Sara and Erica of Baking JDs were our March 2012 Daring Baker hostesses! Sara & Erica challenged us to make Dutch Crunch bread, a delicious sandwich bread with a unique, crunchy topping. Sara and Erica also challenged us to create a one of a kind sandwich with our bread!
Despite the fact that I was really hoping for a ridiculous, elaborate, sugary baking project for this month’s challenge, these Dutch Crunch Rolls are pretty fantastic. I had never heard of Dutch Crunch bread, but it turns out that it’s a San Francisco local specialty that originated in the Netherlands (hence the name). In Dutch, it’s called tijgerbrood, or “tiger bread” because of the way the topping cracks to look like tiger stripes (although there’s a growing consensus that it looks more like a giraffe’s spots!). “Dutch crunch” refers to the yeasted rice flour topping that is applied to the bread before baking, rather than to the bread itself, which can be any kind of soft-ish sandwich-style bread.
Going into this challenge, I was a bit apprehensive after seeing on the Daring Bakers forum that some people were having troubles with getting the topping to crackle and brown properly, so when I took these out of the oven, I was pretty happy about it!
I was really impressed with the bread recipe that Sara and Erica provided, and I may have found my new “go-to” white sandwich bread! Nice and soft but still with a good texture and great flavour. The Dutch Crunch topping added a really interesting texture contrast and was very tasty, and was a really easy way to add a little something extra to plain bread.
For the second part of the challenge, it definitely made delicious sandwiches! I made a grilled turkey, bacon, and avocado club sandwich with homemade mayonnaise for dinner the day I made the rolls.
For breakfast the next morning, I toasted the buns and made breakfast sandwiches with egg, cheese, ham, and avocado. Yum!
Thanks Sara and Erica for showing us this tasty way to make bread! I always get such a feeling of pride when I take bread out of the oven, and these rolls were very satisfying to make 🙂 Check out the Daring Kitchen for the other Bakers’ gorgeous tijgerbrood!
Dutch Crunch Rolls
Soft White Rolls
Recipe provided by Sara and Erica, adapted from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s The Bread Bible and Baking Bites. I made only half of the following recipe to make 4 decent-sized rolls. The full recipe as written would yield 6 large rolls or 8 more reasonable ones.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine:
1 tbsp active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup warm milk
1 1/2 tbsp granulated white sugar (I might try 1 tbsp honey next time)
Stir to dissolve and let it sit for about 5 minutes, until foamy.
Add:
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 cups all purpose flour
With the dough hook attachment, stir on medium speed to combine.
With the mixer still going, add up to 2 additional cups of flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until the dough starts to come away from the sides of the bowl but is still sticky.
At this point, add a few tablespoons more flour, then let the mixer knead the dough for about 4 minutes, until the dough comes cleanly away from the sides of the bowl and is soft, elastic, and not too sticky to the touch. (Alternately, you can knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 4 minutes).
Take the dough out of the bowl, grease the bowl lightly with vegetable oil, and place the dough back in it, turning to coat it in the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
(I could have sworn that I read in the instructions to punch the dough down after it rose double, but apparently I was making it up! Anyway, I punched it down and let it rise a little while longer at room temperature and then in the fridge, and it didn’t seem to hurt the final product at all!)
Turn the risen dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide it in two. Divide each half into three or four pieces (keep in mind that I made half the recipe, hence only four pieces total).
Shape each piece into a roll by holding it in your palm, pulling/pinching the edges into the middle, and then patting down the pinched bits.
Place the rolls seam-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Turn on the oven to 350˚F, and let the rolls rise for about 15 minutes while you make the Dutch crunch topping.
Dutch Crunch Topping
Recipe adapted from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s The Bread Bible. A few Daring Bakers used sesame oil in place of the vegetable oil and added Marmite to the topping, both of which sound like delicious variations to try. Makes enough to cover 6-8 rolls from the above recipe.
In a bowl, whisk together:
1 tbsp active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cups rice flour (white or brown – I used brown. Make sure it’s NOT sweet or glutinous rice flour)
At first the mixture will be quite pasty, but with vigorous stirring it will liquidify a bit. Add a few drops of water or a sprinkle of rice flour as needed to adjust the consistency – it should be drippy but spreadable, like stiff royal icing
Let the batter stand for 15 minutes while the rolls finish their rise. The rice flour batter will also puff up and rise a bit because of the yeast.
Spoon the rice flour batter over top of each roll and spread it out in a thick layer.
Bake in the preheated 350˚F oven for 25-30 minutes, until the topping is crackled and well-browned and the bottom of the rolls sound hollow when tapped. I baked the rolls with steam to encourage browning, but I’m not sure if it actually made a difference. To do this, place a roasting pan in the bottom of the oven when you turn it on. When you put the rolls in, pour about half a mug of hot tap water in the roasting pan, which will provide steam while the rolls bake.
Let the rolls cool completely on a rack. The rolls are best the day they are made, but if you want to keep them a day longer, I found they were fine left out over night – just don’t put them in a plastic bag or they will soften and lose their crunch. These rolls make a mean sandwich!
mireia says
These look great and the sandwich too
I didn’t know you weren’t supposed to put the bread in a plastic bag… but that just makes sense!!! Thanks for sharing!
Korena in the Kitchen says
I read about that tip somewhere – it makes sense, especially when you go to all that work making sure the bread is crunchy! 😉
melissabedinger says
Ooh the color on these looks perfect! I like your step by step photos…And I want that sandwich for lunch!
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says
Great job on your Dutch crunch rolls! I loved this challenge 😀
Rufus' Food and Spirits Guide says
I just love the look of these.
Irina says
Why am I not surprised? You did a great job, as usual (and not only with the challenges) – your rolls look just perfect and the sandwich combinations….yummy! I love eggs, cheese and ham in the morning and I also love avocados, but I never tried them together – I think I have a new breakfast recipe now.
Korena in the Kitchen says
Thanks Irina! The avocado/egg/cheese/ham combo is a winner, I hope you like it!
Audax Artifex says
WOW what an informative posting and the pixs are so clear and show the process so well a great job on this challenge. I love the “breakfast” flavour profile. Cheers from Audax in Sydney Australia.
whilehewasout says
Lookin great!
Sawsan@ Chef in disguise says
Great job on this challenge Korena. I love how golden brown the topping is and both sandwiches look like a feast for the taste buds
Korena in the Kitchen says
Thanks Sawsan!
ceecee says
Looks like you had as much fun as I did with this challenge! Great job!
Ceecee
testadoprovadoeaprovado says
Korena, as always, you have done a wonderful job on the challenge and your Tiger bread looks fantastic! Your step by step is always so clear, that even the novice bakers will find it easy to accomplish. Yummy sandwich as well!
Korena in the Kitchen says
Thanks for the kind words Renata 🙂
Shelley C says
While your rolls are beautiful and completely stunning on their own, your sandwiches look AMAZING. First of all, I love avocado, so two different sandwiches including avocado – awesome. And each looks delicious. The turkey club and ham and egg – amazing choices. Great work on this challenge.
Korena in the Kitchen says
Thank you Shelley, they were pretty tasty 🙂
Sara C. says
Beautiful job Korena! Your rolls are just PERFECT. And I love me a breakfast sandwich – what a creative use. Thanks for joining us this month!!
Korena in the Kitchen says
Thanks Sarah, this was a cool project!
elaine says
oh Korena – they like wonderful – I can smell them from here! I’d better try some of this bread while in Holland eh? elaine
Korena in the Kitchen says
Yes, definitely! I was going to tell Lynette to look out for it and report back 🙂
Rajani says
Oh they look wonderful, in fact they are urging me to go and bake and try my luck one more time! Great job on the challenge as always 🙂
karoleenahh says
Great job Korena, I especially love your breakfast sandwich with avocado, it looks so tasty! 🙂
zazacook says
Your tiger rolls look gorgeous! Your sandwiches look absoluetly scrumptious!!!! Love the breakfast sandwich with egg, avocado…. I am sure my husband prefer the first one with mayonnaise, yummy!!!
Lovely step by step photos 🙂
bourbonnatrix says
your rolls look perfect, and your sandwiches absolutely delicious! great job on this challenge!
Lacy @ NYCityEats says
Wow your rolls are golden brown perfection! They look gorgeous! I loved this challenge, so many people had never heard of dutch crunch before, including myself! This looks like a delicious sandwich too! Wouldn’t mind having one of those for lunch today!
Crumbs of Love says
great step by step photos! your bread AND sandwiches look delicious. Best, Sandie
Baking with Sibella says
I am amazed every time I visit your blog! These are absolutely wonderful and they are already on my “To try” list! 🙂
Korena in the Kitchen says
Thanks Sibella! I hope you like them 🙂
whisksandchopsticks says
That’s beautiful. One of my family’s favorite bread. Goin to try it. What temp is warm water?
Korena in the Kitchen says
The recipe wasn’t super specific about the temperature of the water – warm to the touch but not hot! I hope it works out for you!
delicio8 says
These look fabulous! I have to try making them.