Molasses bread is reminiscent of the brown bread you’d find in a bread basket at a restaurant, it was always my favorite. Now I’ve turned it into a delicious family favorite perfect for switching up the normal bread routine. It works well for morning toast, grilled cheese, sandwiches, french toast, basically anything you’d use regular bread for- but with a delicious savory twist. This recipe calls for a mix of whole wheat flour and bread flour, with 1/3 of a cup of molasses to bring a deep rich flavor, and the addition of a few tablespoons of cocoa powder to add color and depth. We often make this into two normal sandwich loaves, or it can be shaped into two or three freeform loaves and baked on a baking sheet for a beautiful dinner table spread.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add warm water and a bit of the sugar/honey to help activate the yeast. We’re using a tablespoon of yeast here- a bit more than other bread recipes- to give the whole wheat flour the boost it needs for a nice fluffy final product.
Now add everything else in (whole wheat flour, bread flour, remaining sugar/honey, cocoa powder, molasses, oil, salt) and mix on speed 2 until the dough comes together and looks smooth. Mine took about 7 minutes. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, 1-2 hours.
After rising, punch down and turn dough out, divide in half.
For each half, press down into a rough rectangle shape and fold it onto itself in thirds (like a letter.) To shape, keep a hand behind the loaf and drag it gently towards you creating tension, tuck in the ends and repeat a few times until you have shaped a nice tidy loaf.
Grease your pans well if forming into sandwich loaves- I like this coconut oil spray from Trader Joe’s but butter works well too, just make sure they’re generously covered to avoid any sticking. Cover and leave to rise until the dough has risen about an inch over the rim. Bake for 25-30 minutes, and rub some butter on the tops of the loaves when they’re hot from the oven.
For freeform loaves, shape similarly to create tension in the loaf, making these a bit longer. This recipe can make either two large loaves, or three smaller sized loaves. On two parchment lined baking sheets, leave a few inches between the loaves and rise for about an hour. Slice the tops diagonally a few times right before baking. Don’t forget the butter on top when they come out of the oven!
Molasses Brown Bread
This delicious brown bread is full of the richness of molasses with a hint of cocoa. Make this family favorite recipe into two sandwich loaves, or 2-3 freeform dinner loaves.
Ingredients
- 2½ cups warm water
- 1 tbsp dry active yeast
- ⅓ cup molasses
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 3 tbsp olive oil or melted coconut oil
- ¼ cup honey or sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- 3 cups whole wheat flour
- 3½ cups bread flour
Instructions
- In the bowl of stand mixer, activate yeast in warm water (add a tablespoon of the honey/sugar to help feed the yeast)
- When the yeast is foamy and activated, add remaining honey/sugar, salt, molasses, cocoa, oil, and whole wheat flour
- Add in 2½ cups of the bread flour (reserving ½ cup)
- Mix on speed 2 until the dough looks smooth and pulled together- about 5-7 minutes. If it's still sticky at the bottom of the bowl, add the remaining flour
- Cover and let rise until doubled (1-2 hours)
- Punch down dough, turn out onto floured surface, and divide in half
- To shape each loaf, press dough down into a rectangle (doesn't have to be perfect) and fold into thirds, like a letter
- Turn the dough and roll it up onto itself longways
- Use tension to gently pull the loaf toward you while keeping your hand behind it. Tuck in the ends a bit and repeat until it feels like a nice tidy loaf
- Place in well oiled or buttered loaf pan and cover for about an hour (this is when I preheat the oven)
- When they've risen to about one inch above the pans, bake for 30 minutes
- Cool for a few minutes in the pans, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely
Notes
- This bread works well for tidy sandwich loaves, but also works great as a freeform loaf baked on a baking sheet. It will make two fairly large loaves, or three medium sized loaves. If you try to freeform loaves, be sure to slash the tops right before baking to venting. To make them a little more fancy, coat with butter right out of the oven and maybe add some oats on top. These make great gifts!
- My family likes molasses bread as our every day bread, for toast, grilled cheese, French toast, you name it!
- Stores well in a bread bag for up to 5 days, longer in the fridge. Freezes well!