Sweet Brown Bread - Sweet, hearty, and soft bread is my ultimate weak spot. This bread serves as the ultimate sandwich bread or can also serve with warm butter for a delicious appetizer.

Here are the ingredients you need to make Sweet Brown Bread:
- wheat flour
- all-purpose flour
- granulated sugar
- active dry yeast
- warm water
- molasses
- honey
- butter
- cocoa powder
- salt
Here are the tools you need for this recipe:
How to make homemade Sweet Brown Bread:
Combine yeast, water and sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer and let sit for about 5 minutes for yeast activation.
Add molasses, honey, butter, cocoa powder, salt and wheat flour to the yeast mixture. Fit your mixer with dough hook and begin to knead over medium-low speed. Add remaining flour and continue to knead until a ball of dough begins to form around your hook and pulls away from the bowl. If your dough is still too sticky and not forming a ball, add more all-purpose flour about 2 tablespoon at a time.
Transfer the ball of dough to a lightly greased bowl. Cover with a clean towel and let dough rise for about 1 hour or until it doubles in size.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. If you have a pizza stone: Place a pizza stone in the oven to preheat for about 20-30 minutes. ** If you don't have a pizza stone, skip this step and use a baking sheet.
Sprinkle parchment paper with cornmeal and place the smooth ball of dough on top. When ready, carefully slide parchment paper with dough onto a baking sheet or the preheated pizza stone.
Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden and sounds hollow when you knock on the bread.
Remove from oven and let cool on a cooling rack.
Sweet Brown Bread
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 2-½ cups wheat flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 pkg active dry yeast
- 1-½ cups warm water 105 - 110 degrees F
- 4 tablespoon molasses
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoon butter softened
- 2 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon cornmeal
Instructions
- Combine yeast, water and sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer and let sit for about 5 minutes for yeast activation.
- Add molasses, honey, butter, cocoa powder, salt and wheat flour to the yeast mixture. Fit your mixer with dough hook and begin to knead over medium-low speed. Add remaining flour and continue to knead until a ball of dough begins to form around your hook and pulls away from the bowl. If your dough is still too sticky and not forming a ball, add more all-purpose flour about 2 tablespoon at a time.
- Transfer the ball of dough to a lightly greased bowl. Cover with a clean towel and let dough rise for about 1 hour or until it doubles in size.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. If you have a pizza stone: Place a pizza stone in the oven to preheat for about 20-30 minutes. ** If you don't have a pizza stone, skip this step and use a baking sheet.
- Sprinkle parchment paper with cornmeal and place smooth ball of dough on top. When ready, carefully slide parchment paper with dough onto a baking sheet or the preheated pizza stone.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden and sounds hollow when you knock on the bread.
- Remove from oven and let cool on a cooling rack.
Joanne
Just made this today in my Loaf Nest. Fantastic. Great flavor. Thank you !!
Amanda Cooks & Styles
Hi Joanne, Thank you so much for your kind review! I'm so happy you enjoyed it :)Amanda
Winnie
Quick question, after dough rises do you punch down and form a ball or just dump dough over and into pan and bake as is?
Amanda Cooks & Styles
Hi Winnie, Do not punch down. Dump over and gently smooth out into ball. You can lightly flour your hands to make this easier. :)Amanda
T Ray
Made this bread and the outside kinda of burned before the minimum time. Cooked just long enough to get to 190. The inside tastes good. Any ideas what the problem is. Used a pizza stone for baking. Actually the bottom didn't burn at all.
Elizabeth
The bread is excellent. I made in bread machine and then cooked in Dutch Oven. The bread cracks on the sides. Any suggestions?
Matt
After the dough rises in the bowl, do you reshape on the counter before putting on the parchment paper?
Amanda Cooks & Styles
Hi Matt, Very gently shape dough into a ball then place on parchment paper for baking. :)Amanda
Nancy S
GREAT recipe! Have made several times easy and delicious! Tonnight iits Bean and Ham Soup and Squaw Bread for Sunday supper Its below zero outside so shoold taste good!
Katy
Hi Amanda,
I love this recipe! I'm working on my Thanksgiving menu and wondered if you think this could be modified to make rolls instead. If so, what changes would you recommend?
Thanks!
Francisco
Love this one It is hard to find a good squaw bread recipe and this tastes just like squaw should.
Margaret
This bread is delicious. Made it in my bread machine. Came out great. Used the wheat bread setting for large loaf (wasn’t sure how big it would be). My whole family loved it. Will definitely be making again (probably on medium loaf setting). Thanks for the recipe!
Amanda Cooks & Styles
Hi Margaret! I am so happy you enjoyed this recipe 🙂
Lilliana
I’ve made this bread several times now. It’s a wonderful recipe but cooking AS recipe says my loaves were a bit overdone (slightly burnt). I’ve opted to cook in a Dutch oven for the first 20 min. and then remove the lid for the last bit of time. It is now perfect. I’ve also cut off chunks with a very sharp knife sprayed with nonstick bakers spray and made rolls. Only takes 15 to 20 min to cook kind of have to go by sight and smell. Make good rolls or even sandwich or hamburger buns. I’ve been a baking fool and this recipe is def in the rotation! Thank you for posting!
Myrn
Good. Recipe has a very crusty exterior. Soft molasses center. Next time I may lower the heat a bit to be sure it’s cooked thoroughly.Happy to have found a squaw bread recipe. There are not many of them.
Jared
Would this work in a bread maker machine?
Amanda
I have never tried this recipe in a bread machine. If you try it, I'd love to know how it turns out 🙂
Kim
Instead of a pizza stone, can this bread be baked in a Dutch oven or a round stoneware baker?
Amanda
Yes, it will still need to be preheated prior to baking the bread. 🙂
Ashley Estrada
This recipe is perfect! Always looking for squaw bread and can't find it anywhere. Finally decided to make my own and wow so good definitely going to be making it often