Dutch Crackle Bread (aka Tiger or Giraffe Bread)
Soft White Roll
Servings: Makes six small rolls and one large roll or two large rolls or loaves
Ingredients
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1 tablespoon (1 packet) (15 ml) (7 gm/ ¼ oz) active dry yeast
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¼ cup (60 ml) warm water (105-110º F) (41-43°C) (No need to use a thermometer it should feel between lukewarm and hot to the touch).
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1 cup (240 ml) warm milk (105-110º F) (41-43°C) (you can also use nonfat and 2%)
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1½ tablespoons (22½ ml) (20 gm/ ? oz) sugar
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2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil (plus a very small amount of olive or vegetable oil for greasing bowl during rising)
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1½ teaspoons (7½ ml) (9 gm/? oz) salt
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Up to 4 cups (960 ml) (600 gm/21oz) all purpose flour (I used between 2-3 cups of flour)
Crackle topping recipe follows below
Directions:
Step 1 - In the bowl of an electric mixer or large mixing bowl, combine yeast, water, milk and sugar. Stir to dissolve and let sit for about 5 minutes (the mixture should start to bubble or foam a bit and smell yeasty).
Step 2 - Add in vegetable oil, salt and 2 cups of flour. Using the dough hook attachment or a wooden spoon, mix at medium speed until the dough comes together.
Step 3 - Add remaining flour a quarter cup at time until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
Step 4 - Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
Step 5 - Place in a very lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set timer for 45 minutes, or until the dough has doubled in size. Meanwhile mix together the Dutch crunch topping (see recipe below). It should only take 5 minutes to mix together and then allow it to rise for 15 minutes. You want the bread and the topping to be ready at the same time.
Step 6 - Once the dough has risen and the Dutch crunch topping has also risen you are ready to shape the bread. Turn out the bread dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into the shapes that you want (a dough scraper works well). I made a large round roll and six smaller rolls. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet (try not to handle the dough too much at this point). I would recommend putting the six rolls on one baking tray and the large round loaf on a separate tray as the topping drips down and they will attach to each other once baked.
_With the topping on it (too close, I'd recommend putting them on two baking trays)
_
Step 7 - Immediately coat the top of each roll or loaf with the already prepared and risen Dutch crunch topping - I stirred this first but it puffs up quite quickly and the puffy topping stays put on top of the roll better. Allow the bread with topping to stand, uncovered, at room temperature for 30 minutes - you will see the crackling already taking place by the time they go into the oven. Meanwhile preheat your oven to moderately hot 380ºF/190°C/gas mark. When the second prove is complete, bake for 25-30 minutes until well browned. Let cool on wire rack before serving.
Dutch Crunch Topping
Ingredients
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1 tablespoon (1 packets) (15 ml) (7.5 gm/4 oz) active dry yeast
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1/2 cup (120 ml) warm water (105-115º F) (41-46°C)
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1 tablespoon (15 ml) (15 gm/1/2 oz) sugar
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1 tablespoon (15 ml) vegetable oil
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1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
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1/4 teaspoon salt
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3/4 cup (180 ml) (120 gm/ 4/1/4 oz) rice flour (white or brown; NOT sweet or glutinous rice flour, increase by 1 cup or more for home-made rice flour)
Directions:
Step 1 - Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and beat with a whisk; beat well to combine. The consistency should be like stiff royal icing spreadable, but not too runny. If you pull some up with your whisk, as shown below, it should drip off slowly. Add more water or rice flour as necessary. Let stand 15 minutes.
Step 2 - Coat the top of each loaf or roll with a thick layer of topping. We tried coating it with a brush but it worked better just to use fingers or a spoon and kind of spread it around. You should err on the side of applying too much topping a thin layer will not crack properly.
Step 3 - Let stand, uncovered, for any additional time your recipe recommends (30 minutes for this bread). You can also place the rolls directly into the oven after applying the topping.
Step 4 - When baking, place pans on a rack in the centre of the oven and bake your bread as you ordinarily would. The Dutch Crunch topping should crack and turn a nice golden-brown colour. If you have any leftover crunch topping, you can bake that too, it's delicious!