Molasses Brown Bread Rolls are soft and tender. Molasses and a bit of honey give this easy brown bread recipe a mild sweetness. Topped with our special butter makes them unforgettable!
Molasses Brown Bread Rolls recipe is an easy bread roll to make.
The combination of molasses and honey adds just a hint of sweetness to these brown bread rolls. A touch of cocoa gives this bread a depth of flavor but by no means a chocolate flavor.
This Homemade Brown Bread has been compared to the bread served at Outback and Cheesecake Factory restaurants.
There’s a reason that we go to those restaurants, and the memory of their Brown Bread Rolls with honey butter is a big one! This recipe, in my humble opinion, resembles that bread that we gorge on.
This recipe is more bread than sweet and the perfect balance to a savory meal.
Molasses Brown Bread Recipe Ingredients
- Dry Yeast – Active, Instant, or Rapid Rise
- Egg – Makes this bread richer and acts as a binder for the ingredients
- Honey – Adds sweetness to this brown bread recipe. We use local but use what you have available to you.
- Molasses – Adds sweetness to these rolls and also aids in keeping the bread moist. The varieties are explained below.
- Cocoa – Adds a deep richness to the flavor without the actual taste of chocolate. We use Dutch-processed cocoa.
- Brown Sugar – Either light or dark varieties will work just fine.
- Flour – We used whole wheat and all-purpose flour in this recipe. Using just whole wheat would have made these rolls dense. The combination of the two flours kept our Molasses Brown Bread soft and tender.
- Salt – We like using fine sea salt in our bread recipes. The granules are small and will not sink to the bottom of our dry ingredients like the coarser varieties.
- Garnish – The tops of these rolls can be dusted with a light sprinkle of cornmeal or oats. It can be skipped altogether as well
What’s the best variety of molasses to use?
Molasses is a liquid and will add moisture and a darker hue to Brown Bread. There are basically three varieties of molasses. You can use what you prefer. Here are the differences.
- Light molasses – lighter in flavor and hue. Perfect for baking and candies.
- Dark molasses – stronger in flavor and darker hue. Can be used interchangeably with light molasses. Often used for gingersnap recipes.
- Blackstrap molasses – very dark in hue and has a strong flavor with a bitterness to it. Often used in barbecue or baked bean recipe. (source)
How to make Brown Bread
- Combine dry yeast with warm water and let it rest until it blooms in the bowl of an electric stand mixer, approximately 5 to 10 minutes. Note: if you use instant yeast, rapid rise, or active yeast, you don’t have to wait.
- Add the egg, honey, molasses, all-purpose flour, cocoa, brown sugar, salt, to the yeast mixture. Mix together using the paddle attachment.
- Change the paddle attachment to the dough hook attachment on the mixer.
- With the mixer on low, gradually add 1 cup of whole wheat flour and mix until combined. Gradually add the other cup of whole wheat flour until the dough starts to ball and leaves the sides of the bowl. Beat on low for 7 minutes, adding additional flour if necessary.
- This is a stiff dough but it will bake up soft and tender.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it until it’s tight and smooth 4 to 5 times.
- Place the dough in a large lightly oiled bowl, turning once to oil both sides of the dough ball. Cover and allow the dough to rise until doubled in size, 90 minutes.
- Punch down the dough and form 16 rolls. Place them on a greased 9X13 inch baking dish and allow them to rise again for 1 hour.
- Brush the tops with melted butter and dust with cornmeal or oats. (optional)
- Bake
If you’re going to use the Brown Sugar Honey Butter, you can make it before or while you’re making your rolls.
Bread can be stored at room temperature 2 to 3 days or frozen wrapped with plastic wrap and placed in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.
How to make Brown Sugar Honey Butter
- Whip a stick of butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and fluffy.
- Add the brown sugar and honey. Continue beating until well blended.
- Store in a covered container in the refrigerator. Brown sugar honey butter and also be frozen. We like to roll ours in a piece of plastic wrap in the shape of a tube and freeze it so it can be sliced for serving.
Our most popular bread recipes
- Overnight Sourdough Bread
- Italian Bread Recipe
- Medianoche Bread
- Cherry Bread
- Organic Whole Wheat Bread Recipe
- Spelt Sandwich Bread
- Brioche Bun Recipe
- Waterford Blaa Irish Bread Rolls
We LOVE baking bread! You can find all of our bread recipes here!
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We really enjoyed these rolls, and even though I bake a lot of bread it reminded me that I need to make rolls more often.
Oh and that butter would be delicious on pancakes or waffles too. I’m just drooling thinking about it.
Sweet Molasses Brown Bread Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
Bread Dough
Brown sugar butter
- 8 tbsp salted butter 1 stick
- 1/4 cup brown sugar light or dark
- 1 tbsp honey
Instructions
Molasses Brown Bread
- Combine warm water and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer and let sit for 10 minutes.
- Add the egg, honey, molasses, all-purpose flour, cocoa, brown sugar, salt, to the yeast mixture. Mix together using the paddle attachment until combined.
- Change beater to the dough hook. Add one cup of the whole wheat flour and mix on low until combined. Gradually add another cup of whole wheat flour until dough starts to ball and leaves the sides of the bowl. Beat on low for 7 minutes, adding additional flour if necessary.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until tight and smooth, 4 to 5 times. Place the dough in a large lightly oiled bowl, turning once to oil both sides of the dough ball. Cover the dough and allow to rise until doubled in size, 90 minutes.
- Punch down dough and form 16 rolls. Place in a greased 9X13 inch pan and allow to rise again for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with cornflour or oats (optional)
- Bake for 22 minutes.
Brown Sugar Honey Butter
- Add the stick of butter to the bowl of an electric mixer and mix until the butter is light and fluffy.
- Add the brown sugar and honey to the butter. Continue beating until smooth.
Notes
Nutrition
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Thank you from the bottom of my heart for spending some time with me today!
Mahy says
I’ve got to make a big batch of these because I do have a feeling that they won’t last long. They certainly look absolutely amazing!
Julie Menghini says
Thank you, Mahy! They do go quickly in my house!
Beth Sachs says
Absolutely delicious straight out of the oven spread with salted butter! Yummy
Julie Menghini says
Thank you, Beth!
Lisa says
I’ve got a nearly full jar of molasses (I just made a BBQ sauce) and now I need to make these delicious buns. They look perfect to go with a bowl of soup or savory braise,
Julie Menghini says
I agree! Thank you, Lisa!
Katherine says
Oh wow! Molasses and a sneaky touch of cocoa. These are amazing.
Julie Menghini says
Thank you, Katherine! It’s amazing what a bit of molasses and cocoa do.
Cate says
This is my absolute favorite type of bread, but I’ve never tried making it myself! Thanks for the recipe can’t wait to make it.
Julie Menghini says
Thank you, Cate! Easy and delicious!
Summer Shugart says
Can you freeze the dough into balls and thaw and bake? I’m looking to make these for Thanksgiving and trying to get a few things made ahead of time. Thank you!
Julie Menghini says
I haven’t done it myself but see absolutely no reason why you can’t. You can thaw them either in the refrigerator or a room temperature.
Bea Lautenbach says
https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2015/10/05/freeze-bake-rolls This is from King Arthur Flour site. Besides being the only flour I use they have an incredible staff who will answer your questions.
Julie Menghini says
Thank you for helping our readers out Bea!
Gloria says
Can this be made in a bread machine
Julie Menghini says
I don’t have a bread machine Gloria so maybe one of our readers have the answer to that?
Bea Lautenbach says
I’ve made in a bread machine just layer your ingredients like you would for a regular bread machine recipe. I use instant yeast so I don’t let mine bloom first just remember yeast doesn’t like salt so I mix my salt with my flour then pour the yeast over the flour.
Julie Menghini says
I don’t own a bread machine so your response will be helpful.
Erin says
We loved this bread SO very much! What a delightful thing to be making this time of year (and with everything that’s been going on.) My girls and I loved working on this dough together.
Kathleen says
These rolls are amazingly delicious, soft, chewy, with rich flavor!! They easily beat Outback’s brown bread rolls! Thanks for the recipe!
Julie Menghini says
Thank you!
Shelle says
Made them for the COVID-Easter celebration (needed new recipes in out lockdown). These turned out amazing. Thank you!
Julie Menghini says
I’m so glad that you enjoyed them Shelle! Thank you for your kind comment!
Bev says
I don’t have enough whole wheat flour – and flour is one of those “hard to find” items these days – could I just use all purpose instead?
Julie Menghini says
You sure can Bev.
Rebecca says
Hi Julie,
I’m getting ready to make 2 batches of these rolls. The 2nd batch is going to a friend. I want to prepare it enough and have her bake it for the family for dinner so that they have it hot and fresh out the oven. Where in the process would I stop and take to her? Refrigerate after first rise and been formed into 16 rolls and then have her do 2nd rise, then bake?
Thank you
Julie Menghini says
What a wonderful thing to do, Rebecca! I’ve not done this but I would let them rise, punch them down and then form the rolls. I would then cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate them until you take them to your friend. I would instruct your friend to let them come to room temperature while the oven preheats or about 30 minutes to that hour. They will continue to ferment while in the refrigerator even though it slows down.
debi at Life Currents says
I love fresh homemade v=bread & this looks fabulous. That molasses looks like it’ll add the perfect amount of flavor and moisture.
Julie Menghini says
Thank you, Debi! This is one of my favorites too!
Winnie says
It looks FANTASTIC !!
I’ve never baked with Molasses before….. I’m intrigued now 🙂
Julie Menghini says
Thank you so much Winnie! After looking at your site and seeing how talented your are, that is indeed a compliment! I appreciate your visiting!
Sweet and Savoury Pursuits says
This bread sounds perfect, I just love molasses, and with that butter, you just can’t go wrong!
Jhuls says
I need some of these right now, Julie. I wish I acty have it in front of me. I have just made my coffee and now I almost lick the screen. 😀 Happy FF and thanks for bringing these beauties. Enjoy your weekend. 🙂
breakfastdramaqueen says
These look so so good! I’m a giant fan of molasses, and I love that you’ve used half whole wheat flour 🙂
Julie Menghini says
Thank you! I like trying whole grains when I can, and these came out soft and delicious.
dedy oktavianus pardede says
definitley lovin this for my brunch in the clinic….
Julie Menghini says
Thank you Dedy! Please let me know if you give them a try.
bitsofnice says
Julie they look so soft and nice! And I love the butter idea, gorgeous! 🙂 x
Julie Menghini says
Thank you so much! They were very soft and stayed that way for several days. My husband did a number on that butter! I think he ended up putting it on anything. 🙂
bitsofnice says
Can’t blame him, I would be tempted to do the same!
Jess says
I love brown bread, this looks delicious Julie, Happy FF 🙂
Julie Menghini says
Thank you so much Jess! Happy FF to you too!
Lora @cakeduchess says
I’m thinking these rolls would be lovely to serve at a dinner party I’m having next week! I may have to sneak a couple just for me with that brown sugar butter…oh, my!!
Julie Menghini says
Thank you Lora! Please let me know if you try them. Enjoy your weekend!