Why it is called tiger bread (tijgerbrood in Dutch) is a mystery to me; the print is more like a leopard or a giraffe and in Holland, tigers can only be found in the Zoo. The connection may be the Dutch East India Company, the intercontinental spice traders of the 1700s, who sailed back and forth between Holland and Asian countries and encountered tigers during their expeditions.
Wherever the name came from, this bread is delicious and when I was young, it was a treat when my mother brought home tiger rolls. Often, I ate the crust before I took my first bite of the sandwich. The ‘tiger print’ is created by a rice flour paste that is brushed on the top of the bread, just before you slide it in the oven and during baking that paste cracks. This rice flour paste is mostly used on white bread, but it tastes equally good on whole wheat or whole grain. Do you know that the paste is slightly sweet? It’s because it is a mix of rice flour, sesame oil and sugar (the sesame oil is another odd choice and may be again a link to Asian countries).
Key Ingredients in This Recipe
You’ll find the complete list of ingredients and exact quantities in the recipe below.
- For the bread
- Dry yeast
- Sugar
- All-purpose flour
- For the Rice Flour Paste
- Dry yeast
- Sugar
- Sesame oil
- White rice flour
One way to quickly see this ‘tiger effect’ is to try the rice flour paste on your favorite bread recipe. You know that bread recipe works and then the only change is the rice flour paste.
How to Make Dutch Tiger Bread or Crunch Bread
- Step 1 – Add yeast and sugar to water and allow yeast mixture to become bubbly.
- Step 2 – Add salt and flour and mix until you have a uniform mixture. Cover bowl and allow dough to rise at room temperature for about 2-3 hours.
- Step 3 – Make the rice flour paste by combining yeast, lukewarm water, sugar, sesame oil, salt and white rice flour in a bowl. Cover and allow this to rise as well at room temperature.
- Step 4 – Cut the dough in four and shape each into a roll and place rolls on baking sheet, lined with parchment paper and dusted with cornmeal.
Step 5 – Apply/brush the rice flour paste on top of each roll, spread it to completely coat the entire top.
Step 6 – Place the baking sheet in an oven of 450 degrees F. and bake for about 25 minutes.
The longer you bake the bread the darker and crunchier the crust.
Give it a try once, it is really simple. If you like it, you’ll have an additional bread recipe in your arsenal that is not much extra work, but adds a different flavor and texture.
Crunchy Tiger Bread
Pin Recipe FacebookIngredients
For the Bread
- 1.5 cups lukewarm water
- 1/2 tablespoon dry yeast
- 1 pinch sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon salt
- 3 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
For the Rice Flour Paste
- 1 tablespoon dry yeast
- 1/2 cup lukewarm water
- 1 tablespoon sugar (NOTE 1)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil (NOTE 2)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup white rice flour
Instructions
- Add yeast and sugar to water (1.5 cups) and allow yeast mixture to become bubbly.
- Add salt and flour and mix until you have a uniform mixture.
- Cover bowl and allow dough to rise at room temperature for about 2-3 hours.
- Make the rice flour paste by combining yeast, lukewarm water (1/2 cup), sugar, sesame oil, salt and white rice flour in a bowl. Cover and allow this to rise as well at room temperature.
- Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet and dust with corn meal.
- Cut the dough in four equal parts and shape each into a roll. Place rolls on parchment paper.
- Apply/brush the rice flour paste on top of each roll, spread it to completely coat the entire top.
- Bake rolls for approx. 20 minutes.
Notes
- You’ll find 1 tablespoon of sugar in the rice flour paste, but if you want the crunch to be sweeter, use 1.5-2 tablespoons.
- Dutch Tiger Bread traditionally uses sesame oil, but other oils will work as well. It may change the flavor of the tiger prints slightly.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.