Homemade Outback Bushman Bread in the Bread Machine – Richer, Darker, and Irresistible

 

Lately, I’ve been baking bread once a week. Keeping my bread machine on the counter has been pure genius. If it lived in a cabinet, I’d probably forget about it entirely. Instead, daily it beckons me, weekly I succumb.

This week I was craving something deep and complex, so I set out to recreate Outback Steakhouse’s legendary Bushman Bread. After scrolling through dozens of recipes, I picked one that felt right and gave it my own flavor-packed upgrades. Regular coffee felt too weak, so I swapped in the cold-brew espresso I always have on hand. I’m not crazy about straight honey, so I split it with real maple syrup for a warmer, more rounded sweetness. And here’s my pro tip: if you’re using cocoa in this bread, reach for black cocoa. It delivers incredible richness and depth that regular cocoa just can’t match.

The result is this gorgeous, dark loaf you see here. Slice it thick and you’ll be making sandwiches that taste like they came straight from your favorite café.

Here’s my adapted bread-machine version of 

 Outback Steakhouse’s Bushman Bread:

 ½ c. evaporated milk
½ c. water
½ c. cold-brewed espresso
2 T. butter, softened
¼ c. honey
¼ c. real maple syrup
1 T. molasses
2¼ c. bread flour
2¼ c. wheat flour
1 T. black cocoa
1 T. sugar
1 t. salt
2¼ t. bread machine yeast

Microwave the evaporated milk for 30 seconds, then pour it into the bread machine pan. Add the water, cold-brew espresso, softened butter, honey, maple syrup, and molasses. 

In a separate bowl, whisk together the bread flour, wheat flour, black cocoa, sugar, and salt. Pour this dry mixture over the wet ingredients in the pan. Make a small well on top and add the yeast. 

Select the “Sweet Bread” cycle with medium crust color and press start.

The finished loaf is a beautiful deep red-brown. (Restaurant versions use caramel coloring for an even darker look—if you want that extra shade, you can add it, but I skipped it and still loved every bite.)

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