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 served at Cheesecake Factory? ›

The brown bread at Cheesecake Factory is famously delicious. A mixture of brown and whole wheat flour form a hearty base punctuated with honey, molasses, brown sugar, and a surprise ingredient - cocoa powder.

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

Now you can enjoy our famous “brown bread” – at home. Loved around the world, our brown bread baguette is a Cheesecake Factory signature taste – available to enjoy at home in Mini Baguettes, Dinner Rolls, Sandwich Bread - and now Bakery Buns!

Is brown bread healthy Cheesecake Factory? ›

Brown bread by THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY contains 190 calories per 71 g serving. 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.

What is the name of the brown bread? ›

Whole wheat bread or wholemeal bread is a type of bread made using flour that is partly or entirely milled from whole or almost-whole wheat grains, see whole-wheat flour and whole grain. It is one kind of brown bread.

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.

Is the brown bread at Cheesecake Factory vegan? ›

Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread is not vegan. This bread is not vegan because it contains several non-vegan ingredients, such as honey, butter, refined sugar, and molasses. Honey is an animal product because it is produced by bees. Butter is a milk derivative, so it is also not vegan.

Is brown bread healthy? ›

Brown bread is a healthy snack option that also helps to reduce the risk of stroke. It is high in antioxidants but is also comparatively low in sugar and calories. Brown bread provides almost 30% of the daily requirement of vitamin B6 and potassium.

Can you ask for more bread at Cheesecake Factory? ›

That's because the brown bread is both free and unlimited when you dine in. If you've eaten at The Cheesecake Factory before, you'll also notice that you might not even have to ask for more bread. Instead, the basket is refilled like clockwork throughout your meal.

Why is the Cheesecake Factory bread so good? ›

The full-bodied rich flavor comes from the unique essence of molasses, and cocoa powder enhances the bread's brown coloring while also injecting that subtle chocolate flavor picked up by young bread nibblers. Espresso powder goes hand in hand with cocoa powder to augment chocolate notes and aromas.

Is there sugar in Cheesecake Factory bread? ›

INGREDIENTS: Enriched Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Water, Whole Wheat Flour, Sugar, Brown Sugar, Oats, Rye (Flour, Meal, Flakes), Contains 2% or Less of Each of: Yeast, Wheat Gluten, Vegetable Oil (Canola Oil and/or Soybean Oil), ...

Does Cheesecake Factory brown bread have eggs? ›

Is it Egg Free? Yes!

What is the dark brown bread at Cheesecake Factory? ›

Come for the cheesecake, stay for the brown bread

It's a little surprising that a seemingly inconspicuous loaf of bread would garner such acclaim in the minds of diners, but that's precisely how people feel about The Cheesecake Factory's brown bread, aka the whole wheat baguette.

How to serve brown bread? ›

Brown bread is delicious with butter, cream cheese, or jam—all solid options. However, traditional New England canned or brown bread can also be served with baked beans and sliced hot dogs. Given that B&M is best known for its canned beans, the pairing makes good gustatory and business sense.

Can you toast brown bread? ›

In fact, brown bread can toast noticeably faster than white bread under the same conditions. With so many different types of breads to choose from, each one different in colour and sugar content, there is no easy way to say 'set it and forget it'.

What is Irish brown bread made of? ›

Traditional Irish brown bread is a simple combination of whole wheat and white flours, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk; this version adds a bit of enrichment in the form of sugar and butter (or oil) for a slightly sweeter, more tender loaf.

How many calories in Cheesecake Factory brown bread dinner rolls? ›

Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread Wheat Dinner Rolls (1 roll) contains 22g total carbs, 20g net carbs, 1g fat, 3g protein, and 110 calories.

Is bread with honey healthy? ›

Toasted, organic, 100% whole grain bread with butter and raw honey is a great way to start the day. The slow release energy of the fibre from the bread and nutrients of the raw honey will keep you going without snacking until lunchtime.

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