Although San Francisco is known for it's sour dough bread to outsiders, for locals it's Dutch Crunch bread that sets their sandwiches apart. It's a unique, regional favorite--a soft bun with a distinctive, crackled topping. It is known as Tiger Bread in the Netherlands where it is believed to have originated. In other parts of the world, it is sometimes called Giraffe Bread. (source)

I first learned about this bread when my son, T-Man and techie guy for The Yummy Life, returned to St. Louis after living in San Francisco for several years. He was happy to be back in his home town, but one thing he missed about San Francisco was the sandwiches there. It's their signature food, in T-Man's opinion, and it's the Dutch Crunch bread that's most essential.

So, I experimented for a while before settling on this recipe that simplifies the rolls by using a no-knead dough. Although there is little hands-on time in making these rolls, you do have to plan ahead. The dough needs to be mixed the day before. A bowl of dough can be stirred together in under 5 minutes, but it has to rest as it self-kneads for 10-18 hours.

The topping is a mixture of rice flour, yeast, and sesame oil that magically crackles as the rolls bake and creates their distinctive appearance and taste. These are fun to make. Give them a try!

Here's how to make this unique and flavorful bread. 

Step-by-step photos for making
No-Knead Dutch Crunch Sandwich Rolls

Step 1. Assemble the ingredients:

FOR THE DOUGH

• bread or all-purpose flour
• instant yeast 
• kosher salt

FOR THE TOPPING

• rice flour (white or brown)
• bread or all-purpose flour
• instant yeast
• neutral oil (vegetable, peanut, canola, grapeseed)
• sesame oil (in the Asian aisle of grocery stores)
• kosher salt
• sugar
• toasted sesame seeds (optional--not pictured)

view on Amazon:  rice flour, sesame oil, instant yeast, bread flour, all-purpose unbleached flour

Step 2. MIX AND LET DOUGH REST: Combine dough ingredients in large bowl and stir just until no dry bits are visible. (It's not necessary to proof the yeast--simply mix everything together.) Dough willl be shaggy. Cover with plastic wrap and rest at room temperature for 10 to 18 hours.

View on Amazon:  my Danish dough whisk (I use this dough whisk and love it--not essential but a handy tool if you frequently make no-knead dough);  all metal dough wisk (this one is dishwasher safe)

As the yeast activates and the dough rises, it self-kneads. The shaggy dough transforms into a cohesive mixture that is bubbly, wet and sticky.

Step 3. Prepare a baking stone or metal baking sheet by covering it with parchment paper. My preference is a baking stone for yielding the best texture on the bottom of the rolls, but a baking sheet works well, too.

If using a baking stone, cut parchment paper to cover it. I have a large baking stone that's the size of my oven rack and grill. I can bake all of the rolls on it at one time. (Although my stone looks dirty, it's actually clean but "well seasoned"!)

view on Amazon:  my 20x13.5 baking stone;  baking stones in other sizes

If using a baking sheet, cover it with parchment paper as well. I buy parchment paper in pre-cut sheets that perfectly fit my 13x18 pans.

view on Amazon:  precut parchment paper sheets,  my 13x18 baking sheet (also called a "half sheet")

Step 4.  Turn proofed dough out of the bowl and onto a floured surface. Dough will be wet, loose, and floppy; flour your hands and add more to the surface as needed to prevent sticking. (I use a flour shaker for evenly dusting the surface.) Use a dough scraper to fold dough on top of itself on four sides. Turn over and draw sides in and under all around to create a ball.
view on Amazon:  scraper/chopper tool, flour shaker

Step 5. Use dough scraper to cut the ball in half. Cut each half into 4 equal pieces, for a total of 8 pieces. (This will results in 4 to 4.5" diameter baked rolls. For smaller rolls, cut dough into more pieces.) 

Step 6. Shape each piece of dough into a round or oblong shape, whatever you prefer, by pulling sides out and underneath. If using a baking stone, place the pre-cut parchment paper on the counter and place formed rolls on it, spaced 2-3 inches apart. (The baking stone needs to be preheated while the rolls rest.) If using a baking sheet, leave the parchment paper on the pan, and arrange rolls on top. (This can go directly into the oven when it's time to bake the rolls.) Cover formed rolls with a dish towel and let rest for 90 minutes. The rolls will spread some, but rise only slightly. No worries, they will puff up as they bake in the oven.

Step 7. 30 minutes before putting rolls in oven, in small bowl whisk Dutch Crunch Topping ingredients into a thick, smooth batter. Let mixture sit for 15 minutes.

view on Amazon:  small whisk

Step 8. Gently spoon the topping mixture evenly on top and down the sides of the rolls. Cover rolls with a thick layer--use all of the topping. (Optional: sprinkle topping with sesame and/or poppy seeds. I usually make some with and without sesame seeds.) Allow topping to proof on the rolls for 15 minutes.

view on Amazon:  organic toasted sesame seedsStep 9. Bake for 15-18 minutes until browned. (If using a baking stone, slide a pizza peel under the parchment paper and transfer rolls to heated stone.) Topping will develop characteristic cracks as it bakes and browns. Cool rolls completely before slicing for sandwiches.

view on Amazon: metal baking steels

Prefer smaller slider-size rolls? Easy. Simply cut the dough into 16 pieces instead of 8 and proceed with the same directions, reducing baking time to 13-16 minutes. These make adorable mini San Francisco-style sliders.

Slider lunch buffet! I recently prepared a slider lunch buffet for the hungry crew at my sons' company, LACRM. I made mini Dutch Crunch rolls for "Gouda Good" sliders inspired by T-Man's favorite San Francisco sandwich: rotisserie chicken, peppercorn sauce, and gouda cheese--heated through so the cheese gets all melty. There were 5 other sliders to choose from. The Gouda Goods and Lobster Rolls (duh!) disappeared the fastest.

Form dough into any shape or size. Oblong rolls are most commonly used in San Francisco sandwich shops.

As with most breads, these rolls are best eaten the same day they are baked. Here's a possible schedule for having fresh rolls for dinner.

EXAMPLE OF TIMING FOR FRESHLY BAKED ROLLS BY DINNER TIME:

• 9 pm (night before)--mix dough
• 3 pm (next day--18 hours later)--form rolls on parchment paper
• 3:45 pm--baking stone in oven (if using), preheat to 450 F
• 4 pm--mix Dutch Crunch topping
• 4:15 pm--apply topping
• 4:30 pm--rolls in 450 F degree oven
• 4:45ish pm--out of oven--cool on wire rack

This bread has a soft, light texture, but is sturdy enough to be ideal for sandwiches. 

Make it a Yummy day!

Monica

Print recipe Pin recipe on Pinterest

No-Knead Dutch Crunch Sandwich Rolls

By Monica              Servings: 8 large rolls or 16

Ingredients

• FOR BREAD DOUGH:
• 3 cups bread or all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast (regular or rapid rise)
• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1-1/2 cups (12 oz) cool tap water
• FOR DUTCH CRUNCH TOPPING:
• 2/3 cup rice flour (white or brown)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon instant yeast (rapid rise)
• 1 tablespoon bread or all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• OPTIONAL SEED TOPPINGS:
• sesame seeds or poppy seeds, or a combination

Directions

MIX AND LET DOUGH REST: Combine dough ingredients in large bowl and stir just until no dry bits are visible. (It's not necessary to proof the yeast--simply mix everything together.) Cover with plastic wrap and rest at room temperature for 10 to 18 hours.

FORM THE ROLLS AND LET THEM REST: Turn proofed dough out of bowl and onto floured surface. Dough will be wet, loose, and floppy; flour your hands and add more to the surface as needed to prevent sticking. Use a dough scraper to fold dough on top of itself on four sides. Turn over and draw sides in and under all around to create a ball.

Use dough scraper to cut ball in half. Cut each half into 4 equal pieces, for a total of 8 pieces. (This will results in 4 to 4.5" diameter rolls. For smaller rolls, cut dough into more pieces.) Shape each piece of dough into a round or oblong shape, whatever you prefer, by pulling sides out and pinching dough underneath.

If using a baking sheet, place formed rolls on parchment paper-lined baking sheet with 2-3 inches between each shape. If using a baking stone, form rolls on sheets of parchment paper that are cut to fit the size of the baking stone.

Cover formed rolls with dish towel and let rest for 90 minutes. The dough will spread some, but rise only slightly. Don't worry, the rolls will rise in the oven!

USE A BAKING STONE OR BAKING SHEET:
If using a baking stone, place it in lower third of oven. Turn on oven to 450 degrees after dough has proofed for 45 minutes, giving the oven time to heat up and preheat at full heat for 30 minutes before baking rolls. Use pizza peel to transfer rolls (leave them on the parchment paper) onto baking stone.

If using baking sheet, line them with parchment paper, and form the rolls for proofing directly on the pan. Preheat oven to 450 degrees for 30 minutes.

MAKE AND APPLY TOPPING:
30 minutes before putting rolls in oven, in small bowl, whisk Dutch Crunch Topping ingredients into a thick, smooth batter. Let mixture sit for 15 minutes before gently spooning it evenly on top and down sides of rolls. Cover rolls with thick layer--use all of the topping. (Optional: sprinkle topping with sesame and/or poppy seeds.) Allow topping to proof on rolls for 15 minutes before putting them in the oven.

BAKE THE ROLLS:
Bake for 15-18 minutes until browned. If your oven tends to cook unevenly, rotate pans half way through. Topping will develop characteristic cracks as it bakes.

FOR PLAIN ROLLS:
May omit Dutch Crunch topping and instead brush tops of rolls with an egg wash (1 whisked egg). Sprinkle on sesame or poppy seeds, if desired.

FOR SMALL SLIDER-SIZE ROLLS:
Cut dough into 16 pieces and follow same directions, reducing baking time to 13-16 minutes.

EXAMPLE OF TIMING FOR FRESHLY BAKED ROLLS BY DINNER TIME:
9 pm (night before)--mix dough
3 pm (next day--18 hours later)--form rolls on parchment paper
3:45 pm--baking stone in oven (if using), preheat to 450
4 pm--mix Dutch Crunch topping
4:15 pm--apply topping
4:30 pm--rolls in 450 degree oven
4:45ish pm--out of oven--cool on wire rack

Print recipe Pin recipe on Pinterest