Now you can skip the steakhouse and make this Copycat Outback Bread at home with pantry ingredients! This Honey Wheat Bushman Bread recipe makes 4 loaves, serves 24, and costs just $3.18 to make.

Honey Wheat Bread made with pantry ingredients.

Outback Bread

Earlier on my website, I shared my version of Outback Steakhouse’s Walkabout Soup. Now you know I couldn’t share Outback’s soup recipe without sharing their famous Honey Wheat Bushman Bread!

There may have been a time or two (maybe more, I will not admit to how many times) while eating at Outback where I have been too full from the bread I ate before my meal came. It is just so good. 

My version of Outback bread tastes just like Outback’s, but the texture is a little different. My version is a bit heartier and more filling…both are things I love in a good loaf of bread, so it’s a win for me!

Slices of Copycat Outback Bread in a basket.

Recipe FAQ’s

What is Outback bread made of?

Outback Steakhouse bread is most well known for its dark brown color, right? So how do they get it to be that color? It has cocoa powder, molasses, and brown food coloring. Who knew! The bread also calls for honey, whole-wheat flour, salt, vegetable oil, yeast and water, and bread water. 

Does Outback have bread?

Oh ya, it does! If you have never experienced it, I would highly recommend it. It is so yummy when they bring it out warm with a little cup of butter. But since we can’t go out to eat every day, this Copycat recipe is perfect!

Is Outback Steakhouse bread vegan?

Outback Steakhouse is not a vegan restaurant, but it does offer a few vegan options. The bread is not vegan because of the honey used in the recipe. 

What kind of bread does Outback serve?

They serve a dark honey wheat bread that is made sweet by the addition of honey and molasses. The iconic dark color of the loaf comes from 3 ingredients: cocoa powder, molasses, and caramel or brown food coloring.

Slices of Honey Wheat Bushman Bread in a basket.

How do you make the Honey Wheat Bushman Bread recipe? 

  1. First, line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.
  2. Next, mix the water, oil, food coloring, honey, and molasses until combined. 
  3. Then, add in the wheat flour, cocoa powder, and salt to the water mixture and mix on low speed until thoroughly combined. Next, loosely cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit for 20 minutes. 
  4. Then, while leaving the mixer running on low, mix in the yeast and add the flour one cup at a time. Increase the speed to medium and mix for about 3-4 minutes. 
  5. Next, cover the bowl with pre-greased plastic wrap and let the dough rise for about 45-60 minutes. After the dough has risen, divide the dough into four pieces and shape it into 4 logs and place them on the prepared baking sheets. 
  6. Then cover the dough with greased plastic wrap and let it rise for another 45-60 minutes. Dust the risen dough with cornmeal. 
  7. Finally, bake the bread for 40 minutes at 350 degrees rotating the pans halfway through baking.  
Outback Steakhouse Bread

Cook’s Note:

  • This recipe makes 4, 10-inch loaves. These loaves are bigger and heartier than Outback’s, so you have a couple of options:
    • Cut the recipe in half and make just two loaves.
    • Make the entire recipe and freeze what you don’t use (this is what I do).
  • The bread will keep in the freezer for up to 4 months. Here’s how I store mine: Wrap a loaf in plastic wrap followed by aluminum foil. Then place the bread in a freezer-safe plastic bag.
    • To serve the bread once frozen: thaw at room temperature for about 90 minutes (or overnight in the refrigerator). Then unwrap the bread and warm it in a 325-degree F oven for 10 minutes.
  • To get that deep, rich brown color, you need to use some brown food coloring. If food coloring isn’t your thing, then just leave it out!

Cook’s Tools:

  • baking sheets
  • parchment paper
  • stand mixer
  • brown food coloring
  • wire rack

How much will this recipe cost?

RECIPE COST: $3.18

COST PER LOAF: $0.78

PER SERVING COST: $0.13

NOTE: I calculate the recipe prices by using name brand grocery prices on grocery store websites. 

  • 2 ½ cup water – $0.00
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil – $0.12
  • 1/2 teaspoon brown gel food coloring – $0.15 
  • 1/2 cup honey – $0.66
  • 2 Tablespoons molasses – $0.28
  • 3 ½ cups whole-wheat flour – $1.20
  • 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder – $0.20
  • 1 teaspoon salt – $0.01
  • 2 Tablespoons active dry yeast – $0.18
  • 2.5 cups bread flour – $0.38
Picture collage of Outback bread for Pinterest.

More Bread:

More From Food Folks and Fun

A basket full of sliced Outback Bread.
4.39 from 75 votes

Honey Wheat Bushman Bread Recipe – an Outback Steakhouse Copycat!

Prep Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 3 hours
24 people
Now you can skip the steakhouse and make this Copycat Outback Bread at home! This Honey Wheat Bushman Bread is just the accompaniment for any main dish or soup!

Equipment

  • baking sheets
  • parchment paper
  • stand mixer
  • brown food coloring
  • wire rack

Ingredients
 
 

  • 2 ½ cup warm water 100°-110°F
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • ½ teaspoon brown gel food coloring optional
  • ½ cup honey
  • 2 Tablespoons molasses
  • 3 ½ cups whole-wheat flour
  • 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 Tablespoons active dry yeast
  • 2-3 cups bread flour
  • cornmeal for dusting loaves

Instructions

  • Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. 
  • Mix together the water, oil, coloring, honey, and molasses in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.
  • Add the wheat flour, cocoa powder, and salt to the water mixture and mix on low speed until combined. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and let the mixture sit for 20 minutes (this will give the flour time to absorb the liquid).
  • With the mixer running on low, mix in the yeast, and add the bread flour, one cup at a time. Once the flour is absorbed, increase the speed to medium and mix until the dough clings to the hook and almost clears the sides of the bowl, about 3-4 minutes.
  • Cover the bowl with greased plastic wrap, and let the dough rise until doubled in size, about 45-60 minutes.
  • Divide the dough into four pieces. Shape the dough into 4 logs (divide the dough into eight pieces and form it into 8 logs if you want smaller loaves like Outback). Place the loaves on the prepared baking sheets. 
  • Loosely cover the dough with greased plastic wrap, and let the dough rise until doubled, about 45-60 minutes. While the dough rises, move the oven rack to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
    Outback Bread before it's baked
  • Dust the risen dough with cornmeal. Bake, the bread for 40 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees F, rotating the pans halfway through baking (if you're making eight smaller loaves, then you will bake for about 20 minutes). 
  • Transfer the loaves to a wire rack to cool at least 1 hour before serving.
    Copycat Outback Bread Recipe

Video

Notes

This dough is on the sticky side. Make sure you flour your work surface and hands well. 
This recipe makes 4 loaves that serve 6 people each. 

Nutrition

Calories: 145kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 99mg | Potassium: 111mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 0.9mg

did you love this recipe?

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Close up picture of Outback bread with text overlay for Pinterest.

Don’t forget the soup!

Walkabout Soup Outback Steakhouse Copycat Recipe 1

Check out my Outback Steakhouse Walkabout Soup Copycat Recipe!
This Outback Bread recipe first appeared on FFF on January 9, 2015. I have since updated the recipe and post. An original picture is below.

Copycat Outback Honey Wheat Bushman Bread Recipe
Outback Bread before it's baked
Copycat Outback Bread Recipe
Honey Wheat Bushman Bread
Delicious Outback Steakhouse Bread
Best Outback Bread Copycat Recipe

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Recipe Rating




101 Comments

  1. Love Keil says:

    OMG! This bread recipe looks amazing, thank you for sharing this delicious recipe!

  2. Nellie Tracy says:

    This bread is absolutely amazing! A favorite for sure!

  3. Morgan Eisenberg says:

    I haven’t tried Outback’s version, but am in love with Cheesecake Factory’s honey wheat bread, so making this recipe is a no-brainer!

    1. Hi! You have 2-3 cups of bread flour listed, and I was wondering about how much you typically use for this recipe?

  4. This brings back so many memories. My husband and I used to live near an Outback and we ate there all the time. We both loved this bread. Now we aren’t near any Outbacks, but I can’t wait to make this recipe for him. It will be such a fun surprise!

  5. Erica Schwarz says:

    This bread is the whole reason I used to go to Outback. Unbelievable I can make it at home now YAyyy!

  6. Kushigalu says:

    Thank you so much for sharing . Bread looks fantastic. Will try this soon

  7. Jillian you have done it again! Cannot believe I can now make this delicious bread at home! OMGosh how perfect! Thank you so much…loads excited!!

  8. can this be made in a bread machine?

    1. Although I haven’t tried, I bet it can be. It’s quite a bit of dough, so I suggest cutting the recipe in half for the bread machine.

  9. My family loved this bread. Definitely a keeper.
    What is the best way to store any leftovers, so they taste just as fresh?

    1. So glad your family loved this recipe. I store leftovers at room temp but completely crapped in foil.

  10. Stephanie says:

    Has anyone tried baking this without a stand mixer? Can you knead this dough by hand? I have an old hand mixer with small dough hooks but I’ve never tried using it on bread dough!

    1. Hi Stephanie, you can use the dough hook on your handheld mixer. It’s a wet dough so the handheld mixer should be able to handle it.

  11. Made exactly as directed. Nailed it! Amazing! Paired it with honey butter. OMG!

      1. Hello,

        Can I substitute the whole wheat flour with all purpose?

        1. It can, but it won’t be a copycat recipe any longer. You will also need to reduce the amount of liquid because all-purpose flour doesn’t absorb as much water as whole wheat flour.

  12. Loved this bread! Served with Jalapeño bacon mac and cheese.
    I made the whole recipe and wish I had only made half.
    Have three loaves in the freezer. Made a honey butter to go with it.
    Was delicious.

    1. Yum, sounds like quite the meal! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

  13. Doris Huddleston says:

    One of the reasons I go to Outback restaurant!

  14. I love the cost breakdown on this recipe- I might never buy it again! This turned out delicious- thank you!

  15. Lyda L McPherson says:

    I want to clarify the addition of the yeast. Do you put it in dry? Most bread recipes require you to dissolve the yeast in warm water.
    Thank you

    1. Hi Lyda,

      How the recipe is written is correct. You can watch the recipe video to see how it all come together, too! 🙂

      1. Marisa Fort says:

        Ooooh! Sounds delicious! Can’t wait to make this. Thank you for adding that part about freezing the excess. I always forget about that and stress about eating everything right away, lol.

        1. Thank you so much for this recipe! Looks amazing! What could I use as a GF substitute to the whole wheat flour? Gf all purpose flour, oat flour? And is there a replacement for molasses if I can’t find any available right now?

          1. Hi Sam,

            Unfortunately I am not an experienced GF baker. My best guess would be to use GF all-purpose flour.

  16. Katerina | Once a Foodie says:

    I love a good copycat recipe and this one will definitely hit the spot! I like the idea of making all the loaves and freezing half – so much more convenient that making them again in a week (which is how long I think these will last in our house). Thanks so much for sharing!

  17. Kakhaber Khmelidze says:

    Love homemade bread! Strong and beautiful recipe. Thanks.

  18. Oh wow, this is your recipe! I’ve had this saved in my favs since right before Coronavirus. Then I couldn’t find flour anywhere, not in any store or online. I still have a hard time, and only found it once, and was only allowed one bag, and so I haven’t dared use up my flour to try this, but I have salivated over this recipe over and over and can’t wait to make it! I’ve not had the real mccoy from Outback, but this looks like it might be better than the original!

  19. Antoinette M says:

    This bread is delicious. Thanks for the recipe!