of pumpernickel bread, it is definitely not that. Pumpernickel is a sourdough bread made with rye flour and this bread is made with yeast and wheat flour. The rich brown color of this bread comes from cocoa and molasses in the dough.

What is hillbilly bread? ›

Description. A soft bread for those who like the smooth texture of a white bread and the health benefits of multigrain, Hillbilly Bread is the best of both worlds. This multigrain bread has 1.5 grams of whole grains in two slices! Make healthier sandwiches that your kids will love to eat, and you'll love to serve.

Why does brown bread taste better than white bread? ›

White bread and brown bread taste different primarily because they are made from different types of flour. White bread is made from refined flour, which has had the bran and germ removed, while brown bread is made from whole wheat flour, which includes the bran and germ.

Is pumpernickel bread good for you? ›

Hence, the dark crust of pumpernickel bread is a rich source of a variety of vitamins and antioxidant. In general, Pumpernickel bread is an enriched source of nutrients while having a coarse texture and slighter sweet taste profile making it a highly recommended addition to your diet.

Why is brown bread so expensive? ›

This is because white bread is made with refined flour, which is cheaper to manufacture. After all, the bran and germ layers have been removed. Brown bread, on the other hand, is made with whole wheat flour, which is slightly more expensive because it requires more wheat to be milled.

What is Outback bread made of? ›

Mix dry ingredients: all-purpose and whole wheat flour, salt, cocoa powder and yeast. Add wet ingredients: lukewarm water, oil, vegan honey or maple syrup and molasses. Mix until dough is formed. After dough is formed, knead for 8 to 10 minutes if using a stand mixer, 12 to 15 minutes if doing by hand.

How do you get a free Bloomin Onion at Outback? ›

Visit dine-rewards.com for full program details. SIGN UP NOW FOR A FREE BLOOMIN' ONION®, MATE! In signing up I acknowledge that I am 18 years of age or older, want to receive email offers from Outback and agree to the terms and conditions of the Dine Rewards program.

Who owns Outback Steakhouse? ›

Bloomin' Brands, Inc. is based in Tampa, FL, founded in 1988 by those who love hospitality, sharing, quality, being courageous and having fun. We're a company of restaurants that owns and operates Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba's Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill and Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar .

Is there sugar in Outback bread? ›

Made from whole wheat flour, which retains the bran and germ, containing essential nutrients and dietary fiber. Contains honey, which adds natural sweetness without the need for refined sugars.

What are the disadvantages of eating brown bread everyday? ›

FODMAPs, including the fructans in whole wheat bread, are naturally fermented inside our bodies and provide our gut bacteria with energy to work. However, as this bacteria uses these fermented FODMAPs, it produces hydrogen, which is known to create excess stomach pain, bloating, gas, and other gastrointestinal issues.

What oil does Outback Steakhouse use? ›

Outback steakhouse uses beef tallow so we had to try it.

What type of bread is Pullman loaf? ›

The Pullman loaf, sometimes called the "sandwich loaf" or "pan bread", is a rectangular loaf of white bread baked in a long, narrow, lidded pan. The French term for this style of loaf is pain de mie, or, less commonly, pain anglais.

What is pumpernickel bread vs rye bread? ›

Pumpernickel is a type of rye bread known for its dark brown color and sour and sweet flavors, which are generally stronger than in other types of rye. Since it is a rye bread, pumpernickel is considered to be a healthy choice, although it differs slightly in health benefits compared to other types of ryes.

What is pumpernickel bread called? ›

Pumpernickel (English: /ˈpʌmpərnɪkəl/; German: [ˈpʊmpɐˌnɪkl̩]) is a typically dense, slightly sweet rye bread traditionally made with sourdough starter and coarsely ground rye. It is sometimes made with a combination of rye flour and whole rye grains ("rye berries"). Pumpernickel.

Is Outback bread good? ›

Whenever I take the family to Outback Steakhouse, we tend to fill up on that delicious brown bread they give you while you wait for your meal. For as long as I can remember, my kids have loved it. I'm sure they could go through a loaf by themselves!

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