Easy Bread Machine Brown Bread: Steakhouse Style Without Rye
Sneak Preview: This easy Bread Machine Brown Bread is made steakhouse style with whole wheat flour, bread flour, honey, and powdered cocoa (but it doesn’t taste like chocolate)–no rye flour. These made good dinner rolls, too.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
This bread machine recipe brings back memories of the dark brown mini-loaves served at Steak and Ale—delivered on a wooden board with whipped butter, setting the tone for a special meal.
Decades later, it’s still the bread that stands out more than the steak! Serve this at your next dinner, and don’t be surprised if it becomes the most memorable part of the evening for your guests, too.
Happy Bakers Speak Up
Oh Paula, this is without a doubt the very best bread recipe that I have come upon – well almost. Easy to make (thanks to your tips about bread machine usage). Tastes great and looks fabulous. I really liked that I could make small loaves which I shared with some neighbours and could freeze another loaf. Your recipes and tips are tops. Thanks so much. —Stephen
What Is the Secret Ingredient That Makes This Bread Brown?
The dark color comes from cocoa powder and whole wheat flour. But don’t worry. This bread doesn’t taste like chocolate. (Although chocolate in bread can be fabulous!) You could even call it honey wheat bread because it’s sweetened with honey.
What This Homemade Bread Doesn’t Have
- No rye flour–although rye bread is delicious when made with a bread machine.
- No food coloring
- No all-purpose flour: Bread flour provides gluten to help this bread rise nice and high.
- No preservatives
Ingredients and Substitutions
- WATER:
- Tap water is good
- Substitute spring water if your water has high mineral content
- Unnecessary to use warm water, (as the friction of the paddles will heat the dough quickly)
- ORANGE JUICE:
- Substitute water for juice
- BUTTER:
- Unsalted butter
- Swap margarine or vegan butter
- HONEY:
- Complements orange juice
- Substitute maple syrup or molasses
- Date syrup also works
- FLOUR:
- Equal amounts of bread flour and whole wheat flour
- Don’t recommend using all-purpose flour or only whole wheat flour–it makes dense rolls
- SALT:
- Table salt or sea salt
- Add ¼ teaspoon extra for Kosher salt
- COCOA:
- Dutch-processed or regular baking cocoa
- Using Dutch-processed cocoa makes darker bread
- YEAST:
- Instant or bread machine yeast
- See recipe notes for active dry yeast substitution
Most of my bread recipes are prepared using a bread machine for mixing, kneading, and proofing, then baked in a conventional oven. Once the machine does the heavy lifting, all that’s left is to shape the dough, let it rise again, and bake it to perfection.
For this recipe, I used three mini loaf pans (paid link)that I absolutely love, but you can get creative! Make dinner rolls, a large loaf, or any shape you like—the choice is yours as the baker.
How To Make This Steakhouse-Style Bread with a Bread Maker
How To Shape the Dark Bread Loaves
Questions and Answers
Q: Is this pumpernickel bread?
- No, it doesn’t contain dark rye flour. See this recipe for delicious rye bread.
Q: Can I prepare the dough ahead of time?
- Yes, refrigerate after step 7. Let it sit at room temp for 2-3 hours before baking.
Q: What pairs well with this bread?
- Softened butter or steak on the side.
Q: How much dough should go into each pan?
- Fill pans ⅓ to ½ full after shaping for the best results. If the pans are too big for the amount of dough, your loaves will look squat. If the pans are too small, the dough may rise too high and tear as it bakes.
Parting Thoughts: I first published this recipe 12 years ago. Since then, I have revised the recipe and tested some substitutions. Originally, I made dinner rolls, but we like the mini-loaves better. They are more authentic. Speaking of authenticity, you must serve these loaves with softened butter, just like in restaurants. It is the absolute best way to eat this bread. And one more thing…if you should have any of this bread long enough to grow stale, try making this Bread Crumb Pudding.
If You Like To Use a Bread Machine…
Need help troubleshooting? Email me: Paula at saladinajar.com—photos welcome!
Easy Bread Machine Brown Bread Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- ⅞ cup + 1 tablespoon (212 g) water
- ¼ cup (57 g) orange juice
- ¼ cup (84 g) honey
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa
- 3 tablespoons (42 g) unsalted butter (chopped)
- 1 ⅔ cup (200 g) whole wheat flour
- 1 ⅔ cup (200 g) unbleached bread flour
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
Instructions
- Add ingredients to a bread machine pan in the order given: ⅞ cup + 1 tablespoon (212 g) water, ¼ cup (57 g) orange juice, ¼ cup (84 g) honey, 1 ¼ teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa, 3 tablespoons (42 g) unsalted butter (chopped), 1 ⅔ cup (200 g) whole wheat flour, 1 ⅔ cup (200 g) unbleached bread flour, and 2 teaspoons instant yeast. Select the DOUGH cycle and press START.
- Open the lid in the first minute to ensure the paddles are engaged correctly and the dough starts clumping.
- Recheck the dough after 12-15 minutes of kneading. If too sticky, add one tablespoon of flour at a time. Conversely, if too dry (dough slaps loudly against the side of the pan) add one or more tablespoons of water. The goal is for the dough to stick to the sides of the pan, then pull away cleanly.
- When the dough cycle finishes and the dough has almost doubled in volume, remove it from the bread-machine pan to a floured board.
- Divide dough into three equally sized portions and form each portion into a ball.
- Roll each ball into a 7 x 9-inch rectangle (approximately). Roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Pinch the seams and ends together.
- Drop the cylinder into a mini-loaf pan seam-side down. Repeat for the remainder of the dough balls. Cover with a tea towel and allow to rise a final time until almost double.
- Preheat your oven to 350˚F (180˚C).
- When the loaves are ready, bake them for approximately 20 to 25 minutes. (If baking one loaf, bake for 30-35 minutes. Always check the internal temperature for the perfect bake.) Their dark color makes these loaves somewhat challenging to assess for doneness. Look at the bottom for browning or check the internal temperature, which should be 190-195˚F (88˚C).
- After five minutes, turn the loaves out onto a cooling rack. Serve warm, with butter, please.
Notes
- Add the ingredients to the bowl in the specified order in a heavy-duty stand mixer.
- Begin mixing on low speed until all the ingredients are moistened.
- Switch to a dough hook attachment and increase the speed to 2 or 3.
- Continue beating/kneading until the dough becomes smooth and elastic, typically about 5-10 minutes.
- Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place.
- Once risen, gently deflate the dough and shape it as the recipe directs.
- Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl until they form a shaggy ball.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface.
- Knead the dough with your hands until it becomes smooth and elastic. Depending on your experience, this may take 10-20 minutes.
- Place the dough ball in a greased bowl.
- Cover the bowl and allow the dough to double in size.
- After rising, gently deflate the dough and shape it according to the recipe’s instructions.
Equipment
Nutrition
All images and text ©️ Paula Rhodes for Salad in a Jar.com
Paula Rhodes, owner
As a retired home economist, I created Saladinajar.com to share my belief that you don’t have to be a chef to find joy in creating homemade food worth sharing. Bread machines (used in an unconventional way), homemade yogurt, and quick microwave recipes are my specialty.