Dutch Crunch Bread

I loooooved this challenge! For March the Daring Bakers’ were given the task to create a San Franciscan specialty- Dutch Crunch Rolls. These are also known as tiger rolls due to the shape of their distinct crackled topping. They are generally used for sandwiches but can be found as oblong loaves. I think it’s so exciting to be able to experience a specialty of another area of the world in my own kitchen. I’ve never even heard of these- man, have I been missing out!

Texture, texture, texture. The crunch on these rolls is out of this world!! And it’s SO cool how it’s made. You use a basic yeasted roll recipe and spread on this thick, pasty, yeasted rice flour mixture. It’s really neat. If you enjoy yeast recipes, you absolutely need to give this one a shot, especially if you can easily find rice flour in your area. I think that’s the hardest part of this recipe- finding the rice flour. Most people don’t keep it on hand in their pantry and I imagine lots don’t even know where to find it. Personally, when I saw that it used rice flour I thought I was going to have to sit this challenge out… especially being that I am in Germany and had NO idea where to find it. Well, as you can see, I found it! I couldn’t believe it. I looked up the German word for rice and flour (reis mehl), checked out the health food store I’ve noticed in the mall and voilá- rice flour! I couldn’t believe it was so easy to find. So if you have no idea where to look, just check a natural food store or the natural food section at your grocery store. It’s usually carried for those that are on gluten free diets.

When spreading on the topping you absolutely need to use a THICK layer! If you don’t add enough you’re just NOT going to get that characteristic crunch. The crunch should be severe, not a delicate touch like a light streusel on a muffin. This roll is all about highlighting the crunch. And it’s kind of hard to spread because it’s thick and you want to be gentle so that you don’t deflate the yeasted roll at the same time. I found the best way to do this was with a 4″ off-set frosting spatula. But, if you don’t have one, try your fingers. It may not look perfect, but I think bread is more appealing when it looks “rustic” and homemade anyways.

And lets not forget to pay due respect to the soft white roll recipe itself. So soft. So delicious. It’s an absolute winner in itself. I couldn’t have been happier with the way these turned out. Great choice Sara and Erica!

Tagged as: roll, yeast