I have never been to the Outback Steakhouse, but I hear they serve great bread! Served piping hot at the table with small crocks of whipped butter. Soft, sweet and perfectly delicious.
This recipe, which I have adapted from a book by Tiffany Dahle is supposed to be a very similar version. I can't really compare it to the original, never having had that, but I can tell you that it is incredibly delicious!
The closest I have ever come to a restaurant bread experience is the bread that we used to get back in the day when we would go out for supper to the Spaghetti Factory in Calgary, Alberta.
To a green Nova Scotia girl, who had scarcely travelled very far from home, this was a wonder! A bottomless bread basket? Served fresh at the table! Wow! And it was good too!
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This tasty loaf might require a bit more effort than merely sitting down at the table, but the bread machine makes easy work of it to be honest. The end result is a delicious loaf with a fabulous taste and texture!
Soft, sweet, perfection, it goes beautifully with soups and stews. On this occasion I enjoyed it with a bowl of that hot chowder I made the other day. Oh boy, but was it ever some good!
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I have also enjoyed it just plain on its own, sliced and buttered. And I also enjoyed a chicken salad sandwich made with it. Sublime perfection.
A few nights I enjoyed it toasted and buttered for my evening watching-the-boob tube snack!
Toasted deliciousness!
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As you can see it has a beautiful texture with a nice tight crumb. No air holes per se. Easy to slice into thin (or thick if you prefer) slices.
I dare say you could even do this on the dough cycle and then just take the dough out and continue on to shape, rise and bake it in the conventional way.
The fact is, no matter how you do it, this is a loaf that is meant to be enjoyed!
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WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE STEAKHOUSE BROWN BREAD
Very simple every day ingredients. This is for a 1 1/2 pound loaf.
- 1 cup (240ml) water
- 3 TBS molasses (in the UK, use 1 1/2 TBS golden syrup and 1 1/2 TBS dark treacle)
- 2 TBS honey
- 1 1/2 TBS canola oil
- 2 cups (280g) bread flour
- 1 cup (140g) whole wheat flour
- 1 TBS vital wheat gluten
- 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder (not chocolate drink mix)
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tsp bread machine yeast
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I just use regular tap water for my bread. You can certainly use filtered water if you wish or bottled spring water. Just don't use the sparkling version.
Molasses is something which I grew up with, but was very surprised to find when I moved to the UK that it was very difficult to procure there. Back home it was usually on the supper table every night!
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If you are in the UK and cannot find molasses, I found an excellent substitution for it was to mix together equal parts of golden syrup and dark treacle.
Dark treacle, whilst very similar to molasses appearance wise, has a very strong flavor which makes it unsuitable to use in baked goods such as this without diluting it a bit. Golden syrup does this perfectly.
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Point in fact, when I first moved to the UK, I made Elizabeth's Gingersnaps for my friends at a get together using dark treacle instead of molasses. Totally inedible.
It was a darn shame actually because my MIL Elizabeth makes the best gingersnaps on the planet! And my friends were left with the initial impression that I didn't know how to bake. Be it noted that I was able to redeem myself on future occasions!
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Vital Wheat Gluten (not to be confused with Vital Wheat Gluten Flour) is not totally necessary, but it does make for a better loaf. It helps your bread to rise to a higher loaf with a nicer texture than you can get without using it.
The cocoa powder does not flavor the loaf, instead it helps to give it a darker color than you loaf might have had without it.
Altogether this is a beautiful loaf of bread. I highly recommend enjoying it with some whipped honey butter! This is a bread with a lovely texture and is utterly delicious!
I have enjoyed it buttered with a hot bowl of chowder as well as sliced, toasted and buttered and both ways it brought me immense eating pleasure!
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HOW TO MAKE STEAKHOUSE BROWN BREAD
Making bread in your bread machine is such an easy thing to do. You can almost do it with your eyes closed and success is ensured so long as you follow the instructions recommended by the manufacturer as per your model of bread machine.
- Place all of the ingredients into the bread machine according to the manufacturers instructions.
- Bake on Basic bread, medium sized loaf, light crust.
- Remove from the pan as soon as it is baked, tipping it onto a wire rack to cool.
- Enjoy!
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Some other bread machine loaves which you might enjoy are:
BASIC RUSTIC LOAF - This is the perfect loaf of bread for every day, with a beautiful texture and crust. The time taken is variable according to your own bread machine.
BUTTERMILK WHOLE WHEAT BREAD - This is a recipe for the bread machine that makes an absolutely beautiful loaf of bread. Of all the loaves I have made thus far, it is my favorite. Moist from buttermilk and sweetened with maple syrup.
Steakhouse Brown Bread
Yield: 1 (1 1/2 lb.) loaf
I am in love with this brown bread. It is delicious and fabulous serve with soups, stews, chili, etc. Also really great on its own spread simply with butter, or toasted! Adapted from the Ultimate Bread Machine Cookbook.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (240ml) water
- 3 TBS molasses (in the UK, use 1 1/2 TBS golden syrup and 1 1/2 TBS dark treacle)
- 2 TBS honey
- 1 1/2 TBS canola oil
- 2 cups (280g) bread flour
- 1 cup (140g) whole wheat flour
- 1 TBS vital wheat gluten
- 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder (not chocolate drink mix)
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tsp bread machine yeast
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients into the bread machine according to the manufacturers instructions.
- Bake on Basic bread, medium sized loaf, light crust.
- Remove from the pan as soon as it is baked, tipping it onto a wire rack to cool.
- Enjoy!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
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Impossible Pie. There are a huge number of versions of this old fashioned recipe floating around the web. All of them are delicious. All of them are easy to make. This is Lee Bailey's recipe, and I personally think that it is the best tasting Impossible Pie around!
For those of you who have been visiting my page for a long time, you will know that I used to cook for an American family on a huge country estate in the UK. It was an extremely beautiful environment to cook in.
Situated in the Garden of England the Estate was beautifully landscaped and of historical value. My then husband and myself were given a cottage to live in which was located on a small corner of the Estate.
Every day I got to work, cook and live in a beautiful place, using only the finest ingredients and equipment. It was a dream job in many ways.
It was not perfect. What job is. But I will always treasure the experience and the skills which I learned while I was working there. It was where I really got to hone my craft and I will always be grateful for that.
My boss, who was an American, had a huge library of cookery books, many of which she liked for me to cook from. She was especially fond of Junior League cookbooks, but she also had her favorite chef's. A lot of them were really "cheffie" books and I enjoyed the challenge of cooking from these.
A lot of them were simple books, like Ina Garten's or Martha Stewarts, etc. In each book she would have annotated which recipes she liked for me to cook.
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One of her favorite books for me to cook desserts from was this book by Lee Bailey, Country Desserts. She actually had quite a few books of his as he was one of her favorites. I came to love them as well and just recently purchased the Dessert one for myself.
It is filled with an abundance of beautiful, down home, comforting desserts. This pie recipe which I am sharing with you today has been adapted from this book and is the second recipe I have cooked from it.
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I am no stranger to Impossible Pie. It is something I have been cooking for many, many years. My friend Mabel gave me a recipe for it when we were both young Brides living next door to each other on an airforce base some 4 odd years ago now.
We both had young families and shared a love of cooking and crafts. We used to get together each night after supper, before the dishes were done. We shared a front porch. We would sit on the steps chatting about our days and enjoying a cup of coffee together. Good times! My how the years have flown.
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In any case, one of the recipes she shared with me was for an Impossible Pie. A pie you mixed together, poured into a pie dish and baked. It magically created filling and crust. It was a type of custard pie and quite delicious.
This pie is very similar to that recipe but also very different. Whilst hers was very simple and basic, this one uses a few different ingredients and creates a pie which is equally if not more delicious than the original. Simple and fabulous at the same time. I have to tell you up front, this smells AMAZING while it is baking.
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WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE LEE BAILEY'S IMPOSSIBLE PIE
Simple every day ingredients for the most part with a few unique differences.
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 4 large free range eggs
- 2 cups (480ml) whole milk
- 1/2 cup (120g) butter, melted
- 1/2 cup (70g) plain all purpose flour, sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup (75g) fresh flaked coconut
- 1/2 cup (80g) honey-roasted peanuts
To serve:
- Whipped cream (he suggested Bourbon whipped cream)
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I used organic granulated sugar. In the UK I would recommend using golden Caster sugar. It is nice and fine and has great melting properties when it comes to baking. Our granulated sugar in North America is quite a bit finer than the regular granulated sugar in the UK. I would almost equate it to Caster sugar.
I always use large free range eggs. You need to pick your battles and this is one of mine.
He recommended using unsalted butter or margarine. Well, I only have salted butter in my house and it is all that I use. If a recipe calls for salt as well, I will cut back on that.
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He did call for fresh flaked coconut. I did not have any of that, but I did have Kirkland sweetened flaked coconut. I use that and cut back on the sugar required in the recipe by about 2 TBS.
He also required Honey Roasted Peanuts. I did not have those either. Instead I used toasted pecans. We like pecans and they worked very well in this recipe.
Other than those few changes, I used everything that he had listed in the recipe. (I also use whole milk. I never have anything else.)
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HOW TO MAKE LEE BAILEY'S IMPOSSIBLE PIE
Nothing could be easier than this. I suppose that is what helps to make it so popular. When you can drop all of the ingredients into a food processor and blitz together, the pour into a pie dish, what's not to love!
Begin by preheating your oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. You will need a 10 inch pie dish. I used a glass Pyrex one.
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Measure all of your ingredients into the bowl of your food processor and process together for one minute. Pour into the pie dish.
Carefully transfer the pie dish to the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour or until set. You will know it is set when the tip of a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
Serve, cut into wedges and topped with a dollop of whipped. cream.
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And that's all there is to it. It seems impossible that anything good can come from such a simple list of ingredients and process, but there you go.
This works exactly like magic while it is cooking, forming its own crust-like bottom and rich custardy filling. Nothing could be easier or tastier.
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I have a few other notable desserts here in The English Kitchen which are also quite similar and very delicious. You might also enjoy them!
IMPOSSIBLE PUMPKIN PIE - Unlike some other versions of this pie, this recipe is totally from scratch and requires no special baking mixes. It has a beautiful texture and is perfectly spiced!
PEAR, ALMOND & COCONUT IMPOSSIBLE PIE - This is a dessert that is not only impressive, but also very easy to create. Even easier to eat. Quick to whip together. No "faffing" about. Easy peasy, lemon squeasy.
Lee Bailey's Impossible Pie
Yield: 8
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 5 M
This recipe is adapted from a recipe found in Lee Bailey's cookbook entitled, Country Desserts. It is not only delicious, but incredibly easy to make.
Ingredients
For the pie:
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 4 large free range eggs
- 2 cups (480ml) whole milk
- 1/2 cup (120g) butter, melted
- 1/2 cup (70g) plain all purpose flour, sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup (75g) fresh flaked coconut
- 1/2 cup (80g) honey-roasted peanuts
To serve:
- Whipped cream, regular or spiked
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. You will need a 10 inch pie dish. (I used a glass Pyrex one.)
- Measure all of your ingredients into the bowl of your food processor and process together for one minute. Pour into the pie dish.
- Carefully transfer the pie dish to the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour or until set. You will know it is set when the tip of a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
Notes
I don't own a food processor large enough for this recipe. Mine is only small. Neither do I own a blender. I used a large bowl and my stick blender for this and it worked beautifully.
Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
The recipe which I am sharing with you today is a small batch version of the original texas sheet cake recipe which I have been making since the 1970's. I can't remember where I got the original recipe.
In all likelihood it was one of the popular ladies' magazines of the day. Family Circle or Women's Day. I used to buy them all the time.
It was a cake that my then husband and my children just loved and I made it for them quite frequently. The original recipe made a 13 by 18 inch cake. With there just being me in the house now, I have no need for a cake that large and so I have cut the original recipe in half.
It was one of those recipes I saved because it used buttermilk. Buttermilk was not something which my mother ever used. I remember buying some one time because I was making fried chicken, but I ended up with lots of buttermilk that needed using up.
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Most of it got wasted because back then I had no idea of what to do with it. That's when I started collecting buttermilk recipes because I never wanted to have to waste like that again.
I ended up with a whole folder of recipes that used buttermilk. Pancakes, cakes, biscuits, etc. This was way back in the days before the internet. And I did not have a lot of cookbooks. Collecting these recipes was serious business! I did not have the world at my fingertips like we do today.
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This cake may be a very thin cake, but it packs a HUGE wallop of tastiness into it. Its moist and dense and chocolatey.
It also boasts some ground cinnamon in the cake batter, which we really enjoy. Its very Mexican to mix cinnamon and chocolate together. They actually have a natural affinity for each other.
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You need a quarter rimmed sheet pan for this recipe. This is a sheet pan which measures 12 by 10 inches in size. You could use a 9 by 13 inch pan if that is all you have.
You will need to adjust the baking time as the cake will be a bit thicker. I would add about 5 minutes to the time.
There is plenty of icing to go around, so no worried there.
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(SMALL BATCH)
Its as easy and unfussy as you can get. Nothing special needed here, unless you consider buttermilk special and I got a solution for that!
For the cake:
- 1 cup (140g) plain all purpose flour
- 1 cup (200g) sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (120g) butter
- 2 heaping TBS unsweetened cocoa powder (not the drink mix)
- 1/2 cup (120ml) boiling water
- 1/4 cup (60ml) buttermilk
- 1 large free range egg, beaten
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
For the frosting:
- 2 TBS butter
- 3 TBS whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 heaped TBS cocoa powder
- 2 cups (260g) icing sugar, sifted
You will also need:
- a handful of toasted pecans, coarsely chopped
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You will note that it calls for a small quantity of unsweetened cocoa powder. You would not believe the number of people who confuse that with chocolate drink mix. Cocoa powder is NOT chocolate drink mix.
It is unsweetened and about the only thing it has in common with chocolate drink mix is that it is chocolate. Drink mix has powdered milk and sugar added to it, so do NOT be using that in the place of cocoa powder!
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If you have run out of buttermilk, or just can't be bothered to buy any, I have the solution to that. There are two ways that you can make your own.
1. Add a TBS of lemon juice or vinegar to a cup and pour in whole milk to make up the measure. Stir and leave to clabber.
2. Whisk together equal parts of full fat yogurt and whole milk to make up the measure. This works a charm.
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HOW TO MAKE TEXAS CHOCOLATE SHEET PAN CAKE
Easy peasy, lemon squeasy!!
Lets put the cake together first. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4. Butter a 12 by 10 inch rimmed sheet pan really well. Set aside. (I use canola cooking spray)
Whisk the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium sized bowl.
Melt the butter in the microwave (about 20 seconds on high). Whisk in the cocoa powder and the boiling water.
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Whisk the buttermilk, egg, baking soda and vanilla together in a measuring cup.
Stir the buttermilk/egg mixture into the flour mixture in the bowl, followed by the butter mixture. Stir everything together until smooth and well combined. Pour the batter into the prepared sheet pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean and the top should spring back when lightly touched.
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While the cake is baking make the icing, ready to spread on the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven.
Melt the butter in a medium sized bowl in the microwave. Remove and whisk in the vanilla, cocoa powder and milk. Beat in the icing sugar until smooth.
Spread this over the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven, using an offset spatula to spread it right into the corners. Sprinkle the toasted pecans over top.
Leave to cool for half an hour before serving. This is a lovely moist cake!
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This recipe makes six very generous servings. I actually find it to be a lot sweeter than I remembered it being when I made it this time. I am trying to get away from using so much sugar.
I think that you could actually cut it into 9 servings adequately and serve it with some ice cream or whipped cream to cut the sweetness a bit. Its the icing that is really sweet. Maybe even cut the icing quantities in half and have a thinner layer.
Its a really lovely cake however, beautifully moist and delicious. If you wanted to you could substitute hot coffee for the boiling water. Coffee really enhances the flavor of the chocolate. Leave the nuts off if you are not a nut lover!
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If you are like me when I was younger and are looking for ways to use up the rest of your buttermilk, look no further. Have I got some recipes for you!
LEMON BUTTERMILK CAKE - I have never met a lemon cake I did not love and this one is no exception. It is a well known fact that buttermilk makes cakes that are wonderfully moist and rich. This is an exceptional cake, with beautiful lemon flavor and a dense almost pound-cake-like moist texture.
GRANDMOTHER'S BUTTERMILK CAKE - This is a really lovely cake. Its pretty basic, but its moist and delicious. Its the kind of cake that your nan would have cut and sat down in front of you when you went around to visit.
BUTTERMILK BISCUIT MUFFINS - A delicious drop biscuit baked in a muffin tin. Muffin shaped, but as delicious as biscuits. These are fabulous with whatever you wish to serve them with. Any meal. Any time. Any how.
Texas Chocolate Sheet Pan Cake (small batch)
Yield: 6 very generous servings
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 35 Min
This smaller sized Texas Sheet Pan Cake, lacks none of the flavors or appeal of its larger counter part. You will need a quarter sheet pan to bake this. (rim edge)
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 cup (140g) plain all purpose flour
- 1 cup (200g) sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (120g) butter
- 2 heaping TBS unsweetened cocoa powder (not the drink mix)
- 1/2 cup (120ml) boiling water
- 1/4 cup (60ml) buttermilk
- 1 large free range egg, beaten
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
For the frosting:
- 2 TBS butter
- 3 TBS whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups (260g) icing sugar, sifted
- 2 heaped TBS cocoa powder
You will also need:
- a handful of toasted pecans, coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Lets put the cake together first.
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4. Butter a 12 by 10 inch rimmed sheet pan really well. Set aside. (I use canola cooking spray)
- Whisk the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium sized bowl.
- Melt the butter in the microwave (about 20 seconds on high). Whisk in the cocoa powder and the boiling water.
- Whisk the buttermilk, egg, baking soda and vanilla together in a measuring cup.
- Stir the buttermilk/egg mixture into the flour mixture in the bowl, followed by the butter mixture. Stir everything together until smooth and well combined. Pour the batter into the prepared sheet pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean and the top should spring back when lightly touched.
- While the cake is baking make the icing, ready to spread on the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven.
- Melt the butter in a medium sized bowl in the microwave. Remove and whisk in the vanilla, cocoa powder and milk. Beat in the icing sugar until smooth.
- Spread this over the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven, using an offset spatula to spread it right into the corners. Sprinkle the toasted pecans over top.
- Leave to cool for half an hour before serving. This is a lovely moist cake!
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