My DIY Cheesecake Factory Honey Wheat (Brown) Bread

Since that day 10 years ago when my friend Pamela took me to The Cheesecake Factory in the Galleria, Houston for the first time, I’ve been obsessed with their brown bread (amongst other dishes tbh). At frst, I thought it was a temporary fad because I was 7 months pregnant at the time. But I remember watching my husband’s face while he tasted it for the first time a few weeks later, and seeing exactly the same reaction I had. That was when the deal was sealed.

I won’t go into the details of this obsession, or the things that we have done to get this bread but it may or may not have involved checking in our bags and hopping into town for some “essentials” during a 16-hour layover in the US on the way home from the Caribbean in 2013. One that I am proud of though is that it inspired me to scour the internet for months to figure out the secret to that bread. Super important for my wellbeing considering I live so far away from the closest Cheesecake Factory restaurant 😢

But let’s just say, after a few tries I’ve definitely narrowed it down to a few things - a precise mixture of whole wheat flour and all purpose white flour, a nice combination of molasses and honey, oil instead of butter, just enough cocoa powder, and most importantly it needs to be served hot/warm so your spread melts on the slice right before your eyes.

Why do I often make this recipe on random days despite saying my baking for the week is done? Well, it’s an uncontrollable urge; and you know what? I have no regrets whatsoever! Don’t judge me ‘til you try it. So yeah. Try it!

Prep Time: 2.5 hours (INCL. DOUGH PROOFING TIME)

BAKE TIME: 25 MINS

yield: 4 LOAVES

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 teaspoons quick rise yeast

• 1 1/4 cups warm water

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 2 cups plain white flour, plus extra for kneading

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

• 2 teaspoons cocoa powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 tablespoons vegetable or sunflower oil

• 3 tablespoons molasses

• 1/4 cup honey

• Handful of rolled oats for garnish

Instructions:

1. Mix the warm water, yeast, and sugar in a bowl and leave to proof until frothy, about 10 minutes.

2. Combine the whole wheat flour, whistle flour, cocoa powder and salt in a large bowl (or in the bowl of your stand mixer, if using one) and mix together until combined.

3. To the dry ingredients in your bowl, add the yeast mixture, oil, honey and molasses and mix together until combined.

4. Knead the dough on a floured surface (if kneading by hand) or in the stand mixer until stretchy and not sticky (about 6 to 8 minutes), sprinkling a little flour, if the dough is too sticky.

5. Place the dough in a large oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm part of your kitchen. Leave to rise to about double in size, approximately 1.5 to 2 hours.

6. When the dough is risen, punch to let air out and cut the dough, dividing it into four equal pieces.

7. Stretch and shape the dough pieces by rolling each piece into a rectangle, folding the long edge towards the middle, pressing down and doing the same on the opposite edge, until the dough measures about 15 centimeters long, making sure to tuck the end under and not on the surface.

8. Place the 4 dough pieces on a lined or lightly greased baking sheet.

9. Using a knife, cut 4 shallow slashes into each loaf diagonally.

10. Spray or brush the tops of the dough pieces with water, and sprinkle with rolled oats.

11. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise for about 30 minutes and preheat your oven to 175 degrees Celsius.

12. Bake the bread for 25 minutes in the preheated oven.

13. Serve warm with butter, for the best experience :)

    Did you try this recipe? Let us know in the comments or on Instagram, using the hashtag #goodlivingwithmae