Tiger Bread | Dutch Crunch Bread
 
 
Tiger Bread, also known as Dutch Crunch Bread, has a distinctive cracked and mottled crust, which resembles the markings of a tiger's coat.
Author:
Recipe type: Bread Rolls
Serves: 10 bread rolls
Ingredients
For the preferment
  • 75 grams (1/2 cup) bread flour
  • 75 grams (2/3 cup) milk heated to 113 degrees F (45 degrees F)
  • 0.3 grams (pinch) instant yeast
For the Final Dough:
  • 400 grams (2½ cups) bread flour or all-purpose flour
  • 100 grams (~3/4 cup) white whole wheat flour
  • 350 grams (~ 1½ cups), milk (dairy or non-dairy) about 75 degrees F
  • All of the preferment
  • 1.5 grams (~3/8 tsp) of instant yeast
  • 37.5 grams ( 2 Tbsp. + 1½ tsp.) softened butter, cut into small pieces
  • 8 grams (~1⅓ tsp.) fine sea salt
For the Tiger Porridge:
  • 20 grams (~2 Tbsp.) rice flour (not glutinous rice flour)
  • 20 grams (~1/4 cup + 1 tsp.) ground bread crumbs or panko bread crumbs
  • 137 grams (~ ½ cup + 1 Tbsp.) boiling water
  • 1.5 grams (~1/4 tsp) fine sea salt
  • 2.5 grams (scant ½ tsp.) granulated sugar
  • 2.5 grams (~ ⅛ tsp.) vegetable oil
  • 1.75 grams (1/2 tsp.) instant yeast
Instructions
To Make the Preferment:
  1. Stir together all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and let ferment for 12 to 16 hours. * Alternately, you can use 125-150 grams of recently fed and active sourdough starter.
To Make the Final Dough:
  1. Mix the flour and milk together by hand in the bowl of a stand mixer. Cover and let sit for 1½ hours.
  2. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix on low for 8 minutes, and then medium high for 3 minutes. The dough should be tacky but not sticky. I added a tablespoon of extra flour to bring it together.
  3. Form the dough into a ball and place it in a bowl or dough rising bucket. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 60 to 90 minutes.
  4. At this point, you can proceed with shaping and baking the rolls, or retard the dough overnight in the refrigerator and bake the rolls the next day, depending on what works best with your schedule.
To Make the Porridge:
  1. While the dough is rising, in a smallish bowl, mix the rice flour and bread crumbs. Add the boiling water, stir, and let the mixture rest until it reaches about 77 degrees F. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, cover, and let rest for an hour.
To Shape the Rolls:
  1. Deflate the dough and cut it into 10 equal size pieces, about 100 grams each. Shape each into roll and place them, seam side down, onto a parchment lined half-sheet pan. Cover with oiled plastic wrap or a kitchen towel, and let rise for 15 minutes.
  2. Divide and dollop the porridge among the 10 rolls and then spread gently over the rolls with the back of a spoon. It's about a tablespoon per rolls. You can smooth the porridge with an offset spatula.
  3. Let rise for an additional 45 minutes, uncovered.
Bake the Rolls
  1. While the rolls are rising, preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. with a rack in the middle.
  2. Bake the rolls for 20 to 25 minutes, or longer if needed, until the topping has browned. The interior temperature of the rolls should be about 205 degrees F.
Notes
Substitute 125-150 grams of recently fed and active sourdough starter instead of making the preferment with yeast.

The volume measurements were determined using online conversion calculators.  

Timing:
The dough can be made the day before and placed in the refrigerator overnight if this works better with your schedule.
Then shape the rolls and bake as indicated in the recipe.
While the shaped rolls are proofing, prepare the topping.
Recipe by Bread Experience at https://www.breadexperience.com/tiger-bread-dutch-crunch-bread/