Tiger Bread (Dutch Crunch)

Ingredients

Soft Dough

A gently enriched white dough. Milk and butter keep the crumb tender.

• 500g (4 cups + 3 tbsp) bread flour
• 325g (1⅜ cups) whole milk, lukewarm
• 40g (3 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
• 30g (2½ tbsp) granulated sugar
• 9g (1 tbsp) instant yeast
• 9g (1½ tsp) table salt

Tiger Topping (Dutch Crunch)

Mix this shortly before you need it and give it time to get bubbly. White rice flour only.

• 100g (¾ cup) white rice flour
• 105g (½ cup) warm water
• 7g (2¼ tsp) instant yeast
• 10g (2½ tsp) granulated sugar
• 10g (2 tsp) neutral oil
• 5g (¾ tsp) table salt

Total flour: 500g

Hydration: 65%

Pro tip: White rice flour is what makes the crust crack. All-purpose or bread flour has gluten, so it stretches with the dough instead of breaking. Do not swap it.

Equipment

• Digital Kitchen Scale
• Large Mixing Bowl
• Bench Scraper (optional)
• Two Baking Sheets
• Parchment Paper
• Small Offset Spatula or Pastry Brush
• Small Bowl
• Instant-Read Thermometer
• 9x5 Loaf Pan (optional)

Method

Mix the Dough (About 10 minutes)

One bowl, everything in. This is a soft, tender dough, not a stiff one.

1. Combine the wet and dry. In a large bowl, stir together the lukewarm milk, sugar, and yeast. Add the bread flour, softened butter, and salt. Mix with a dough whisk or your hand until there's no dry flour left and it comes together in a shaggy mass.
2. Knead until smooth. Knead in the bowl or on the counter for 5 to 8 minutes, until the dough is smooth and a little tacky but not sticky. It should pass a loose windowpane test. If it's sticky, resist adding much flour. A minute more of kneading usually fixes it.

Tip: Milk-based doughs feel softer than water doughs. That's what you want here. Soft dough, soft crumb.

Let It Rise (About 60 to 90 minutes)

Cover and let the dough double.

1. Bulk rise. Round the dough, place it seam-side down in a lightly oiled bowl, and cover. Let it rise at room temperature until doubled, about 60 to 90 minutes depending on your kitchen.

Wait: PT1H30M

Tip: Warm kitchen? Check it at 60 minutes. Cool kitchen? Give it the full 90 or a little more.

Divide and Shape (About 15 minutes)

Rolls for sandwiches, or one loaf for the table. See the Shaping section for both.

1. Divide. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter. For rolls, divide into 8 even pieces, about 105g each. For a loaf, keep it whole.
2. Shape and rest. Shape each piece into a tight round or short log for rolls, or shape the whole piece into a loaf. Place rolls on parchment-lined sheets with room to spread, or set the loaf into a greased pan. Follow the Shaping section below for the step-by-step.

Tip: Leave space between rolls. They spread as they proof and again in the oven.

Make the Tiger Topping (5 minutes to mix, 15 to rest)

The crackle lives here. Mix it while the shaped dough starts its final proof.

1. Whisk the paste. In a small bowl, whisk the white rice flour, warm water, instant yeast, sugar, oil, and salt until smooth. You're after a thick, spreadable paste, somewhere between thick pancake batter and ketchup. It should drop slowly off the whisk, not run.
2. Let it bubble. Set the paste aside for 15 to 20 minutes. It should loosen and turn bubbly as the yeast wakes up. If it thickens too much, whisk in water a teaspoon at a time. If it's too loose, add a little rice flour.

Tip: Add a teaspoon of toasted sesame oil in place of some of the neutral oil if you want that classic deli aroma. It's optional, not required.

Final Proof and Apply the Topping (About 45 to 60 minutes total)

Let the shaped dough puff, coat it, then let it settle before baking.

1. Start the final proof. Loosely cover the shaped rolls or loaf and let them proof for about 30 minutes. They should look puffy but not fully done yet.
2. Coat generously. Give the paste a stir. Spoon it onto each roll (about 1 tablespoon per roll, 2 for large ones) or over the top of the loaf. Spread it with a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon, out to the edges and just down the sides. Be generous. A timid coat gives fine cracks. A full coat gives the bold pattern people expect. Work with a gentle hand so you don't deflate the dough.
3. Settle before baking. Let the coated dough rest, uncovered, another 15 to 25 minutes while the oven preheats. The surface will begin to show hairline cracks. That's your green light.

Wait: PT50M

Tip: Timing matters. Coat too early and the paste dries out before the oven spring can crack it. Coat too late and there's no push left to open it up.

Shape It Your Way

This dough works as sandwich rolls or a single soft loaf. Pick your format.

Sandwich Rolls (recommended)

Eight soft rolls with a crackly top. The best format for burgers and subs.

1. Preshape. Pat each piece into a rough square. Fold the sides to the middle, then roll into a short log or tuck into a tight round. Rest 5 minutes.
2. Final shape. For subs, roll each into an even 5 to 6 inch log. For round rolls, cup your hand and drag on the counter to build surface tension. Place seam-side down on parchment.

Soft Loaf

One dramatic table loaf with a shattering crust.

1. Preshape. Gently round the whole dough and rest it 10 minutes, seam-side up.
2. 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. Or shape a free-form bâtard on parchment.

Proof test: Press the dough gently with a floured finger. It should spring back slowly and leave a faint dent. If it springs back fast, give it more time.

Bake Until Deeply Mottled

Rolls bake hot and fast. A loaf bakes lower and longer so the crust doesn't scorch before the center sets.

Oven: 218°C / 425°F. Internal temperature when done: 91°C / 195°F.

Sandwich Rolls (Recommended) (recommended)

High heat gives the crust a fast, dramatic crack.

Equipment: Two parchment-lined baking sheets

1. Preheat. Preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C) with racks in the upper and lower thirds.
2. Load and drop. Put the rolls in and immediately drop the temperature to 425°F (218°C).
3. Bake. Bake 18 to 24 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway, until the tops are deeply colored and cracked and the sides are golden.
4. Cool. Cool on a rack at least 20 minutes. The crust crisps as it cools.

Soft Loaf

Lower and slower so the topping browns evenly.

Equipment: 9x5 loaf pan or a parchment-lined sheet

1. Preheat. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
2. Bake. Bake 35 to 45 minutes, until the crust is deep golden and cracked and the center reads 195°F (91°C) on an instant-read thermometer.
3. Cool. Turn the loaf out of the pan and cool completely on a rack before slicing, at least 1 hour.

Note: The topping should look almost too dark. That deep color is where the flavor is.

Storage

• Room temperature: Best the day it's baked. Keep leftovers 1 to 2 days in a paper bag or loosely wrapped.
• 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.

Warm frozen rolls straight from the freezer in a 350°F (175°C) oven for about 10 minutes to bring the crackle back.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use my sourdough starter in the topping instead of yeast?

No, and this is the mistake most people make. A wheat starter has gluten, so the paste turns stretchy and bakes smooth instead of cracking. The topping needs white rice flour and a little commercial yeast to get that crackle. If you want a sourdough loaf, use our Sourdough Tiger Bread for the dough and keep this same yeasted topping.

My topping didn't crack. What went wrong?

Usually one of three things. The paste was too thin and baked into a glaze, so make it thicker next time. You applied too little, so be more generous. Or you coated it too early and it dried out before the dough could push through it. Coat during the final proof, not before.

Can I use all-purpose flour for the dough?

Yes. Bread flour gives a chewier, loftier crumb that stands up to the heavy topping, but all-purpose works. If the dough feels slack, hold back a spoonful of milk.

Do I need superfine rice flour?

Superfine gives the smoothest paste and the cleanest cracks, but regular white rice flour works fine. In a pinch you can grind raw rice to a fine powder in a spice grinder. Do not use sweet or glutinous rice flour.

Loaf or rolls, which should I make first?

Start with rolls. They bake fast, the crust cracks dramatically, and they're the best format for sandwiches. Once you've seen how the topping behaves, the loaf is easy.

How do I keep the crunch?

Tiger bread is best the day it's baked. The crust softens overnight. To bring it back, warm the whole loaf or rolls in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 5 to 10 minutes.

Nutrition

Per serving (1 roll (about 110g)): 330 calories, 58g carbohydrates, 9g protein, 6g fat, 2g fiber, 450mg sodium. Makes 8 servings.