Daring Bakers March: Dutch Crunch (SourDutch crunch, in my case)

Sara and Erica of Baking JDs were our March 2012 Daring Baker hostesses! Sara & Erica challenged us to make Dutch Crunch bread, a delicious sandwich bread with a unique, crunchy topping. Sara and Erica also challenged us to create a one of a kind sandwich with our bread!

Dutch crunch, also known as tiger bread and giraffe bread, is popular in San Francisco, which seems to be one of very few places in the US where you can find it. When Hun and I went on vacation there last October, it was on my "nom list" of foods to try. Unfortunately, the only place we could get to that sold it sold it only as whole buns, not as sandwiches. We tried eating it with chowder, but it was very bready and pretty boring aside from the topping. It really needs to be eaten as a sandwich since the bread alone isn't so remarkable; aside from its unique look, it's the topping and how it reacts in a sandwich that makes it interesting.


I’ve been feeding the sourdough starter I made for last December’s Daring Bakers challenge, so I decided to make sourdough hamburger buns. Because one of our objectives was to make sandwiches, I wanted to make sure my buns weren’t crazy tall since I don’t like bready sandwiches. Also, because Dutch crunch has such a crunchy top, I wanted a softer filling, so I made egg salad.


My freshly shaped buns. Yeah, they're not all the same size.


This gives you an idea of how tall they are before rising.


The buns are risen.


The topping is slathered onto the tops of the buns before they're baked.


As the buns bake, they rise more and the toppings harden and crackle. Ideally, the topping browns more, but the buns finished baking before the topping had a chance to brown. One of my fellow DBers suggested adding more sugar to help with browning.


A close-up of the top.


The bun's innards--nice and airy (and delicious)!


And the sandwich's innards (also delicious)!


A close-up--you can see the capers.


Here's the sourdough hamburger bun recipe I used.

Ingredients
2 cups sourdough starter, proofed and active
3 tablespoons room temperature butter
1/2 cup lukewarm milk
2 beaten eggs
1 teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons sugar
3 cups AP flour

Directions
Stir together all ingredients except flour.
Add flour, mixing until it comes together enough to be turned out and kneaded.
Knead until dough is smooth and satiny.
At this point dough may be refrigerated up to 24 hours for a more flavorful bread. Bring dough back to room temperature before contiuing with shaping.
Let dough rest for 15 or 20 minutes and then divide into 6 equal pards.
Form parts into rounds (I flattened mine so they wouldn't be too tall).
Spray cling wrap with nonstick spray and cover buns, and let buns double in size.
Bake at 350°F for 15 to 18 minutes (I went 20).
Cool on wire rack.

Notes:
-We were allowed to use any bread recipe we wanted and in any form. Because Dutch crunch is a slightly sweeter topping, I thought it would go well with the sourdough.
-I really slathered the topping on and put it down all the way to the bottom of the bun. I put it on just before I baked the buns instead of letting it settle on there for awhile.

Check out my fellow DBers' results--find them through our blogroll!