I used to make Dutch crunch bread a fair bit as a teen. There was a recipe in the Pillsbury cookbook that we had at home. The Dutch crunch and monkey bread recipes in there along with a few others are what got me started with bread baking. So this recipe in Cook's Country looked pleasingly nostalgic.

I was tempted to make an pan loaf, just to stick even closer to my childhood experience. But, in the end, I figured it'd probably introduce fewer complications if I just made rolls like the recipe said. That way I wouldn't have to adjust the amount of topping or baking time or anything.

I found the inclusion of yeast in the rice flour topping interesting. I don't recall the Pillsbury version using yeast there; only the main dough was yeasted. Everything else was very familiar though. Although the topping did turn out somewhat runnier than I remember. That said, it seemed to be runnier than the recipe authors were expecting as well. I didn't need to brush it to spread it out, it just dripped and ran on its own. Possibly this was due to using brown, rather than white, rice flour. Given how runny it was, I think I'd probably reduce the water called for slightly next time. The original recipe called for "1/2 c. + 2 Tbsp." I'll try leaving out the 2 Tbsp. next time and see how it goes.

Dutch Crunch Rolls

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country April/May 2016

Ingredients

Dough

• 495g all-purpose flour
• 4 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 1/4 tsp. instant (rapid-rise) yeast
• 1 1/4 c. warm water
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Topping

• 114g brown rice flour
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 1/4 tsp. instant (rapid-rise) yeast
• 1/2 c. warm water
• 2 Tbsp. oil

Directions

1. Combine flour, sugar, salt, and yeast for the dough.
2. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and pour in the water and melted butter.
3. Gradually incorporate dry ingredients into wet, mixing from the centre outward.
4. Cover and let rest for ~5 minutes.
5. Turn out onto very lightly flour surface and knead for 5-10 minutes.
6. Cover and let rest for 5 more minutes.
7. Knead a for a few more minutes, until dough is smooth and stretchy.
8. Shape into a ball and place in a covered bowl to rise for ~45 minutes.
9. Dough is ready to knock back when it does not return a wet fingerprint. (Press wet finger ~1cm into dough and see if it springs back/fills in.)
10. Knock dough back and knead a few strokes.
11. Divide into 8 equal portions.
12. Round each portion, cover, and rest for 5-10 minutes.
13. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
14. Working with one portion at a time, flip smooth-side-down and press flat. Then fold top edge down to middle and press. Fold bottom edge up to middle and press.¹ Now bring the new top and bottom edges up to meet in the middle and pinch together. Flip seam-side-down and place on prepared baking sheet.
15. Cover and let rise for ~20 minutes.
16. After 20 minutes of rising, prepare the topping by whisking all of the topping ingredients together in a bowl.
17. Cover the topping and let rise for ~20 minutes.
18. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).
19. Spoon 2 Tbsp. of topping onto each bun. Use a pastry brush if necessary to spread the topping evenly over the bun.
20. Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 20-25 minutes, turning halfway through baking.
21. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

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¹ Top edge and bottom edge should meet in the middle, but not overlap. This is not a "letter fold". ^Back