Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread - My most popular recipe | Kitchen Trials (2024)

Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread - My most popular recipe | Kitchen Trials (1)
If you’ve ever eaten there, you know; the Cheesecake Factory brown bread is everyone’s favourite. Delivered to the tables warm with little packets of butter, the five of us always fight over who gets the last slice while we wait for more to come. For years I just knew that I liked it, and didn’t even bother thinking about why. It wasn’t until I started trying to make it at home that I realized I liked it because of all the layers of flavour. And it just tastes damn amazing!

Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread - My most popular recipe | Kitchen Trials (2)
Molasses, honey, cocoa, espresso, whole wheat. The ingredient list made me scratch my head a few times while working on this one, but in the end, once I got it right, everything somehow made perfect sense. You’re going to have to trust me.

Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread, aka Chocolate Bread.
Or how to get kids to try it the first time.

Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread - My most popular recipe | Kitchen Trials (3)

I’ve been making this Cheesecake Factory brown bread almost monthly for 2 years now. You can see my first post about it here. The kids call it chocolate bread, but I just call it my favourite. I could eat all 6 loafs by myself. I don’t let myself, but I totally could.

I’ve learned a few things making this so many times. Like, even though all that research in the beginning told me they added a caramel colouring to their dough, that’s a step we don’t need to take. It looks great without it. You also don’t NEED to add the cornmeal to the bottom, or the oats to the top. Those just make it look so much nicer though, so I keep doing it. I’ll leave that step up to you.

Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread - My most popular recipe | Kitchen Trials (4)
I’m sure you could also make two big loaves, instead of the six smaller ones, but I like the little ones. I like to pretend that eating 10 little slices is WAY better for you then 3 or four big ones. I also like to pretend I’m Pink in the shower. We do what we have to to get by.

I’m not going to lie to you. My Cheesecake Factory brown bread isn’t the quickest, or the easiest bread to make. If you’re nervous about making bread (I only say this because I was), I’ve got a three step process for you to build up your confidence. Before I started making my own bread regularly I was terrified about screwing it up. I promise it’s not nearly as difficult as you may worry it is.

Step 1 – Crusty, Rustic, No Knead Bread


Start off with this one, my crusty, rustic, no-knead bread. It’s a super easy no-knead bread that you mix together with a wooden spoon in a big bowl. No mixer and no fancy shaping either. It’s what everyone calls “Artisan” bread.

Step 2 – Sweet Dinner Rolls


After that, give my dinner rolls a shot. This gets you using the mixer, and learning how to shape rolls. This dough is super easy to work with, and once you make these, you’ll feel like a bread making god. At least I did.

Step 3 – Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread

Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread - My most popular recipe | Kitchen Trials (7)Time to make my Cheesecake Factory brown bread. Don’t think that you can’t make this if you’ve never made any other bread. You totally can! Just don’t treat the dough too preciously. It’s just dough. It’s just bread. You’ve got this.

Trust your gut when you’re making it, even if you haven’t made bread before. If you think that the dough is too sticky to handle, add a little more flour to the mixer. If you think it’s way too dry, just add a little bit of water (like a teaspoon at a time). You’ll find lots of extra information at the bottom of my recipe to help you out here.

Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread - My most popular recipe | Kitchen Trials (8)
And most importantly – don’t forget the butter for it when it’s warm out of the oven! We usually have a couple of extra loaves left over. When they’re completely cool, wrap them up in plastic wrap, or put them in a zip-lock bag, and enjoy them the next night!

Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread - My most popular recipe | Kitchen Trials (9)

Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread

Yield: 6 mini loaves

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Additional Time: 3 hours 30 minutes

Total Time: 4 hours 30 minutes

Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread just like at the restaurant. This is my favourite bread recipe, and it's been the most popular recipe on Kitchen Trials since 2015!

Ingredients

  • 1½ cups warm water (105ºF)
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 2¼ tsp instant dry yeast (1 package)
  • 2 cups bread flour
  • 1¾ cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 2 tsp espresso powder (or coffee)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp butter, softened
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 2 tbsp molasses
  • ¼ cup cornmeal, for dusting the bottom of the shaped (not baked) loafs (optional)
  • oats, for dusting the top of the shaped (not baked) loafs (optional)

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, mix together the warm water, sugar, and yeast. Set aside for 5 minutes to proof (it will become foamy on top).
  2. Using the paddle attachment in your stand mixer, whisk together the bread flour, whole wheat flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and salt. Add the yeast mixture, butter, honey, and molasses. Mix on medium-low speed until combined. The dough will be fairly thick and a little tacky.
  3. Swap out to the dough hook, and knead on medium speed for 8 to 10 minutes. This dough is thicker than your standard white bread, so it will be a little tacky, but will not pull or stick to the bottom of the bowl while kneading. If it feels too sticky, like it would stick to your fingers when trying to shape, add a bit more flour (see notes for more info).
  4. Place the dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise is a warm spot for two hours, until doubled in size.
  5. Divide the dough into 6 equal sized pieces, and shape into mini-baguette style logs, roughly 6" long and 2" wide. See below notes for directions on this.
  6. Place the cornmeal on a plate (if using), and set the loafs in it to lightly coat the bottom. Place the loafs on a lined baking sheet, with lots of space between them. Lightly wet the top of the loafs with your hand and some water, then sprinkle on a light dusting of oats. Spray the tops of the loafs with Pam (to keep the wrap from sticking), then cover VERY loosely with plastic wrap. Set in a warm place and let rise for another 60 to 90 minutes, until nearly doubled in size again.
  7. Bake in a 350ºF oven for 25 to 35 minutes. The crust will be soft and squishy to the tough. Bread is cooked when the internal temperature is 190ºF, so feel free to use an instant read thermometer to check if you're not sure.
  8. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing. If baking ahead of time, store tightly wrapped in plastic wrap once completely cooled, for up to 2 days, though it's best eaten the day baked. Gently warm in the oven before serving.

Notes

With the flour - Some days I find that I need to use more flour (probably depending on the weather, or how packed my cups are). the key is to have the dough feel tacky, but NOT sticky - none of it should stick to your fingers when you give it a squeeze.

For shaping mini-baguettes:

Use your fingertips to pat the dough into a rectangle, about 4" across. Fold the top 1/3 down, like a letter, and press the seam into the dough with your fingertips. You'll see that you're creating some friction at the top, this is good!

Fold the bottom up over the top, tightly, and press to seal again.

Here's a great video that shows this. Skip to the 1:15 mark for the shaping to start. Note that she's making true mini baguettes, that are more than double the size of these, so she needs to do a lot more folds. These loafs are just fine with only two.

Without a stand mixer:

Whisk together the bread flour, whole wheat flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and salt. Make a well in the center and add the yeast mixture, butter, honey, and molasses. Knead for about 10 minutes until combined. The dough will be fairly thick and a little tacky, but pieces shouldn't stick to your hands.

Continue with the recipe at step 4.

Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread - My most popular recipe | Kitchen Trials (2024)

FAQs

What is the brown bread they serve at Cheesecake Factory? ›

Never mind that the actual restaurant name for these skinny little loaves is whole wheat baguette –– because the universally understood moniker is simply brown bread. It's also known as chocolate bread, a nod to the rich brown color but also to one of the four key ingredients for making your own version at home.

Why is Cheesecake Factory brown bread so good? ›

Along with your standard bread ingredients, this recipe also calls for a few tasty extras. Brown bread gets its color from cocoa powder, which also lends a subtle, chocolatey taste to the recipe. Color and flavor are amplified even further by the inclusion of molasses, while honey adds a touch of sweetness.

Is the brown bread at Cheesecake Factory healthy? ›

This serving contains 2 g of fat, 6 g of protein and 38 g of carbohydrate. The latter is 8 g sugar and 3 g of dietary fiber, the rest is complex carbohydrate. Brown bread by THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY contains 0.5 g of saturated fat and 0 mg of cholesterol per serving.

Can you ask for only brown bread at Cheesecake Factory? ›

While servers will typically offer free brown bread at the beginning of a meal, you don't have to limit your enjoyment to the bread basket. If you order the chain's club sandwich, ask for your white toast to be swapped out with the infamous brown bread.

What is brown bread made of? ›

Brown bread is bread made with significant amounts of whole grain flours, usually wheat sometimes with corn and or rye flours. Brown breads often get their characteristic dark color from ingredients such as molasses or coffee.

What is the difference between rye and pumpernickel? ›

Pumpernickel typically utilizes whole grain rye flour and berries, meaning that it contains all three grain layers: bran, germ, and endosperm. Rye bread is often made with refined flour containing only the endosperm of the grain, while the bran and germ are stripped away.

Why does brown bread taste different? ›

Because the bran, wheat germ and other ingredients in good brown bread are more flavourful than the plain flour in white bread. White bread is only made of the endosperm of the wheat plant so there's less flavor because it doesn't have all three parts, the bran the germ and the endosperm.

Why do people prefer brown bread? ›

Brown bread is a healthy everyday meal option that everyone can enjoy. It contains fibre, iron, magnesium, zinc, and other nutrients that help you stay healthy. It is an excellent alternative to white bread because it contains more nutrients than white flour products such as crackers.

Can dogs eat Cheesecake Factory brown bread? ›

Dogs can eat wholemeal bread (or brown bread) but it's important to make sure there's no seeds, nuts or fruits in it. No nutritional value is added to your dog's diet by feeding them wholemeal bread.

Is Cheesecake Factory nutrition accurate? ›

While we're committed to providing accurate nutritional information, because our recipes are prepared to order, there may be differences between the actual nutritional content of your order and the nutritional values provided. The values are derived from standardized recipes and serving sizes.

How many calories are in Cheesecake Factory brown bread baguette? ›

The Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread Mini Baguettes (0.5 baguette) contains 38g total carbs, 35g net carbs, 2g fat, 6g protein, and 190 calories.

What is the cheesecake factory brown bread made of? ›

Molasses gives the bread its deep brown color, rich flavor and signature aroma. Honey sweetens the bread and helps the crust darken and caramelize in the oven. Cocoa powder adds a subtle chocolate undertone to the bread's flavor and contributes to the bread's rich brown color.

Is pumpernickel bread healthy? ›

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 the Cheesecake Factory bread so good? ›

For instance, honey and molasses are two sweeteners that play a huge role in the taste of the bread. With the addition of these two ingredients in The Cheesecake Factory's bread, it's easy to see why the brown bread doesn't taste bitter or salty, like other restaurant breads.

Is sourdough bread healthy? ›

According to some studies, sourdough bread acts as a prebiotic, which means that the fiber in the bread helps feed the “good” bacteria in your intestines. These bacteria are important for maintaining a stable, healthy digestive system. Sourdough is also lower in gluten than other forms of bread.

Is brown bread healthy? ›

Brown bread has fibre, vitamins and minerals, making it a healthy choice.It helps keep blood sugar level in check, regulates bowel movements and helps in reducing cholesterol. It also reduces hypertension, risk of stroke, gastrointestinal disorder and obesity. Moreover, it's also low in calories.

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