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.
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!
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.
How do you make the Honey Wheat Bushman Bread recipe?
- First, line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.
- Next, mix the water, oil, food coloring, honey, and molasses until combined.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Then cover the dough with greased plastic wrap and let it rise for another 45-60 minutes. Dust the risen dough with cornmeal.
- Finally, bake the bread for 40 minutes at 350 degrees rotating the pans halfway through baking.
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
More Bread:
- Garlic Cheese Breadsticks
- Garlic Knots
- Bread Bowls
- Green Chile Cornbread
- Multigrain Bread
- Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes
- Potato Rolls
- Blueberry Scones
- Copycat Cheddar Biscuits
- Shortcake Biscuit
- Chocolate Babka Bread
- Yorkshire Pudding
- Pumpkin Bread
- Zucchini Bread
- Crescent Rolls
- Sour Cream Cornbread
More From Food Folks and Fun
Honey Wheat Bushman Bread Recipe – an Outback Steakhouse Copycat!
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.
- 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.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Don’t forget the soup!
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.
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I love Outback’s bread. I hope this really is the same as the restaurant.
I love love love this recipe.. It’s easy enough. And, super tasty.
I haven’t tried Outback, but this looks delicious!
Can this recipe be made in a bread machine ?
Hi Deborah,
I do not own a bread machine, so I can’t say with assurity. My gut is telling me that it will work, but you will have to halve the recipe. If you try it, come back and let me know if it worked!
Yes, I did. Put it on dough cycle, and when it is done, proceed toe step after the rise … Step 6, I believe, where you divide the dough and form the loaves.
If I don’t have a dough hook or a stand mixer- what can I do? I’m new to making bread. Thanks!
Hi Victoria, you can mix the dough with either a hand mixer with a dough hook or a large bowl and mix with a wooden spoon. When it comes to kneading the dough, knead it for 10 minutes on a floured countertop.
They taste just like Outback bushman bread! Mine turned out much flatter, though. The dough was much wetter and the shaped buns spread sideways during the 2nd rise, just before putting into the oven. Still tasted great!
do I have to use bread flour. will all purpose do?
Trish,
All purpose flour will work, you just might need to add a bit more of it.
I have a friend who loves The Outback bread and asked me to make her some. I found your recipe and made it. Fantastic. She now has enough bread to eat and freeze. She said it was better than The Outback’s bread. A high compliment, indeed. I followed your recipe exactly and the directions were clear and concise. Thank you! I will be making this again.
So glad you and your friend love the recipe! Thanks for stopping by to let me know! 🙂
Very good. We served warm with honey butter.
Any ideas what to do with leftovers?
This turned out delicious! My dough was rather loose and so my loaves were flatter than they should’ve been, and therefore baked faster too. But that’s ok–they were still delicious and still turned out fine. Afterwards I realized when I cut the recipe in half I’d accidently only used 1.25 cups of wheat flour instead of 1.75 cups. Frankly, I’m surprised the bread came out as good as it did with that mistake!
We had it with split pea soup. Yum!
This made such wonderful bread that I was able to share with loved ones. In fact, it went so quickly, I’m making more two days later. It’s great with honey butter and I also used it to make a tomato sandwich. This recipe will be put into regular rotation.
My family and I love this recipe! Our local Outback closed up and we missed this bread so much, but now we make it at home and it does taste better! Thank you so much
How would this do converted to sourdough? Has anyone tried it?
Hi Carol, I haven’t tried converting this recipe to sourdough. Maybe someone else has, though!
Do you need to bloom the yeast first? Or just add it dry?
For this recipe, just add it dry.
I made the Honey Wheat Bushman Bread today, and it is delicious! My husband says it is like eating cake. It is not hard at all to make until it comes to handling it. However upon placing plastic wrap on it and allowing it to double in size, to my shock (as I have made bread and stickies many times, it filled up the mixer bowl, rolled down the sides and was all over the counter. I somewhat freaked out as I thought for a minute I was Lucy or Ethel (I Love Lucy) baking!! I floured my large board and separated it into 2 large loaves and 4 smaller ones. I had added the additional cup of flour but I noticed it did not want to pull away from thee sides of the bowl so I went ahead and put on my gloves, making it into loaves. They are of perfect consistency but could have raised a little more. Next time, I will add more flour, as they spread a little. We had a loaf and it was great and with butter and a dab of honey, it was “really” great! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I haven’t made this recipe yet but am getting ready to. I’m brand new to bread making but was confused by the yeast being added later with flour which is so different from most bread recipes, is that right? Is that when and how you actually add it?
Thanks so much!
Hi Lachelle, This recipe is a little different from traditional bread recipes. The recipe is correct; the yeast is added later with the flour. Also, this will be a very sticky dough; I just wanted to give your a heads up on that! 🙂
I want to say that this bread is da bomb! My first go had a couple of user problems. I mixed red and green food coloring to get my brown. It was more red, which made me think of Uluru. It wasn’t as sweet as Outback’s, but it was no less delicious.
Can I replace some of the vegetable oil with butter instead? My family loves the smelling of butter when baking bread. 🙂
You bet, that sounds delicious!
In the directions, i see no mention of adding the yeast. When is it used in the recipe.
It’s in step 4.
When is the yeast added to the recipe.
In step 4.