Outback Steakhouse Honey Wheat Bread
Prep time: 20 minutes (plus 1.5-2 hours rising) Cook time: 30 minutes Servings: 2 loaves
Outback Steakhouse’s dark honey wheat bread is the reason people fill up before their Bloomin’ Onion even arrives. It’s a sweet, dark, intensely flavored bread that’s unlike anything you’d find at a bakery. The color comes from a combination of whole wheat flour, dark molasses, cocoa powder, and instant coffee — four ingredients that work together to create that distinctive deep brown color and complex sweetness.
The bread is soft and almost cake-like in texture, with a honey-molasses sweetness that pairs perfectly with their whipped honey butter. It’s meant to be torn apart by hand, not sliced, and eaten warm.
The Dark Color Secret
- Cocoa and coffee aren’t for flavor. You won’t taste chocolate or coffee in the finished bread. They’re there purely for color — they darken the dough to that signature Outback brown without adding bitterness.
- Dark molasses, not regular. Dark molasses has a more intense flavor and deeper color than regular molasses. It’s what gives the bread its robust, almost malty sweetness.
- Brush with butter while hot. The butter melts into the warm crust, adding shine and keeping the surface soft instead of crusty.
Steakhouse Bread at Home
Outback’s bread is free with your meal, but meals start at $15-25. Two loaves of this bread cost about $3 in ingredients. Serve it warm with whipped honey butter — just beat softened butter with honey until fluffy — and your dinner guests will think you’re a professional baker.
