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A tasty, sweet but rich bread this Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread is a delicious recipe that you can serve alongside any of your favorite dishes.
Are there any other Cheesecake Factory Fans out there? I know that I’m a huge one and I love going there mainly for their free bread. No just kidding I love their food too. But nothing really in my mind beats Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread
I’ve always been in love with it, but we do not love to drive all the way to the restaurant and spend money all the time.
That is why I love making copycat recipes at home, you save a trip and you save money and this recipe tastes just like the original.
Then again, if you know me, you know I like all kinds of copycat foods. I can’t help it. I have a thing for knowing how things are made!
It does take a bit of work, I will not lie. But many yeast breads do anyway, but it is 100% worth the work and the wait, and you get four nice large loaves out of it!
This is some of the very best bread I’ve ever made, and that’s saying something.
You really cannot go wrong with this Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread that you will be wanting to make it over and over and over again.
Some of my other favorite bread recipes we have on our site include: Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, Jalapeno Cornbread and Cheese Stuffed Breadsticks.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- It makes 4 large loaves so you will not need to make extra.
- It stores well so you can save for later.
- The flavors in this recipe really work together and you have a mixture of sweet, molasses, honey, and more.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST FOR THE FULL RECIPE CARD):
- Warm water
- Active dry yeast
- Granulated sugar
- Whole wheat flour
- Cocoa powder
- Instant coffee powder
- Fine sea salt
- Honey
- Molasses
- Unsalted butter
- Bread flour
- Cooking spray
- Cornmeal or rolled oats for dusting
HOW TO MAKE CHEESECAKE FACTORY BROWN BREAD:
- In the body of a stand mixer with the hook attachment, add the warm water, yeast, and sugar, stir a few times to combine. Let sit for 5 minutes until bubbly. While waiting, in a medium-sized bowl stir together the flour, cocoa powder, coffee powder, and salt, set aside.
- Once the yeast is bubbly, add the honey, molasses, and melted butter, stir to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir it in, scrape down the sides as needed.
- Add 2 & ½ cups of the bread flour and stir it in until combined. At low speed continue to add bread flour a little at a time until the dough comes off the sides of the mixer, if it is still sticking some to the very bottom of the mixer that’s okay. (How much bread flour you use depends on how humid it is out that day.) Turn the speed up to medium-high and knead the dough for 6-7 minutes. If you see the dough start to stick to the sides again, add a tablespoon of the bread flour at a time until it is clean again.
- Spray a large bowl with cooking spray. Add the dough and spray the top of the dough with cooking spray. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let it double in size, about 45-90 minutes.
- Punch down the dough in the bowl. On a lightly floured clean work surface divide the dough into 4ths. Using your hands roll them out into long logs. Place them into the sections of a baguette pan. Spray the tops of the loaves with more cooking spray and sprinkle with the cornmeal or rolled oats. Slightly press it in so it sticks. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel again and let proof for 30 minutes, they should almost double in size again.
- While proofing preheat the oven to 375°F. Optional, score the tops of the baguettes with a razor or sharp knife. Place the baguette pan directly into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. Bake until the outside of the bread is no longer shiny and is crusty looking. You can temp the bread, if it has reached an internal temperature of 200-210°F it’s done. Let cool slightly, cut and serve!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS RECIPE:
WHAT KIND OF PAN IS BEST FOR BAKING THESE?
We like to use a baguette pan, they are super easy for making longer bread loaves like these, this is where we got our baguette pan.
If you do not use the pan, the loaves may have a different shape to them. Let them proof on two sheet trays lined with parchment paper, not touching.
WHAT IS THE TEXTURE AND TASTE OF THIS BREAD?
Soft on the inside, slightly crusty on the outside, with an addictive sweetness.
It has a wonderful depth of flavor from the cocoa powder and coffee additions, but the bread does not taste like chocolate or coffee at all.
WHY DO YOU SCORE THE BREAD?
When placed in the oven bread dough rapidly likes to expand, the scoring of the bread helps with this and reduces the expansion so you will have even and nice-shaped loaves.
ANY ADDITIONS?
Want to make this Cheesecake Factory bread even more amazing?
- Brown Sugar – Sprinkle a little on the tops of the loaves before baking for a sweet, crunchy top—yum!
- Pats of Butter – Slather some on the warm slices for extra richness. It’s the best part of any bread!
- Maple Syrup – Drizzle this over the finished mini baguettes for a cozy, breakfast-y twist.
- Light Dusting of Oats – Add more on top of the light dusting of oats for that Cheesecake Factory signature taste—so pretty!
- Espresso Powder – Mix in an extra teaspoon to the yeast mixture for a bolder coffee kick.
- Caramel Coloring – Brush a tiny bit on the top of the loaves for an even deeper rich brown color.
- Honey Glaze – Brush some on after baking—sticky, sweet, and oh-so-good!
- Chopped Nuts – Sprinkle walnuts or pecans on the mini-baguette style logs for a crunchy surprise.
- Sea Salt Flakes – Add a pinch on top for a salty-sweet combo that’s a delicious brown bread upgrade!
ANY SUBSTITUTIONS?
Need to tweak this easy copycat recipe? Here are some swaps to keep that homemade bread vibe going strong, whether for taste or what’s in your pantry:
- Maple Syrup – Use this instead of honey for a woodsy flavor—perfect for a warm spot bake!
- Brown Sugar – Swap it for granulated sugar in the yeast mixture for a darker, richer taste.
- Barley Extract – Sub this for molasses if you’ve got it—it keeps that rich brown color popping.
- Purpose Flour – Replace some bread flour with this if you’re out—just adjust the much flour as needed.
- Instant Coffee Powder – Skip the espresso powder and use regular instant coffee from your grocery stores.
HOW TO STORE:
This delicious Brown Bread can be stored in an airtight container where it will keep at room temperature for up to 3-4 days.
You can also freeze this, to do this place cooled bread in a freezer bag and it will keep in the freezer for up to three months.
To defrost, place on the countertop overnight until soft. If you would like to warm it up you can place it in the microwave and heat in 15-second intervals.
DANA’S TIPS AND TRICKS:
- You can top this with either corneal or oats, we like oats since that is what they do at Cheesecake Factory.
- This can be frozen, see my tips above.
- Make sure that you score the bread to help with expansion while baking.
- You can halve or double this recipe, it makes 4 loaves.
- You can also serve with salted butter or honey butter.
Love Cheesecake Factory but just don’t want to make the trip there?
Then you have to make this Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread, you will fall in love.
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
If you’ve tried this CHEESECAKE FACTORY BROWN BREAD let me know in the comments how it turned out! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes!
Copycat Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups warm water 105-110°F
- 2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3 cups whole wheat flour
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons instant coffee powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup molasses
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 3-4 cups bread flour
- cooking spray
- cornmeal or rolled oats for dusting
Instructions
- In the body of a stand mixer with the hook attachment, add the warm water, yeast, and sugar, stir a few times to combine. Let sit for 5 minutes until bubbly. While waiting, in a medium-sized bowl stir together the flour, cocoa powder, coffee powder, and salt, set aside.2 ½ cups warm water, 2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 3 cups whole wheat flour, 3 tablespoons cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons instant coffee powder, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Once the yeast is bubbly, add the honey, molasses, and melted butter, stir to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir it in, scrape down the sides as needed.¼ cup honey, ¼ cup molasses, ¼ cup unsalted butter
- Add 2 & ½ cups of the bread flour and stir it in until combined. At low speed continue to add bread flour a little at a time until the dough comes off the sides of the mixer, if it is still sticking some to the very bottom of the mixer that’s okay. (How much bread flour you use depends on how humid it is out that day.) Turn the speed up to medium-high and knead the dough for 6-7 minutes. If you see the dough start to stick to the sides again, add a tablespoon of the bread flour at a time until it is clean again.3-4 cups bread flour
- Spray a large bowl with cooking spray. Add the dough and spray the top of the dough with cooking spray. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let it double in size, about 45-90 minutes.cooking spray
- Punch down the dough in the bowl. On a lightly floured clean work surface divide the dough into 4ths. Using your hands roll them out into long logs. Place them into the sections of a baguette pan. Spray the tops of the loaves with more cooking spray and sprinkle with the cornmeal or rolled oats. Slightly press it in so it sticks. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel again and let proof for 30 minutes, they should almost double in size again.cornmeal or rolled oats for dusting
- While proofing preheat the oven to 375°F. Optional, score the tops of the baguettes with a razor or sharp knife. Place the baguette pan directly into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. Bake until the outside of the bread is no longer shiny and is crusty looking. You can temp the bread, if it has reached an internal temperature of 200-210°F it’s done. Let cool slightly, cut and serve!
Notes
- You can top this with either corneal or oats, we like oats since that is what they do at Cheesecake Factory.
- This can be frozen, see my tips above.
- Make sure that you score the bread to help with expansion while baking.
- You can halve or double this recipe, it makes 4 loaves.
- You can also serve with salted butter or honey butter.
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
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