Baking Great Bread at HomeNaturally leavened, with the classic crackly top
IntermediateSourdough Tiger Bread (DutchCrunch)
by Henry Hunter Jr.
Wild yeast below, crackle on top
Rise Time
6 to 12 hours
Bake Time
22 minutes
Yield
Eight sandwich rolls, or one 9x5 inch loaf (about 12 slices)
Perfection is not required
"Perfection is not required. Progress is."— Henry Hunter Jr.
By Henry Hunter Jr., founder of Crust & Crumb Academy and Baking Great Bread at Home.
Authentic Flavor
Henry Hunter Jr. is the founder of Baking Great Bread at Home and Crust & Crumb Academy, teaching home bakers that good bread is a skill anyone can build.
Equipment Needed
Ingredients
Naturally Leavened Dough
Milk and butter keep this soft, the wild yeast gives it depth. Feed your starter so it's ripe and bubbly before you mix.
Tiger Topping (Dutch Crunch)
This part still uses commercial yeast. That's on purpose. Mix it shortly before you need it.
Pro Tip
The dough is naturally leavened, but the topping needs commercial yeast. A wheat starter has gluten and bakes smooth. Only white rice flour plus a little yeast will crack.
Starter
Feed Your Starter
The night before, or 4 to 6 hours ahead
You want a ripe, active that's near its peak when you mix.
Click each step to mark complete
Build to ripe
Feed your so you'll have at least 100g ripe and bubbly when it's time to mix. It should be domed, active, and pass the float test, or just past its peak.
⏱ Wait Time
Let the starter ripen until bubbly and domed, 4 to 6 hours, or overnight.
Pro Tip
A sluggish starter makes a sluggish dough. Don't rush this part. A warm spot like a keeps it lively.
Mix
Mix the Dough
About 15 minutes
One bowl. This is a soft, enriched dough, so it won't feel like a lean artisan loaf.
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Combine
In a large bowl, stir the ripe starter into the lukewarm milk and sugar until loosened. Add the bread flour, softened butter, and salt. Mix with a or your hand until no dry flour remains and it forms a shaggy mass.
Rest, then work it smooth
Cover and rest 20 minutes so the flour hydrates. Then knead in the bowl for 3 to 5 minutes, or do a few sets of , until the dough is smooth and supple. It should be soft and slightly tacky.
Pro Tip
The dough temperature after mixing sets your timeline. Around 76°F to 78°F is a good target for a steady bulk.
Bulk
Bulk Fermentation
4 to 6 hours at room temperature
Wild yeast works slower than commercial yeast. Give it time and a few folds.
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Fold
Over the first 2 hours, give the dough 2 to 3 sets of , about 30 minutes apart. Each set builds strength.
Rise
Let the dough finish until it's grown by about half and feels light and airy, roughly 4 to 6 hours total at room temperature. Enriched dough won't double as fast as a lean dough, so judge by feel, not the clock.
⏱ Wait Time
Bulk ferment 4 to 6 hours with folds, until risen by about half and airy.
Pro Tip
Short on time in the morning? Cold retard the shaped dough overnight instead. See the next phase.
Temperature drives everything
A warm kitchen can finish bulk in 4 hours. A cool one might take 7. Watch the dough, not the timer.
Enriched dough is slower
Butter, milk, and sugar slow the yeast a little. A rise of about 50 percent is your signal, not a full double.
The Takeaway
Learn to read the dough. It tells the truth more reliably than any schedule.
Precise Timers
Use these interactive timers to track your stages.
Fold Set 1
Fold Set 2
Fold Set 3
Bulk Rise
Shape
Divide, Shape, and Proof
Same day or overnight in the fridge
Rolls or a loaf. Then proof warm, or cold-retard for flavor and a flexible schedule.
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Divide and shape
Turn the dough out gently. For rolls, divide into 8 pieces, about 105g each, and shape into tight rounds or short logs. For a loaf, shape the whole piece and set it into a greased 9x5 pan. See the Shaping section for details.
Proof your way
Same day: cover and proof at room temperature until puffy and slow to spring back, about 2 to 4 hours. Overnight: cover and refrigerate 8 to 14 hours, then pull them out and let them finish warming and puffing before you top and bake.
⏱ Wait Time
Proof until puffy, about 2 to 4 hours warm, or cold-retard 8 to 14 hours.
Pro Tip
A cold overnight proof deepens the sourdough flavor and lets you top and bake fresh in the morning.
Precise Timers
Use these interactive timers to track your stages.
Room-Temp Proof
Shaping
Shape It Your Way
Sandwich rolls or one soft loaf. Both take the topping well.
Sandwich Rolls
Eight naturally leavened rolls with a crackly top. Ideal for sandwiches.
RecommendedClick each step to mark complete
Preshape
Pat each piece into a rough square. Fold the sides in and roll into a short log or tuck into a tight round. Rest 5 to 10 minutes.
Final shape
Build surface tension by dragging each round on the counter under a cupped hand, or roll logs even. Place seam-side down on parchment with room to spread.
Soft Loaf
One table loaf with a shattering crust.
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Preshape
Gently round the whole dough and rest it 10 minutes, seam-side up.
Final shape
Pat into a rectangle, roll into a tight cylinder, seal the seam, and set seam-side down into a greased 9x5 loaf pan.
Proof Test: Press gently with a floured finger. When the dent fills back slowly and only partway, it's ready. Fast spring-back means it needs more time.
Topping
Make the Tiger Topping
5 minutes to mix, 15 to rest
Same crackly paste as the yeasted version. Mix it near the end of the final proof.
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Whisk the paste
In a small bowl, whisk the white rice flour, warm water, instant yeast, sugar, oil, and salt until smooth. Aim for a thick, spreadable paste, between thick pancake batter and ketchup. It should drop slowly off the whisk.
Let it bubble
Rest the paste 15 to 20 minutes until it loosens and turns bubbly. Adjust with a little water if it stiffens, or a little rice flour if it runs.
Pro Tip
Swap a teaspoon of the neutral oil for toasted sesame oil if you want the classic deli aroma.
Gluten is the problem
Your wheat starter has . Tested in the topping, it turns stretchy and bakes into a smooth skin instead of cracking. It looks wrong and it won't crunch.
Rice flour breaks
White rice flour has no gluten, so it can't stretch with the loaf. It sets and shatters into the tiger pattern. The pinch of commercial yeast just keeps the crust light.
The Takeaway
The dough is your sourdough. The topping is its own thing. Let each do its job.
Coat
Coat and Settle
About 20 minutes
Top the proofed dough, then let it settle before it goes in.
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Coat generously
Stir the paste, then spoon it over each roll (about 1 tablespoon each) or across the loaf. Spread with a small offset spatula out to the edges and just down the sides. Be generous. A full coat gives the bold cracks. Work gently so you don't deflate the proof.
Settle
Let the coated dough rest, uncovered, 15 to 25 minutes while the oven preheats. Fine cracks will start to open on the surface. That's your signal to bake.
⏱ Wait Time
Coat, then settle until the surface begins to crack, 15 to 25 minutes.
Pro Tip
Coat too early and the paste dries before can crack it. Coat too late and there's no lift left to open it. During the final proof is the sweet spot.
Precise Timers
Use these interactive timers to track your stages.
Settle After Coating
The Final Step
Bake Until Deeply Mottled
Rolls bake hot and fast. A loaf goes lower and longer so the topping browns without scorching.
Baking Methods
High heat cracks the crust fast.
Equipment: Two parchment-lined baking sheets
Preheat
Preheat to 450°F (232°C) with racks in the upper and lower thirds.
Load and drop
Put the rolls in and immediately drop the oven to 425°F (218°C).
Bake
Bake 20 to 26 minutes, rotating halfway, until the tops are deeply cracked and colored and the sides are golden.
Cool
Cool on a rack at least 20 minutes so the crust crisps.
"Let the topping go a shade darker than feels comfortable. That deep color is the flavor."
Nutrition Facts
Per 1 roll (about 110g) • 8 servings per recipe
* Values are estimates based on standard ingredients; actual values vary by brands and portion size.
Storage
Room Temperature
Best the day it's baked. Keep leftovers 2 to 3 days in a paper bag or loosely wrapped. The natural leavening helps it keep a touch longer than the yeasted version.
Refrigerated
Not recommended. The fridge dries bread out and dulls the crust.
Frozen
Freeze rolls or sliced loaf up to 3 months in a freezer bag.
Refresh
Toast slices directly from frozen, or warm a whole loaf at 350°F (175°C) for 10-12 minutes.
💡 Warm frozen rolls from the freezer in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes to bring the crackle back.
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Troubleshooting
Baker's Notes
Common questions and solutions for perfect results
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