Natural Yeast Outback Steakhouse Bread

A friend mentioned to me a few weeks ago that she made her own Outback Steakhouse bread and I instantly thought, "I wonder if I can make that with Natural Yeast?" Well, the short answer is absolutely! And it tastes like Heaven!!!

Here's my recipe:

3 Cups water
1 jar (about 2 cups white flour natural yeast)
3 Cups whole wheat flour
4-5 Cups unbleached unbromated white flour
2 Tablespoons cocoa
2 teaspoons salt
4 Tablespoons coconut oil (or softened butter)
1/2 Cup honey
4 Tablespoons molasses

Here's how I made it:

In my bosch I combined the water, yeast, 3 Cups wheat flour and 3 Cups white flour. I mixed it for about two minutes and let it sit to autolyse for about 10 minutes.

Then I added the rest of the ingredients (don't forget to add 1 more cup of white flour or more as needed) and mixed it on speed setting 2 for between 8-10 min. Stopping occasionally to check and see if it needed more white flour.

Next I get my fingers a little wet and pull the dough out of the bowl. I fold it into itself by pulling from the top and tucking under the bottom until it forms a nice ball then drop it into my pregreased large bowl. I cover with greased wax paper and a towel and let sit on the counter for at least 6 hours and no more than 12 hours. (It all depends on the temperature of your house how fast your yeast rises).

Divide the dough into 12 6"x2" loaves and roll in cornmeal. (Although I actually rolled these in almond meal because it's what I had on hand and it turned out great too). Cover the dough with greased wax paper and let rise for another hour. Bake at 350 degrees (I always convection bake at 375 degrees) for 20 min or until the center of the loaf reaches 180 degrees. Let cool before cutting so it can finish cooking.

Please let me know if you have any questions or thoughts about this or any other recipe. I would love to share ideas!