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Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread is famous for a reason! It is so flavorful and tender, you can’t just eat one slice. With this easy copycat recipe, you don’t have to leave your house to enjoy Cheesecake Factory bread anytime you want!
This Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread Recipe is the perfect copycat. It is fluffy, tender, flavorful, and perfect any time of day. Even if you’re new to baking with yeast, I promise this recipe is really easy to follow.
Want another amazing Cheesecake Factory recipe? Try my Crispy Southwest Air Fryer Egg Rolls!
Table of Contents
Why We Love This Recipe
- Cheesecake Factory Copycat – Just as delicious as the real thing!
- Savory and Sweet – With a combination of whole wheat and all-purpose flours and a touch of molasses, these beautiful loaves are savory with a hint of sweetness.
- Addicting – If you’ve had brown bread before, you know that you can’t just have one slice!
- Versatile – Brown bread is a great side with almost any dinner!
Ingredients For Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread
- Warm Water – Used to activate the yeast.
- White Granulated Sugar – for a hint of sweetness.
- Dry, Active Yeast – Do not be intimidated, yeast is actually pretty easy to work with!
- Instant Coffee – I promise it doesn’t make the bread taste like coffee, but really enhances the flavor.
- Unsalted Butter – Definitely preferred over salted.
- Honey and Molasses – For sweetness and warmth.
- All-Purpose Flour and Whole Wheat Flour – It’s important to use both flours
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – Only a little bit is used so it elevates the flavor without making it taste like chocolate.
- Whole Oats – To top the loaves of bread.
How To Bake Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread
See recipe card below for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Activate Yeast – Start by adding the warm water to your stand mixer bowl or other large bowl and sprinkle in the sugar and yeast.
- Add Wet Ingredients – After the yeast has activated (about 10 minutes), whisk together the coffee and water in a small bowl and add to the yeast along with the melted butter, honey, and molasses. Stir it all together.
- Add Flour – Add the flours, cocoa powder, and salt then use the dough hook attachment (or mix by hand) to combine for about 10 minutes. The dough should be very elastic and sticky, but also slightly pull away from the sides of the bowl.
- Rise – Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the dough and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rise for 2 hours or until it has doubled in size.
- Prep for Baking – Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a 12×16-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- Knead and Shape Bread – Turn the risen dough out onto a lightly floured surface, knead it 3-4 times, form it into a ball, and cut it into 6 equal pieces. Roll each dough piece into a rope shape then place onto the large pan about 1-inch apart. Sprinkle the oats on top and gently press them in.
- Bake – Bake for 13-18 minutes or until the tops have dried out and formed a nice crust then let them cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
FAQs
It gets the name Brown Bread from its color, which comes from the whole wheat flour, molasses, cocoa powder, and instant coffee.
Using cocoa powder and instant coffee really brings out the flavor in the bread and makes it taste just like the Cheesecake Factory original. You do not taste the cocoa and coffee flavors individually in the bread.
Serving Suggestions
I love serving the bread warm out of the oven with regular butter, honey butter or even garlic butter. It’s a great side for almost any meal. We love it with pasta like this Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta, soup like this Vegetable Beef Soup, salad, the list goes on!
This recipe makes 6 mini baguettes, for about 12 servings. It’s definitely easy to enjoy a whole loaf to yourself, no judgement here!
Variations
- Dinner Rolls – Instead of baguette loaves, you can also turn this dough into dinner rolls. Divide the dough into pieces the size of golf balls and roll between your palms. Place them on the parchment-lined baking sheet with space in between. They will bake up a little bit faster than the loaves.
- Sandwich Loaf – Instead of baguette loaves, you can also turn this dough into a sandwich loaf. Split the dough into 2-3 pieces and use a loaf pan to bake in order to get the right shape. This brown bread makes great sandwich bread.
Storage and Freezing
Storage – Leftover loaves can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Freezing – They can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Before freezing, allow the bread to cool then wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag.
Heating – To warm a loaf of bread, wrap in foil and heat in a 375 degree oven for 5-7 minutes.
- Use a Second Sheet Pan, if Needed – You want to leave an inch between each loaf, so you may need to use a second sheet pan to bake all 6 loaves.
- Internal Temp of Baked Bread – If you are having a hard time telling when bread is done, you can read the internal temperature. The bread should be 200-210 degrees F when done.
More Homemade Bread Recipes
- Homemade Garlic Breadsticks
- Sour Cream Cornbread Muffins
- Easy Sourdough Bread with Instant Yeast
- Homemade Bread Bowls
- Whole Wheat Bread
Copycat Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups very warm water
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 ½ teaspoons dry active yeast
- 1 tablespoon instant coffee + 2 tablespoons of warm water
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2-3 tablespoons whole oats
Instructions
- Add the water to the bowl of your stand mixer or to a regular large bowl.
- Sprinkle in the sugar and yeast then let it sit for 10 minutes to activate.
- Whisk the instant coffee and water together in a small bowl until combined then pour it into the bowl with the yeast along with the butter, honey and molasses and stir to combine.
- Pour in the all-purpose and whole wheat flour, cocoa powder and salt then knead it on your stand mixer using the dough hook attachment or stir by hand for 10 minutes or until it starts to become very elastic. (The dough should be sticky but slightly pull away from the sides. You may be tempted to add more flour but don’t do it or the bread will turn out tough and heavy.)
- Use a rubber spatula to push down the sides of the dough and cover the bowl with plastic wrap then let it rise for 2 hours or until it has doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 12×16-inch baking pan with parchment paper and line another small pan with parchment paper if needed.
- Sprinkle some flour onto a countertop then turn the dough out on top and knead it 3-4 times then form it into a ball and cut it into 6 equal pieces.
- Roll each piece into a rope shape then place 5-6 of the pieces onto the large pan about 1-inch apart and place the remaining piece on the smaller pan if needed.
- Sprinkle the oats on top and gently press them in.
- Bake for 13-18 minutes or until the tops have dried out and formed a nice crust then let them cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
I followed the recipe exactly, other than proofing for an hour and a half, because the dough had doubled in size by then. I’m very disappointed the instructions do not call for a second proof as my loaves all split because of it. I thought it tasted like chocolate, my husband tasted the coffee. I’m hoping I did something wrong, as this was an easy recipe, and I would like to try again.
Can you freeze rhw bread before baking and then pull it out of the freezer and let it riise before baking?
Yes – knead the dough, shape it, then wrap it up and freeze. Thaw at room temp and let it rise before baking.
How would you make this in a breadmaker?
I don’t have a breadmaker so I couldn’t offer any advice there.
Hi I haven’t made gthis yet but am wondering if the loans are left too rise again after they r saved and before baking or are they baked straight away?
Yes you will want to let it rise again.