Tiger Bread Recipe

Bread rolls in a napkin lined bowl with butter on the side.

5 from 5 votes

This tiger bread recipe makes soft, fluffy rolls with the classic crackly Dutch crunch crust. Easy to make with simple ingredients, these homemade rolls are perfect for sandwiches, soups, or just butter.

Prep Time2 30

Cook Time25

Course: Bread, Side Dish

Cuisine: Dutch

Servings: Rolls

Calories: 284kcal

Author: Natasha Minocha

Ingredients

Bread Rolls

1 cup Milk
1/2 cup Water
1 tbsp Sugar
2 tsp Active dry yeast
4 cups All-purpose flour
1 tsp Salt
2 Tbsp Olive oil

Rice Paste

3/4 cup Rice flour
1.5 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Active dry yeast
2 tsp Vegetable oil
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 cup Warm water

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Bread Rolls

Warm the milk and water until lukewarm, about 40 C/ 105 F.
1 cup Milk, 1/2 cup Water
Stir in the sugar and yeast. Keep aside for 10 minutes until bubbly.
1 tbsp Sugar, 2 tsp Active dry yeast
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, salt, and olive oil.
4 cups All-purpose flour, 1 tsp Salt, 2 Tbsp Olive oil
Add the yeast mixture and mix well with a spatula until a rough, shaggy dough forms.
Cover this with a damp kitchen towel and set it aside for 5-10 minutes.
Knead the dough in your stand mixer with a dough hook for 8-10 minutes, or until a smooth, soft dough forms. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl and cling to the dough hook.
You can also knead it by hand for about 10-12 minutes, until the dough is soft and elastic.
Form the dough into a ball and transfer to a lightly oiled bowl.
Cover and leave the dough to rise in a warm, draft-free spot for 1 -2 hours or until it doubles in volume.
Keep a baking tray ready, lined with Silpat or parchment paper.
Once the dough is doubled, punch it down and divide equally into 10 pieces.
Roll each dough piece into a ball and place on the prepared tray.
Cover with a damp kitchen towel and let the rolls rise for about 20 minutes.

Rice Paste

In the meanwhile, make the rice paste.
In a small bowl, combine the rice flour, sugar, salt, yeast, oil, and warm water. Mix well until you get a smooth, thick paste.
3/4 cup Rice flour, 1.5 tsp Sugar, 1 tsp Active dry yeast, 2 tsp Vegetable oil, 1/4 tsp Salt, 1/2 cup Warm water
Set aside for 10-15 minutes until bubbly.
Preheat your oven to 200 C/ 400F.
Stir the rice paste and carefully spoon it over the proofed dough balls.
Using a pastry brush or your fingers, spread generously in an even layer all over the surface. Rest for 5-10 minutes.
Bake the rolls for 25-28 minutes at 200 C/ 400 F or until the tops look cracked and golden brown.
Transfer the rolls to a cooling rack. Cool completely before slicing for making sandwiches. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Knead the dough well. A smooth, elastic dough is the secret to light and fluffy tiger bread rolls.
For a soft crumb, don't rush the first rise. Let the dough rise until doubled.
The Dutch crunch topping should be thick and spreadable, but not runny. If it's too thick, add a tablespoon or two of water. If it's too dry, add more rice flour.
Allow the rice paste to get bubbly and frothy before using.
Apply the topping generously. It splits while baking, giving the molten, crackled crust!
Don't overproof the rolls after applying the rice paste. They should be just puffy. Just 5-10 minutes is enough, as the rolls would have already proofed for 20-30 minutes before that.
Don't overbake. Bake just until the tops are golden and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
Allow the rolls to cool completely before slicing.
Always use a kitchen scale to measure the ingredients. This will give consistent and better results every time.

Nutrition