Sourdough Molasses Brown Bread

5 from 9 votes

Sourdough Molasses Brown Bread

Soft, tender, and rich, this Sweet Sourdough Molasses Brown Bread is made with simple ingredients and tastes even better than the one you can get at Outback.

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Bulk Fermentation9

Course: Sourdough

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: rolls

Calories: 578kcal

Author: Tatiana Kamakura

Equipment

1 Baking sheet
Parchment paper

Ingredients

236 g water
60 g honey
2 tablespoon molasses
280 g all-purpose flour
180 g whole wheat flour
2 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 ½ teaspoon salt
125 g sourdough starter
2 tablespoon oil
cornmeal for dusting and topping

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prepare Your Starter: Ensure your sourdough starter is active by feeding it 6 to 8 hours before starting the recipe.
Mix Wet Ingredients: In a bowl, combine water, sourdough starter, honey, molasses, and oil.
Add Dry Ingredients: Add whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Mix until a dough forms.
Knead: Knead for about 8 minutes with a stand mixer or 15-20 minutes by hand. The dough is sticky at first, so wet or flour your hands if needed. After kneading, the dough should pass the windowpane test (stretch without tearing).
Bulk Fermentation: Transfer the dough to a clean bowl, cover, and let rise for 6-8 hours, or until it has risen by at least 75%.
Cold Ferment (Optional): After bulk fermentation, you can cold ferment the dough for up to 48 hours or proceed to shaping and baking.
Shape the Dough: Divide the dough into 4 equal parts. Let them rest for 10 minutes before shaping. Flatten each piece into a rectangle, then roll into a log, pinching the ends to seal.
Second Rise: Place rolls on a parchment-lined baking sheet dusted with cornmeal. Dust the tops with cornmeal, cover, and let rise for 1-1.5 hours until puffy.
Bake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the rolls for 25-30 minutes. Let them cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Video

Notes

Can I bake sandwich bread with this recipe? Yes, you can make sourdough sandwich bread. Follow the shaping instructions for sourdough sandwich bread.
Can I use my oven’s proof function during bulk fermentation? Yes, especially useful in winter. It usually takes 5-6 hours in the oven's proof function.
Can I make dinner rolls with this recipe? Yes, follow the shaping instructions for sourdough dinner rolls.
Want to keep the crust softer for longer? You can copy what I always do when baking my Subway bread and brush the top with butter when out of the oven!
Don’t add more than the specified amount of whole wheat flour, or the rolls might not turn out as soft.

Nutrition