Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread: Healthy Low-Calorie 40% Whole Grain Loaves

I love the brown bread from The Cheesecake Factory. It is simple, quick to make, and very beginner-friendly, so I bake it often. I adapted this recipe from an online formula (shown in Photo 6) with a few tweaks.

🍞Ingredients: (Makes 3 medium loaves or 4 smaller ones)

Bread flour 130g, rye flour 50g (if you don't have or don't like rye flour, substitute an equal amount of whole wheat flour), whole wheat flour 40g, water 100g, espresso liquid 20g (if using instant coffee powder, use 15g coffee powder and increase water by 20g for 120g water total), cocoa powder 8g, salt 3g, honey 25g, maple syrup 15g (or substitute an equal amount of honey), dark brown sugar 8g (regular brown sugar or white sugar works too), butter 20g, instant dry yeast 3g.

If you have cornmeal, you can dust a little on the baking sheet as shown in Photo 4, or skip it if you don't.

Rolled oats for topping.

🍞Method:

1️⃣ Place all ingredients except the butter into the mixer bowl. Mix until the dough can be stretched into a thick membrane, then add the softened butter and mix for a few more minutes until the bowl sides are clean and the dough can be shaped into a relatively smooth ball. There is no need to knead to a full windowpane stage.

2️⃣ Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size. Divide into 3 equal portions, shape into tight balls, cover with plastic wrap, and let bench rest for about 15 minutes.

3️⃣ Shape into logs as shown in Photo 3.

4️⃣ Place in a warm, humid spot for the second proof for about 40 minutes.

5️⃣ Preheat the oven to 180°C. Right before baking, mist the surface of the loaves lightly with water and sprinkle rolled oats on top for garnish. Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes.

#BreadLover