✔ Updated · new copycat recipe with step photos
This copycat Outback bread makes soft, dark, slightly sweet honey wheat mini loaves, just like the one that lands on the table before you've even ordered. Warm from the oven with whipped honey butter, it's dangerous.
How Do You Make Outback Bread at Home? (Quick Answer)
Foam yeast in warm water with honey and molasses, then knead in bread flour, whole wheat flour, Dutch-process cocoa, brown sugar, salt and butter. Let the dough rise for 60 minutes, shape it into 8 oblong loaves, roll them in cornmeal and rise for 45 minutes. Bake at 350°F for 20 to 24 minutes, until 190°F inside.
At a glance
The one tip that matters: Don't reach for food coloring. Dutch-process cocoa, molasses and a teaspoon of instant coffee get you that deep brown crumb, with no chocolate or coffee flavor at all.
Why You'll Love This Bread
- That dark, soft crumb without any food coloring.
- Sweet but not dessert honey and molasses, balanced by whole wheat.
- Individual loaves a whole one each, the way it should be.
- Freezes beautifully so you can have warm bread on a Tuesday.
- Whipped honey butter which takes 2 minutes and is the best part.
What Is Outback Bread?
Outback's warm Honey Wheat Bread, long known to fans as Bushman Bread, is the small dark loaf that comes to the table on a cutting board with a knife. It looks like pumpernickel, but one bite tells you otherwise: soft, a little sweet and with just a hint of wheat.
Outback doesn't share its recipe, so this is how I make mine at home, working from the color and the crumb. I've been chasing that dark, soft loaf for years, and the answer turned out to be Dutch-process cocoa and molasses, no food coloring required.
Ingredient Notes
Exact amounts are in the recipe card below.
- Bread flour: extra protein gives the loaves structure and that soft chew.
- Whole wheat flour: the flavor backbone. Too much makes a heavy loaf, so don't change the ratio.
- Honey and molasses: the sweetness and much of the color. Keep the molasses unsulphured and mild.
- Dutch-process cocoa: the deep color without a chocolatey taste.
- Instant coffee: a teaspoon deepens the color. It's optional and you won't taste it.
- Cornmeal: the gritty little dusting on the bottom of each loaf, and half the charm.
Step-by-Step Photos
Here's how it comes together. Exact amounts, times and temperatures are in the recipe card below.
Tips for Success
- Use Dutch-process cocoa. It's darker and smoother than natural cocoa, which matters here because the color is the whole point.
- Pick the right molasses. Regular unsulphured molasses is warm and rounded. Blackstrap is bitter, and you'll taste it.
- Trust the tacky dough. It should stick to a clean finger and let go without leaving much behind. Too much extra flour makes a dense loaf.
- Check the water. About 110°F, warm like a bath. Hotter than that and you can kill the yeast.
- Mark the bowl. Lucy is in charge of the rubber band around the bowl that marks where the dough started, because “doubled” is hard to judge by eye.
- Roll them tight. Stretch the outside of each loaf as you shape it. A taut skin is what gives you that smooth, rounded top.
- Pull them on temperature. My oven runs hot, and because these loaves are so dark, you can't judge them by color. 190°F in the center means they're done.
- Brush as soon as they're out. The butter soaks in and keeps the crust soft. My first batch skipped this, came out pale and crusty, and looked like plain wheat rolls.
Rounding out the meal? My Outback mac and cheese recipe makes a creamy, one-pot side.
Outback Bread
8
mini loaves25
minutes22
minutes280
kcal2
hours35
minutesA copycat version of the warm honey wheat bread at Outback Steakhouse: soft, dark mini loaves made with bread flour, whole wheat flour, honey, molasses and cocoa, rolled in cornmeal and served with whipped honey butter. Makes 8 mini loaves.
Ingredients
- For the Dough
1 1/8 cups warm water, about 110°F
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons unsulphured molasses (not blackstrap)
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast (1 packet)
2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules (optional, for color)
1 1/2 teaspoons fine salt
- To Finish
2 tablespoons cornmeal, for dusting
1 tablespoon melted butter, for brushing
- Whipped Honey Butter
1/2 cup salted butter, softened
2 tablespoons honey
Directions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir the warm water, honey, molasses and yeast together. Leave for 5 minutes, until a little foamy.
- Add the butter, bread flour, whole wheat flour, cocoa, brown sugar, coffee and salt. Mix with the dough hook on low for 2 minutes, then on medium for 6 to 7 minutes, until the dough is smooth, tacky and pulls away from the bowl. To knead by hand, allow about 10 minutes.
- Shape the dough into a ball, place it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and let it rise in a warm spot for 60 minutes, until doubled.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment and sprinkle it with cornmeal. Punch down the dough, divide it into 8 equal pieces (about 95 g each) and roll each one into a tight, oblong loaf about 5 inches long. Roll the loaves lightly in cornmeal and set them 2 inches apart on the sheet.
- Cover loosely and let the loaves rise for 45 minutes, until puffy and nearly doubled. Heat the oven to 350°F during the last 15 minutes.
- Bake for 20 to 24 minutes, until the loaves sound hollow when tapped and an instant-read thermometer in the center reads 190°F. Brush with melted butter while hot.
- Beat the softened butter and honey together until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Serve the loaves warm, on a board with a serrated knife, with the honey butter on the side.
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Timeline for Dinner
Want warm loaves at 6:30? Work back from there.
| Time | Step |
|---|---|
| 3:50 | Mix and knead the dough |
| 4:15 | First rise, 60 minutes |
| 5:15 | Shape the loaves |
| 5:20 | Second rise, 45 minutes |
| 5:50 | Heat the oven to 350°F |
| 6:05 | Bake for 20 to 24 minutes |
| 6:30 | Brush with butter and serve warm |
Troubleshooting
If your first batch isn’t quite there, it’s usually one of these.
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Pale crumb | Natural cocoa, or less cocoa than the recipe calls for | Use Dutch-process cocoa and add the coffee |
| Dense loaves | Too much flour, or not enough rise | Keep the dough tacky and let it fully double |
| Bitter taste | Blackstrap molasses | Use regular unsulphured molasses |
| Hard crust | Baked too long, or no butter brush | Pull at 190°F and brush while hot |
| Flat, wide loaves | Loose shaping | Roll tight and space them 2 inches apart |
Serving and Storing
Serve warm on a board with a serrated knife and a bowl of whipped honey butter. Max hovers by the oven for the first one, so I always bake one extra.
Keep cooled loaves in a sealed bag at room temperature for 2 days. To freeze, wrap each loaf and freeze for up to 3 months, then warm from frozen in foil at 300°F for about 20 minutes.
What to Serve With It
Start with a bowl of my copycat Outback potato soup and use the bread to mop it up. For a steak night, my guide to what to serve with steak covers the rest of the plate. And if you love a restaurant bread basket, try my Texas Roadhouse rolls with cinnamon butter too.
You'll find plenty more in my copycat recipes collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Outback bread so dark?
Outback doesn't publish its recipe, so the exact formula isn't public. Copycat bakers get the color from cocoa, molasses and sometimes a little coffee. Those ingredients add color without making the bread taste like chocolate.
What kind of bread is Outback's brown bread?
It's a soft, slightly sweet honey wheat loaf, long known by fans as Honey Wheat Bushman Bread. It looks a bit like pumpernickel but it's much softer and sweeter, and it isn't a rye bread.
Does Outback bread have chocolate in it?
My copycat uses 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder, but only for color. Across 8 loaves, you can't taste it as chocolate, especially with honey and molasses in the mix.
Can I make this bread without a stand mixer?
Yes. Stir everything together in a large bowl, then knead on a lightly floured surface for about 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and tacky. Add as little extra flour as you can get away with.
Can I make the dough ahead?
Yes. After the first knead, cover the dough and refrigerate it overnight. The next day, shape it cold and give the loaves about 75 minutes to rise before baking.
How do I reheat Outback bread?
Wrap the loaves in foil and warm them in a 300°F oven for 10 minutes. From frozen, leave them wrapped and give them about 20 minutes.
Can I bake one big loaf?
Yes. Shape all the dough into a single 9 by 5-inch loaf and bake at 350°F for 30 to 35 minutes, until it reads 190°F in the center. Mini loaves are closer to the restaurant, but a big one slices well for toast.
