Once you store them in a plastic bag, the moisture seeps into the crunchy topping and they are not crunchy any more. These rolls are best eaten the day they are made. Bake the rolls for 25 minutes, until a nice golden-brown color and beautifully crackly!Īfter a few minutes, remove them from the pan and allow to cool on a wire rack. Now let them sit uncovered for 20 more minutes while you heat up your oven to 400 degrees F. When all the rolls are covered, they will look like this: Go ahead and put a thick layer of the rice flour paste on each roll. Once that is all mixed up, you’ll uncover your rolls and gently brush the topping on the tops and sides of each one. I use brown rice flour from Bob’s Red Mill. You can get rice flour in most stores, generally in a “gluten-free” section.
Then you’ll add some sugar, vegetable oil, salt, and rice flour. For the special topping, you’ll just mix some yeast and warm water together and let it proof for 5-10 minutes, until it gets frothy. Lay a tea towel over the top of the rolls while you make the topping. Place the rolls on a parchment-lined baking sheet. For the technique to get perfectly smooth, round rolls, be sure to see my French Bread Rolls post. After the dough rises, punch it down and form it into 12 rolls.
How to Make Dutch Crunch Bread (Tiger Bread)įirst you make a standard dough with yeast, water, milk, sugar, vegetable oil, flour, and salt. As the bread bakes, this topping breaks and hardens. It is made out of a mixture of rice flour (which is gluten-free, so it doesn’t stretch or spread), yeast, water, sugar, vegetable oil, and salt. But never fear! You can make your own at home! What Makes Dutch Crunch Bread Crunchy?īefore baking the bread, you brush the top of each roll (or small loaf) with a special topping. Apparently, it is very difficult to find in other areas of the country. It is super famous in San Francisco and sold in stores, sandwich shops, and bakeries there. I was intrigued and knew I had to try it! What is Dutch Crunch Bread?ĭutch Crunch Bread is basically any type of bread or roll with the special crunchy, crackly top. It was a variety of bread I’d never heard of before–Dutch Crunch Bread (sometimes known as Tiger Bread, Giraffe Bread, or Marco Polo Bread). Not just split down the middle from baking, but covered with cracks all over, making a unique puzzle-like pattern on each roll or small loaf of bread.
Cover with the lid and return the pot to the oven.Turn the proofed dough over onto a lightly floured surface and carefully place it inside the pot.Carefully remove the pot from the oven and place it on a trivet or heat-safe surface.Preheat the oven to 450˚F (230˚C) with the pot inside for 45 minutes-1 hour.
Sprinkle a bit of flour on top of the dough.Once the dough has doubled in size again, gently transfer it from the bowl to a lightly floured surface.Once finished, cover and let the dough rise again for another 1 ½-2 hours.