Steakhouse Brown Bread

One of the main reasons we dine at a popular restaurant known for steaks and burgers is the loaves of warm bread that begins the meal. It took lots of tweaking, but I have landed on a homemade steakhouse brown bread that we all just love.

This bread is very dark both inside and out. It gets its robust flavor from an unusual ingredient and its mildly sweetness from molasses and a little honey.

Bread Machine Dough

It is a cinch to make the dough for this yummy bread using a bread machine. Just add the ingredients to the pan, push the dough button and it does all of the mixing, kneading and the first rise for you.

When the cycle is finished and the machine beeps, a beautiful dough is all ready to shape, rise for the second time and pop into the oven to bake. Before you know it, your home will be filled with that tantalizing aroma wafting from the oven.

A great sandwich bread

Serve as an accompaniment to any entrée or pile on some deli meat, egg or tuna salad for a super satisfying lunchtime sandwich. You’ll find the loaves cut well and compliment a hot bowl of soup.

Freezing steakhouse brown bread

If you like bread like my family does, there’s a good chance you will have very little leftover. But if you want to avoid over-indulgence or just have some on hand, the good news is that it freezes really well.

The bread will keep in the freezer for up to 4 months, if wrapped well.

To keep the bread at its freshest, wrap a loaf in plastic wrap followed by aluminum foil. Then place the bread in a freezer-safe plastic bag.

If you don’t think you will use a whole loaf but just a slice or two, pre-slice the bread before wrapping and freezing. That way, you can remove just the amount you want keeping the rest fresh for later.

To serve the bread once frozen: thaw at room temperature for about 90 minutes (or overnight in the refrigerator). Then unwrap the bread and warm it in a 325 degree F oven for about 10 minutes.

How to make steakhouse brown bread

I find it helpful to gather and measure ingredients prior to making a recipe to be sure nothing gets left out and I can proceed without interruption.

Begin by adding the warm water to the bread machine pan.

Add the molasses, honey, vegetable oil and salt.

Next, add the bread and wheat flour.

After adding the dark cocoa powder, make a small well in the top of the dry ingredients and pour the yeast into the indention.

Insert the pan into the machine.

Select the DOUGH setting. Press START.

Steakhouse brown bread dough

When the machine beeps indicating the dough cycle is complete, remove the dough from the pan onto a lightly oiled surface.

Divide the dough into three equal pieces using a kitchen scale or by eye-balling it.

Shape each section into a log about 10-inches long. Place on a baking sheet covered with a silicone mat, parchment paper or lightly sprayed or greased.

Cover lightly with a clean, lint-free towel or cloth and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size.

Baking the bread:

Toward the end of the rising time, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the loaves for 30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees F.

Remove from oven and transfer to a cooling rack.

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Steakhouse Brown Bread

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INGREDIENTS

1 cup water, warm from the tap or heated in the microwave

1/3 cup molasses

2 Tablespoons honey

1 1/2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 cups bread flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

3 Tablespoons Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder

2 teaspoons Bread machine yeast

DIRECTIONS

Add the warm water, molasses, honey, vegetable oil and salt to the bread machine pan.

Add the bread and wheat flour next then the dark cocoa powder and yeast.

Insert the pan into the machine and select the DOUGH setting. Press START.

Shaping the loaves:

When the machine beeps indicating the dough cycle is complete, remove the dough from the pan into a lightly oiled surface.

Divide the dough into three equal pieces using a kitchen scale or by eye-balling it.

Shape each section into a log about 10-inches long. Place on a baking sheet covered with a silicone mat or lightly sprayed or greased. Cover lightly with a clean, lint-free towel or cloth and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size.

Baking the bread:

Toward the end of the rising time, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the loaves for 30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees F.

Remove from oven and transfer to a cooling rack.

Recipe Notes

Order of ingredients

When making yeast bread in a bread machine, the order of adding the ingredients is important. Fats may coat the yeast granules which can then repel liquids and prevent action. If the liquid rehydrates the yeast too soon, it may result in over-fermentation and a loaf that does not rise properly when baked. 

Always add bread ingredients in this order:

1. Liquid ingredients
2. fat
3. salt
4. dry ingredients
5. yeast.

• The yeast should always be added last. After the dry ingredients are placed into the pan, make a small indent in the top of the dry ingredients and place the yeast in the indention.
• Also be sure to check the expiration date on your yeast and use only fresh yeast.
• You can substitute regular cocoa powder for the special dark cocoa powder that will create a bread with a lighter color.

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