Sweet Molasses Brown Bread

About This Recipe

This loaf is what happens when cozy meets sweet in the best way. This sweet molasses brown bread is soft and packed with flavor, taking inspiration from the one at Outback Steakhouse (but with its own cozy twist!). It’s the perfect appetizer to serve with dinner, or just eat on its own with a little butter! The mix of molasses and cocoa powder gives it that deep, slightly sweet taste you’ll love. Plus, it’s way easier to make than it looks!

What Is Brown Bread?

Brown bread is a dark, slightly sweet kind of bread made in a bunch of different ways around the world. Some versions are hearty and rustic, like Irish brown bread, which uses coarse whole wheat flour and isn’t very sweet. Boston brown bread is a little different: it’s steamed instead of baked and made with a mix of cornmeal, rye, and whole wheat flour. There are also soft, sweet versions like the kind you get at Outback Steakhouse. My sweet molasses brown bread is inspired by that, but it’s not exactly the same. This one uses whole wheat and all-purpose flour, plus molasses and a little cocoa powder to give it flavor and a deep brown color. It’s soft, slightly sweet, and baked in the oven, not steamed. It’s a great starter for dinner or just a cozy snack with some butter.

What I Love About This Recipe

The flavor of this loaf is seriously amazing. It’s lightly sweet, but also deep and well-balanced with every bite. Add in the soft, fluffy texture and you’ve got a bread that’s hard to resist. It would be just as good baked into dinner rolls or sliced up for sandwiches.

All The "Why's"

Tangzhong

This Asian technique makes the bread incredibly soft and plush. By cooking a small portion of the flour into a paste, the starches gelatinize (meaning the starch granules swell and burst!) allowing them to absorb more moisture. The result is an ultra-fluffy, tender loaf. While tangzhong isn’t ideal for every dough, it’s a perfect match for this one. Read more about tangzhong here.

Molasses

This recipe contains enough molasses that it could potentially slow fermentation; however, the dough still ferments beautifully thanks to the higher percentage of starter used. Molasses also contains trace minerals that support yeast activity, which I believe contributes to the dough’s steady rise.

Flavor-wise, molasses brings a deep, earthy sweetness that pairs especially well with whole wheat. Its slightly bitter, almost smoky undertone complements the grain’s natural nuttiness, enhancing the overall complexity without overwhelming the bread. It adds warmth, richness, and a character that makes each bite feel a little more special.

Neutral Oil

Fat, along with tangzhong, helps with moisture retention, keeping the dough (and especially the crust) extra soft. I use a neutral oil to accomplish this task without any flavor diversions, but any fat will do the job.

Bread Flour

The higher protein content of bread flour helps create a sturdier gluten network without the added task of stretch and folds. This creates a dough that is able to trap air more efficiently, leading to an airier bread.

In stiffer doughs like this one, flour quality plays an especially important role in achieving the best texture. For example, Bob’s Red Mill Artisan Bread Flour doesn’t develop gluten as readily as King Arthur Bread Flour, which can lead to a noticeably different result—less structure, less lift, and a denser crumb.

Flour type can also affect how much water your dough absorbs. We're aiming for a soft, smooth dough with a bit of resistance and just a touch of stickiness. If you’re unsure how your flour will behave, start by holding back a little water and adjust as needed. I use King Arthur Bread Flour (about 12.7% protein) in all recipes that call for bread flour, unless otherwise noted.

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Whole Wheat Flour

Whole wheat brings flavor and color to this brown bread. Its slightly nutty, earthy taste that pairs beautifully with the rich, bittersweet notes of molasses. The bran in whole wheat also softens the crumb a bit, making the bread feel tender even though it’s slightly denser and more closed than a loaf made with only white flour. Overall, whole wheat makes this bread more flavorful, more interesting, and just right for a cozy, hearty loaf.

Cocoa Powder

Cocoa powder gives this bread an even deeper brown color. That's really just its role in this recipe—a food colorant. There isn't enough of it to bring obvious flavors to the dough, though it does add a subtle depth.

Salt

Salt helps bring out flavor (without salt, bread would taste almost like nothing), but also has notable effects on the dough. Salt is a tightening agent, meaning it helps create a more elastic (strong) dough. It does slow fermentation, as well as gluten development, but these are things we must account for in the recipe because we cannot have a recipe without salt. It is important to use just the right amount, enough to bring out the flavor, but not so much that the loaf cannot ferment or come together. I use the standard - 2% salt - in all my recipes, unless otherwise noted.

Dough Consistency

This recipe will yield a dough that is soft, smooth, and firm (but still pliable). It may be slightly sticky but should not stick to the bowl of the stand mixer when kneading. 

The consistency of the dough plays a big role in how the rest of the process works. For one, there’s no need for stretch-and-folds to build structure (though adding a set or two won’t hurt). The firmer dough also holds its shape well on its own and helps create a finer, more tender crumb.

There’s another bonus to using a stiffer dough: reduced sourness. Stiff doughs (and starters, for that matter) don’t encourage the growth of bacteria that produce acidic byproducts, which means less tang and a more balanced flavor. Combined with the molasses, this dough naturally steers away from sourness, allowing the warm, rich flavors to shine.

Mixing

For this recipe, we’re aiming to build a strong gluten network to give the dough structure and lift. Stiff doughs can make this a bit tricky, since less water means gluten forms more slowly and with more effort. Without enough well-developed gluten, the dough may not stretch easily or hold air well, which can lead to a denser loaf with less rise. Kneading—and time—are key to developing that structure. A high-protein bread flour really helps, and about ten minutes of kneading (by hand or in a stand mixer on low speed) is usually enough to get things going. If you’re using good flour, the rest of the gluten development will happen during fermentation. This recipe doesn’t require any stretch-and-folds—the kneading and time take care of everything.

Bulk Fermentation

Letting the dough rise as much as possible, but not too much, contributes to the airiest of loaves. In an attempt to favor the yeast and reduce sourness, I recommend keeping the dough temperature between 70-75 F (21-24 C). Watch the dough and ferment until it doubles in size (at least; eight to twelve hours). Then, you can shape it and let it double again. Though I favor an overnight method for this dough, use your knowledge of your environment to bulk ferment this dough appropriately.

Shaping

You can shape this dough however you like, but I love forming it into two footlong loaves—just the right size for slicing and serving as an appetizer with butter. The smaller pieces are perfect for grazing and sharing.

To keep shaping simple and seamless, I skip the pre-shape. This helps the dough stay more relaxed and extensible, making it easier to shape into a smooth, elongated loaf in one step.

Baking Method

This bread is so easy to bake! Simply stick it in a 400 F (205 C) oven for 25 minutes and it's perfectly done!

Suggested Timeline

Suggested Timeline

📌 Quick Tip: Read the recipe in its entirety before you start cooking. This will help you understand the ingredients, steps, and timing involved, and allow you to prepare any necessary equipment or ingredients beforehand.