Outback Steakhouse Bushman Bread
Why I Love This Recipe
I omitted the food coloring! My goodness that is alot of food coloring just to get it to look like the same color as their bread. I also omitted the extra 1/4 c of water that the food coloring is dissolved in b/c it is extremely humid here and we are so close to sea level. For the bread flour I used unbleached all purpose flour from Pillsbury and for the wheat flour I used King Arthur whole wheat flour. I mixed my yeast in with the 1 1/2 c warm water to bloom/proof the yeast. Make sure to make sure your water is in the temperature range stated on the back of your yeast pouch. I then added my yeast water according to the recipe. I just kneaded mine until everything was well incorporated and then threw a clean dish towel over my large bowl for the first rise. Make sure to generously rub the cornmeal over the loaves so it won't stick to the plastic wrap. I only had to bake mine for 17 minutes. They tasted EXACTLY like the loaves at the Outback but were just pale in color.
Ingredients You'll Need
1 1/2 c warm water
2 Tbsp butter, softened
1/2 c honey
2 c bread flour
1 2/3 c wheat flour
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
2 tsp instant coffee granules
1 tsp salt
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
coloring (recipe follows)
cornmeal, for dusting
for the coloring:
1/4 c water
75 drops red food coloring
45 drops blue food coloring
30 drops yellow food coloring
Directions
Combine flours, cocoa, coffee and salt in a large bowl. Make a depression or "well" in the middle of the dry mixture. Pour the warm water into this well, then add the butter, honey, and yeast. Combine the food coloring drops with the 1/4 c water and add to the well.
When you can handle the dough, begin to combine it by hand, kneading the dough thoroughly for at least 10 minutes, until it is very smooth and has a consistent color.
Set the dough into a covered bowl in a warm place for an hour, to allow it to rise. When the dough has risen to about double in size, punch it down and divide it into 8 even portions.
Form the portions into tubular shaped loves about 8" long and 2" wide. Sprinkle the entire surface of the loaves with cornmeal and place them on a cookie sheet (or two).
Cover the cookie sheet with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for the second time for another hour in a warm location.
Preheat oven to 350. Uncover the dough and bake it for 20-24 minutes.
