Outback Steakhouse Bushman Bread
Outback’s complimentary bread basket is more memorable than most appetizers. Two small dark oval loaves arrive warm, smelling of honey and molasses, with a cornmeal-dusted exterior and a cup of whipped honey butter. The bread itself — officially called Honey Wheat Bushman Bread — regularly gets more attention than the food that follows it.
The recipe is simpler than the bread makes itself look. Two rises, no bread machine required, and the dark color that looks like it took expert technique is achieved with a tablespoon and a half of cocoa powder and a teaspoon of instant coffee.
TL;DR
Whole wheat–dominant flour blend (more WW than bread flour) sweetened with honey and dark molasses, darkened with cocoa and instant coffee. Cornmeal-dusted exterior; optional oat topping. Bake at 350°F, brush immediately with butter. Serve warm with whipped honey butter (butter + honey + powdered sugar + cinnamon, beaten until fluffy). Two loaves, $3–4 in ingredients, about 2½ hours start to finish including both rises (roughly 20 minutes of that is active work).
What’s Actually In It: The Color Technique
The dark mahogany crumb of Bushman Bread comes from two ingredients that almost no one expects: unsweetened cocoa powder and instant coffee granules.
At the amounts used here — 1.5 tablespoons of cocoa and 1 teaspoon of instant coffee per batch — neither ingredient registers as chocolate or coffee in the finished bread. They’re colorants. Cocoa powder has a deep brown with a red undertone; coffee adds a darker neutral brown. Together, they push the molasses-tinted whole wheat dough past the medium-tan zone and into the deep mahogany color Outback is known for.
Without them, you get a bread that tastes nearly identical but looks like generic wheat bread. The technique is the same one used in Cheesecake Factory brown bread — it’s a known shortcut in the “dark sweet bread basket” genre that most home bakers encounter for the first time when trying to match the color.
If you want the darkest possible result, use Dutch-process cocoa (Hershey’s Special Dark or Dutched European style) instead of natural cocoa. Dutch-process has more neutral acidity and a darker pigment.
The Flour Ratio That Gets the Texture Right
Whole wheat flour contains the bran and germ layers stripped from white flour. Those fibrous particles are physically abrasive during kneading — they cut the gluten strands developing in the dough. Too much whole wheat produces a dense, heavy loaf. Too little, and the bread doesn’t taste or feel like Outback’s version.
The ratio here is roughly 2 cups whole wheat to 1.25 cups bread flour, leaning heavily toward whole wheat. This matches the texture most copycat bakers converge on when trying to replicate the slightly dense, substantial crumb of Bushman Bread without making it feel like a brick. Bread flour’s higher protein content (11–13% vs. 10–11% for all-purpose) builds stronger gluten that lifts the whole wheat’s weight and keeps the loaf from being too flat or compact.
The honey and molasses both tenderize the crumb by competing with gluten formation and retaining moisture after baking — honey is hygroscopic (it absorbs and holds water), which keeps the crumb softer longer than plain sugar would.
The Honey Butter
The honey butter at Outback is not melted honey drizzled on butter — it’s genuinely whipped: softened butter beaten with honey, powdered sugar, and a restrained amount of cinnamon until it’s pale, fluffy, and light enough to spread without tearing warm bread. The cinnamon here is background warmth, not a primary flavor the way it is in Texas Roadhouse’s cinnamon honey butter — the honey and butter are the main notes.
Whipping incorporates air, which is what distinguishes this from stirred honey butter: a small amount spreads easily and coats the bread without clumping.
The butter must be genuinely at room temperature — cold butter chunks rather than whips. Set it out 30–45 minutes in advance, or sit the wrapped stick in a bowl of warm (not hot) water for 5 minutes. Once whipped, it keeps for a week in the fridge. Pull it out 20–30 minutes before serving so it softens enough to spread.
The Cornmeal Detail
The exterior cornmeal is authentic and functional, not decorative. Cornmeal on the parchment paper prevents the soft dough from sticking during the second rise and baking. When the loaf bakes, the cornmeal creates a slightly coarse, crunchy layer on the bottom crust — a textural contrast you’d notice immediately if it were missing.
Some versions also add rolled oats to the top of the loaves before baking (lightly brush with water, scatter oats, they toast into the crust). This is optional but adds another layer of texture and looks correct.
Shape: Mini Oval Loaves, Not a Sandwich Loaf
Bushman Bread comes as small oval loaves — officially described as tubular mini loaves about 6–8 inches long and 2 inches wide. They’re meant to be torn apart by hand and shared at the table, not sliced from a standard 9×5 pan.
Shaping: after the first rise, divide the dough in half and shape each piece into an oval by flattening the ball, folding the sides toward the center, pinching the seam, and rolling to shape. Place seam-side down on the cornmeal-dusted parchment. Score once diagonally before baking — without scoring, the loaf can burst at a weak point as steam pressure builds inside.
Outback Bread vs. Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread
Both are dark, sweet, wheat-based table loaves built on the cocoa-and-coffee color technique. They taste similar enough that one can stand in for the other, but they’re distinct:
| Outback Bushman Bread | Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread | |
|---|---|---|
| Official name | Honey Wheat Bushman Bread | Brown Bread |
| Flour ratio | WW-dominant (~2:1.25 WW to bread flour) | Three flours (WW + bread + all-purpose) |
| Sweetener balance | More honey | More molasses |
| Cocoa | 1.5 tbsp | 2 tbsp |
| Coffee/espresso | 1 tsp | 2 tsp |
| Bake temp | 350°F | 375°F |
| Flavor direction | Sweeter, honey-forward | Earthier, molasses-dominant |
| Crumb texture | Slightly dense, soft | Slightly chewier, firmer crust |
| Served with | Whipped honey butter (light cinnamon) | Whipped honey butter |
If the Cheesecake Factory version feels too rich or molasses-heavy, Outback’s is the lighter, sweeter counterpart. They’re genuinely different enough to make both.
Variations
Darker loaf: Double the cocoa to 2.5 tablespoons and increase the molasses to 3 tablespoons. Reduce honey by 1 tablespoon to keep the sweetness balanced. The result is closer to Cheesecake Factory’s flavor profile.
Oat topping (more textural): Lightly wet the tops of the shaped loaves with a pastry brush dipped in water before the second rise. Scatter 2 tablespoons of rolled oats across both loaves, pressing gently to adhere. The oats toast during baking and add crunch that contrasts with the soft interior.
Honey garlic butter: For a savory direction, swap the honey butter for compound butter made with 2 cloves of roasted garlic (squeezed from skins after 400°F for 20 minutes), 1/2 cup softened butter, and 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or rosemary. Whip and serve the same way.
Storage and Reheating
Bushman Bread is best the day it’s made. By day two, the crust softens and the crumb firms.
Store at room temperature wrapped in foil or a bread bag for up to 2 days. Don’t refrigerate — cold accelerates starch retrogradation and makes the crumb firm and dry faster than counter storage. For longer storage, bake, cool completely, wrap tightly in plastic, and freeze for up to 3 months.
To reheat: wrap loosely in foil and warm in a 300°F oven for 10–12 minutes. Unwrap for the last 2 minutes to re-crisp the crust. Don’t microwave — it makes the crumb rubbery.
More Outback Steakhouse Recipes
- Copycat Outback Bloomin’ Onion — a whole sweet onion, ~200 petals, double-dredged in Cajun-spiced flour, deep-fried with Bloom Sauce
- Copycat Outback Alice Springs Chicken — honey-Dijon marinated chicken breast topped with mushrooms, bacon, and melted cheese
- Outback Grilled Chicken on the Barbie — tangy mustard-honey glaze, charred edges
For steakhouse bread basket comparisons: Texas Roadhouse Rolls, Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread, and Olive Garden Breadsticks.
