Sweet Molasses Brown Bread Rolls Recipe

Name: Sweet Molasses Brown Bread Rolls Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 22 min
Total time: 187 min
Ingredients: 4 tsps active dry yeast; 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F); 1 egg (room temperature); 1/4 cup honey; 3 tbsp molasses; 2 tbsp cocoa (I used dutch processed); 1 tsp salt; 1/4 cup brown sugar; 1½ cups all-purpose flour (plus ½ if needed); 1¾ cups whole wheat flour; Cornmeal (optional); 8 tbsp salted butter (1 stick); 1/4 cup brown sugar (light or dark); 1 tbsp honey

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February 4, 2021 Updated: July 10, 2021 By Julie Menghini 101 Comments

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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!

A roll sits next to a rolled pulled apart and buttered next to a jar of butter and in front of a basket of rolls.

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 for 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.

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Two photo collage for Pinterest. The top photo is of several rolls and the bottom photo is of a roll split in half and spread with butter.

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.

If you like this recipe, we would appreciate your comment and a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review!

Close up shot of a brown bread roll split in half and spread with butter. A whole roll and jar of butter sit in the background.

5 from 8 votes