How to Make Dutch Crunch, Tiger Bread, Giraffe Bread - ChainBaker (2024)

Call it what you want – it is the bread with the crunchiest crust ever.

Dutch crunch bread originated in the Netherlands as the name suggests. There are various versions of this bread. It can be a super soft white loaf or individual little buns, or even long shaped sub rolls. There are also whole wheat ones.

My recipe aims for the most contrast – extremely soft interior vs super crunchy crust. It is also very convenient as you could make this bread in around 4 hours from the time you mix the dough to the minute you pull it out of the oven.

If you have watched my glaze comparison video in which I compared 15 most used glazes in breadmaking you may remember that I made a glaze out of rye bread dough. The principle here is the same.

The topping is made of rice flour, water, yeast, salt, oil, and sugar. It is fermented and then brushed on the dough before final proofing. Both the dough and the topping rise and expand. As the dough rises and expands it creates those signature cracks in the topping and the fermented topping becomes airy and thus crunchy later when baked.

It is a bread like no other. I have never come across such a unique texture. The crunchy crust is not hard at all. It breaks up and crumbles perfectly as you eat it. And the flavour is unique too. Toasty goodness!

Some recipes suggest using toasted sesame oil for the topping. That would intensify the flavour even more.

You must use rice flour. Not ground rice powder or regular flour or starch. It must be rice flour to achieve the correct texture. I have tried it with other flours and starches. So far only the rice flour has worked.

You can shape this dough however you like. Make 6 – 8 rolls out of it or make longer baguette shaped breads. Bake it as a free-standing loaf if you do not have a tin.

Watch the video down below for detailed instructions.

How to Make Dutch Crunch, Tiger Bread, Giraffe Bread - ChainBaker (2024)

FAQs

What makes tiger bread tigery? ›

There's a scientific reason for why this happens. Basically, the rice flour is gluten free and does not expand in the oven along with the bread. So as the bread rises, the paste on top cracks creating a tiger stripe pattern.

Is giraffe bread the same as tiger bread? ›

Sainsbury's has renamed its Tiger Bread "Giraffe Bread" following a letter from a toddler. The supermarket said that the correspondence last May from 3-and-a-half-year-old Lily Robinson, which went viral online, had inspired the change which was rolled out from stores today.

Is Dutch Crunch the same as tiger bread? ›

Tiger bread, known as Dutch Crunch in the U.S., is a Bay Area sandwich staple and a San Fransisco food you need to try. To make it, the top of a white bread roll gets thinly coated with rice flour dough to give the bread a unique, crackly top when baked.

What makes tiger bread taste so good? ›

The bread is generally made with a pattern baked onto the top made by painting rice paste onto the surface prior to baking. The rice paste that imparts the bread's characteristic flavour dries and cracks during the baking process. The bread itself has a crusty exterior, but is soft inside.

What is the new name for tiger bread? ›

Press release announcing that "in response to overwhelming customer feedback that our Tiger Bread has more resemblance to a giraffe, from today we will be changing our Tiger Bread to Giraffe Bread and seeing how that goes".

Is tiger bread healthy? ›

Tiger bread can be a great choice as it contains calcium and protein-rich cheese. However, watch serving size. Focaccia has a high carb content but contains monounsaturated fat olive oil which makes it more satiating and helps with heart health.

What is a giraffe loaf? ›

The bread is generally made with sesame oil and with a pattern baked into the top made by painting rice paste onto the surface prior to baking. The paste dries and cracks during the baking process. The rice paste crust also gives the bread a distinctive flavour. It has a crusty exterior, but is soft inside.

Why is Dutch Crunch bread so good? ›

For Chau, "the appeal of Dutch crunch is not only visual, but also textural. Textural differences between the crispy top of the rice flour coating and the softer bread is what makes this so special, as multiple textures excite the sensory experience."

What flour is tiger bread made from? ›

Tiger bread is a delicious and fun Dutch traditional bread made as a loaf or into buns then brushed with a paste made from yeast, oil, rice flour, sugar, salt, and water. The rice paste is what creates the tiger pattern on the top of the bread and provides a slightly sweet taste.

How to keep tiger bread fresh? ›

Store it in paper, not plastic

If you're storing bread on the counter, the easiest way to keep bread fresh is to leave it in the paper wrapping it came in. Then if needed, cover with another paper bag to wrap the cut or exposed end. Whatever you do, resist the urge to coffin it in plastic.

What countries eat tiger bread? ›

The tiger bread flavour is standard for bread from The Netherlands, but pieces of bread are definitely not the same worldwide, so I suspect that you will be (positively) surprised by this Dutch tiger bread.

How to make tiger bread soft again? ›

If you want to make stale bread soft again, wrap the bread in foil. If the crust of the bread is very hard, sprinkle a little water on the outside before you close the foil. Place the bread in a 300°F oven for 5-15 minutes or until the bread feels soft. If you added water, heat the bread until it no longer feels soggy.

What is a fun fact about tiger bread? ›

Fun Fact: Tiger bread is made with a delicious rice topping called tiger paste. Originally from the Netherlands, tiger bread is known for it's crackly, caramelized crust and stripes that resembles a tiger!

What are the ingredients in Tiger Bloomer bread? ›

Ingredients. INGREDIENTS: Wheat Flour [Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin], Water, Yeast, Rapeseed Oil, Salt, Dextrose, Palm Oil, Palm Fat, Flour Treatment Agents (Ascorbic Acid, L-Cysteine), Malted Barley Extract, Stabiliser (Tetrasodium Diphosphate).

Is tiger bread the same as white bread? ›

Usually, Tiger Bread is made as a white bread bloomer loaf or bread roll and rice paste is brushed on to the surface before baking so that a distinctive patterns is formed as the paste dries and cracks during the baking stage.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Twana Towne Ret

Last Updated:

Views: 6157

Rating: 4.3 / 5 (64 voted)

Reviews: 95% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Twana Towne Ret

Birthday: 1994-03-19

Address: Apt. 990 97439 Corwin Motorway, Port Eliseoburgh, NM 99144-2618

Phone: +5958753152963

Job: National Specialist

Hobby: Kayaking, Photography, Skydiving, Embroidery, Leather crafting, Orienteering, Cooking

Introduction: My name is Twana Towne Ret, I am a famous, talented, joyous, perfect, powerful, inquisitive, lovely person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.