You know those days when only a perfectly dense, chewy, intensely chocolatey brownie will fix everything? Me too! But sometimes, digging a fork into a square pan just isn’t the vibe. That’s when I reach for my go-to, ridiculously easy **Brownie Bread**. It captures that fantastic, fudgy brownie texture but in a sturdy, sliceable loaf format that’s perfect for breakfast or an afternoon treat. After years of tinkering with quick breads, I’ve landed on this version because it’s foolproof. Seriously, if you can melt butter, you can make this. It’s chocolate magic in under an hour, and trust me, it hits that craving spot every single time.

Why This Brownie Bread Recipe Stands Out

What makes this chocolate loaf different from every other boring loaf bread out there? It’s the texture, hands down. I wanted something that tasted like I pulled a pan of fudgy brownies out of the oven, but in loaf form, and this recipe nail it. It’s exactly what you need when you’re craving deep chocolate flavor without turning on the mixer for hours.

It’s incredibly fast—we’re talking prep time under 15 minutes!
The texture is dense and fudgy, exactly like a great brownie.
No fancy equipment needed; just whisks and bowls.

If you love simple bakes, you should check out some of my other quick workarounds, like the ones I put together in my quick bread collection. This bread is a winner!

Essential Ingredients for Perfect Brownie Bread

The ingredient list for this **Brownie Bread** is refreshingly short, which is part of why I love it so much. We aren’t juggling a dozen different things in this recipe! It’s built on a classic cake structure but relies on cocoa powder for that intense chocolate hit. Make sure you’re using good quality cocoa powder here; it really is the star, so don’t skimp if you can help it. You’ll need one cup of flour, one cup of sugar, the cocoa, a touch of baking powder, and salt. Then come the wet stuff: melted butter is non-negotiable for that brownie richness, two large eggs, vanilla, and then just one cup of water to bring it all together.

It’s so simple, but the quality of the chocolate dictates how amazing your final chocolate loaf will be. If you want a real showstopper, you might want to check out my deep dive into fudgy brownies for tips on choosing the best cocoa.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

Okay, let’s talk about tweaking things because I know nobody’s pantry is exactly the same! The water measurement is really important for the final texture. If you’re aiming for the fudgiest possible brownie texture—like, almost under-baked fudgy—listen to me: reduce the water by two tablespoons. That little bit of liquid removal concentrates the chocolate flavor and density. It makes a noticeable difference!

Do you want extra bursts of chocolate? Go right ahead and fold in half a cup of chocolate chips right before it goes into the pan. They just melt into little pockets of joy. That’s my favorite way to make it extra decadent.

Equipment Needed to Make Your Brownie Bread

Since this is such a simple bake, you don’t need a fancy stand mixer spinning away! Prep is fast, which means your equipment list is short. You’ll definitely want a good-sized mixing bowl for whisking the dry ingredients together first. You’ll need exactly one standard 9×5 inch loaf pan, and make sure you’ve got that ready to grease and flour! Finally, grab a wooden skewer or toothpick for testing doneness. That’s literally it—quick cleanup!

Step-by-Step Instructions for Amazing Brownie Bread

Alright, time to put this simple **Brownie Bread** together! Don’t rush the prep, but definitely don’t dawdle once the wet hits the dry. Keep your eyes peeled for a few key moments that decide if this turns out chewy or tough. I always set my oven rack to the center position and crank the heat up to 350 degrees right away. And before anything else, get that 9×5 inch loaf pan buttered and floured. You don’t want to be scraping batter around later trying to grease it!

First things first: Preheat your oven to 350°F and make sure you’ve thoroughly greased and floured that 9×5 inch loaf pan.
In a big bowl—and I mean big, because things get dusty!—whisk together all your dry friends: the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt until they look evenly mixed.
Now, add the melted butter, the two eggs, and the vanilla extract right into that dry mixture. Start mixing with a spoon or spatula. Mix it just until everything starts coming together and looks shaggy, but don’t worry about streaks yet.
This is the crucial part for texture! Gently stir in the water until the whole batter looks smooth. And I mean gently! Stop mixing the second you don’t see any dry flour streaks anymore.
Pour that thick batter into your waiting loaf pan and smooth the top off slightly.

If you want more guidance on quick bread baking in general, I have some pointers over in my guide for the best banana bread that applies here too!

Mixing the Brownie Bread Batter

The secret to that brownie chewiness is fighting the urge to mix everything into oblivion! When we add the liquid—especially that cup of water—we are creating gluten. If you overmix, you get a tough, cakey loaf, not a dense chocolate delight. So when you add the water last, fold it in only until the batter is uniform. Seriously, give yourself permission to stop mixing when it still looks slightly thick. Those few lazy stirs are what keep your **Brownie Bread** tender.

Baking and Cooling Your Brownie Bread Loaf

Baking time is always a range, so that’s why the skewer test is your best friend here. It should take between 45 and 55 minutes at 350°F. You are looking for a wooden skewer inserted in the center to come out with moist crumbs clinging to it—if it comes out totally clean, you’ve baked it too long, and you’ll lose some of that fudgy texture! Once it passes the test, let it cool right in that pan for exactly 10 minutes. This lets it firm up just enough before you carefully turn it out onto a wire rack to cool down completely.

Tips for Achieving the Best Brownie Bread Texture

Listen, baking is mostly science, but when you’re dealing with something that needs to mimic a brownie, it’s a little bit art too. Ingredient temperature matters way more than you think! The eggs should be room temperature, which helps them emulsify better with the melted butter and sugar mixture. This keeps the whole batter smooth and uniform, which translates directly into a better final texture for your **Brownie Bread**.

I learned this the hard way one gloomy Tuesday. I was in a hurry and tossed in a fridge-cold egg. The batter looked slightly curdled, and even though I kept mixing, the final loaf came out just a touch crumbly, not chewy like I wanted. Next time, I stuck to room temp—and boom! Perfect.

Also, trust your oven thermometer over the dial! Ovens lie to us all the time. If you’re really aiming for that incredible fudgy middle, give my tips in the cornbread baking guide a peek; they apply whenever you’re trying to control the crust-to-interior ratio on quick breads. A slightly cooler oven running 10 minutes longer is often better than a roaring hot one that sets the outside too fast.

Creative Variations for Your Brownie Bread

When you’ve mastered the basic, perfect **Brownie Bread**, it’s time for a little fun! This chocolate loaf base is surprisingly versatile. For anyone who loves a deeper, almost coffee-note to their chocolate, try dissolving half a teaspoon of instant espresso powder right into that measuring cup of water before adding it to the batter. It really wakes up the cocoa flavor!

Nuts are always a welcome addition, of course. Walnuts or pecans, chopped roughly, add a fantastic crunch. I also love swirling in about two tablespoons of peanut butter right on top of the batter just before it goes into the oven—it creates these gorgeous, thin ribbons of salty peanut butter throughout the bread. For even more chocolate intensity, check out how they handle chocolate in my recipe for pecan pie brownies; sometimes a little extra chocolate never hurts!

Serving Suggestions for Brownie Bread

This **Brownie Bread** is genuinely fantastic all by itself—it’s so rich! But if you happen to have a scoop of really good vanilla ice cream around, you absolutely have to try it warm with a melting swirl on top. That temperature contrast is just divine.

If you’re eating it for breakfast the next day, honestly, just a light dusting of powdered sugar goes a long way so you don’t mask that perfect chocolate flavor. And of course, this loaf pairs perfectly with a strong, hot cup of black coffee in the morning. Nothing beats that pairing!

Storage and Reheating Brownie Bread

Since this **Brownie Bread** is meant to be dense and fudgy, keeping it fresh is key to making sure it lasts more than one day! Once it’s completely cool—and I mean totally done cooling on the rack—wrap that loaf up tightly in plastic wrap, and then place it inside an airtight container. This keeps the loaf from drying out or getting stale too quickly. It does great sitting right on the counter at room temperature for about three days.

If you know you won’t finish it within a few days, feel free to slice it and freeze what you won’t eat right away. When you get a hankering later? Just pop a slice in the microwave for about 10 to 15 seconds. It brings back that wonderfully soft, fresh-from-the-oven quality instantly. You won’t believe it’s been sitting in the freezer!

Frequently Asked Questions About Brownie Bread

I always get questions when I post this recipe online! It’s one of those easy desserts that seems too good to be true, so I totally get why people pause before baking. Here are the common things readers want to know about making this simple chocolate loaf. If you’re looking for even more chocolate fixes after this, my recipe for chocolate pizza is ridiculous!

Can I use different types of sugar in this Brownie Bread?

You can absolutely swap sugars, but just know it changes the result slightly. Granulated sugar gives you that classic, straightforward sweetness. If you use brown sugar instead, you’ll get a slightly moister crumb because of the molasses content, but the flavor will be a little deeper and less purely chocolatey. For a truly perfect **Brownie Bread**, though, I stick to the granulated sugar listed.

How do I know if my Brownie Bread is fully baked?

This is the most important question! Since we are going for that brownie texture, we do *not* want a completely clean skewer. Insert your wooden skewer right into the center of the loaf. If it comes out wet and drippy, give it five more minutes. If it comes out with little moist crumbs sticking to it—not wet goo, but moist crumbs—it’s done! A totally clean skewer means you’ve gone too far, and it will be more cake than brownie.

Is this the fudgiest Brownie Bread recipe possible?

It’s incredibly fudgy straight from the recipe as written, especially since we only use water and no buttermilk or sour cream for a drier structure. But if you want to push that fudginess barrier even further, remember my tip from earlier? Go back to the ingredient notes and reduce the amount of water by two tablespoons before you mix everything. That slight reduction in liquid really concentrates the chocolate, giving you the absolute fudgiest **Brownie Bread** texture possible in this format. It’s worth trying at least once!

Simple Brownie Bread

Author: jekof.com
Total Time: 65 min
Yield: 1 loaf 1x
Diet: Vegetarian

Print Recipe

Description

A straightforward recipe for a dense, chocolatey loaf resembling a brownie.

Ingredients

Scale

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup water

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour a standard 9×5 inch loaf pan.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
Add the melted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
Stir in the water until the batter is smooth. Do not overmix.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached.
Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing it to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

For a fudgier texture, reduce the water by 2 tablespoons.
You can add 1/2 cup of chocolate chips to the batter before baking.

Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 50 min
Category: Dessert
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 slice
Calories: 250
Sugar: 25
Sodium: 100
Fat: 12
Saturated Fat: 7
Unsaturated Fat: 5
Trans Fat: 0
Carbohydrates: 35
Fiber: 2
Protein: 4
Cholesterol: 50

Keywords: brownie bread, chocolate loaf, easy dessert, cocoa bread