This brown bread, potato flake starter recipe, uses unique ingredients that make the softest and tastiest bread. Pair it with a meal, or enjoyed as an appetizer. This is a bread no one can resist!
If you’ve ever had the brown bread at The Cheesecake Factory or at Outback Steakhouse, this recipe tastes just like these!
There is only one major difference that this bread has from the famous restaurant loaves. Instead of using yeast, it made with a potato flake sourdough starter.
Why use a potato flake starter?
If you’ve looked around the blog any, you probably noticed how much I love to make bread with my potato flake starer.
It’s a great way to naturally rise bread and makes it easier for your body to digest and absorb the nutrients.
Once you get the hang of it, it’s so easy to maintain. Keeping a potato flake starter in your kitchen will change the way you feel about bread, and how you feel when you eat it!
If you want to make a starter on your own, I have another post that will tell you all about how to make one!
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.
Tools you will need:
Parchment paper
Baking pan
Ingredients:
2 cups bread flour: Bread flour is great for any type of bread loaves.
2 cups whole wheat flour: Whole wheat flour adds flavor plus additional nutrients.
3/4 cup of potato flake starter:An active starter will rise the bread more quickly, but you could use a less active starter to rise your bread, it will just take longer.
3/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons of warm water: Make sure not to add hot water. If your water is too warm, it can kill your starter.
2 Tablespoons molasses: Molasses brings a unique flavor to this bread and helps give it some of its sweet taste.
1/4 cup of honey: Honey or maple syrup can be used.
2 Tablespoons dark brown sugar: Adds additional sweetener and molasses. (If you don’t have brown sugar you can make it by adding molasses to regular sugar.)
2 Tablespoons cocoa powder: This will not make it taste like chocolate bread. It does give it great flavor and the beautiful dark color.
1 1/2 teaspoons salt: Don’t forget to add the salt, or your loaf will be lacking in flavor.
2 Tablespoons softened butter: If you accidentally melt the butter, don’t fret, melted will be fine. Just be sure it isn’t hot or this could also kill you starter.
How to make potato flake sourdough brown bread:
Add all of the ingredients into a stand mixer. Using a dough hook, knead the dough until it has pulled away from the sides of the bowl.
It will stick slightly to the bottom of the bowl, but should be smooth and slightly tacky to the touch.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap to prevent the dough from drying out. Place it in a warm spot and allow it to rise for 8-12 hours or until doubled.
Shape the loaves:
After the dough has risen, remove the dough from the bowl and divide into 4 equal parts. Shape each section into a small loaf. Do this by pressing into a a rectangle. Roll the rectangle into a cylinder and pinch the seams and ends closed.
Using parchment paper on a baking sheet fold up some parchment up in between each loaf to separate them from touching each other.
Cover with plastic wrap and allow them to rise again until doubled. This can take 6-10 hours depending on the temperature.
Once the loaves have doubled, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the plastic wrap and bake for 30-35 minutes.
Because these are brown loaves, it’s a bit harder to tell when the loaves are almost done. To check and make sure the loaves are not getting over baked, you can check the bottom of the loaves.
Once they are done, they will have a slightly darker color than before.
Let the loaves cool for 20 minutes before slicing. Doing this ensures that the dough is fully baked through the center and keep the bread more moist.
Store rolls in an airtight container or sealed bag after cooled.
Pin it for later
Brown Bread – A potato flake starter recipe
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Dough cutter/bench scraper
- Parchment Paper
- Baking pan
Ingredients
- 2 cups bread flour
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 3/4 cup potato flake starter an active starter will do better
- 3/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons warm water if it's too warm it can kill your starter
- 2 Tablespoons molasses
- 1/4 cup honey can substitute with maple syrup
- 2 Tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 Tablespoons softened butter
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients into a stand mixer. Using a dough hook, knead the dough until it has pulled away from the sides of the bowl.
- It will stick slightly to the bottom of the bowl, but should be smooth and slightly tacky to the touch.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap to prevent the dough from drying out. Place it in a warm spot and allow it to rise for 8-12 hours or until doubled.
- After the dough has risen, remove the dough from the bowl and divide into 4 equal parts. Shape each section into a small loaf. Do this by pressing into a a rectangle. Roll the rectangle into a cylinder and pinch the seams and ends closed.
- Using parchment paper on a baking sheet fold up some parchment up in between each loaf to separate them from touching each other.
- Cover with plastic wrap and allow them to rise again until doubled. This can take 6-10 hours depending on the temperature.
- Once the loaves have doubled, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the plastic wrap and bake for 30-35 minutes.
- Let the loaves cool for 20 minutes before slicing. Doing this ensures that the dough is fully baked through the center and keep the bread more moist.
- Store rolls in an airtight container or sealed bag after cooled.
Kate
Wondering how sweet this bread tastes with the three different sweeteners? It sounds good but possibly a tad sweet for my taste. I saw somewhere else that you liken it to pumpernickel flavor…
Magen
It is a sweeter bread, but not over powering. Cocoa powder is bitter and this helps offset some of the sweetness. To give you an idea, if you have every tried the brown bread from Outback Steakhouse, this is extremely similar.
Donna
Can this just be made in a loaf pan for a loaf of bread??
Magen
I have not done this but I see no issue with it, just plan on adjusting the baking time.
Margie
Do you use a metal or glass mixing bowl? I have always used wooden spoons and non metal bowls.
Magen
I use both, as long as it is stainless steel it is fine!