Dutch Crunch Rolls

I pulled out all of my cookbooks the other day and made a list of everything I have ever wanted to make. One thing that I couldn’t find was a recipe for Dutch Crunch Rolls. I was surprised because these are my favorite for sandwiches, but I haven’t been able to find them anywhere. So I turned to the internet.

After a few trials and errors with different recipes, I have settled on this one for about eight Dutch Crunch Rolls to make some delicious sandwiches with. Enjoy!

1. In a small bowl, microwave the whole milk and water for about 1 minute. You want the water to be warm but not to hot, about 90-95 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Add the yeast, sugar, and warm milk/water mixture for the bread in the bowl of a stand mixer. Gently stir by hand until the yeast is dissolved. Set aside for 5-7 minutes until the yeast has created a foam.

3. Lightly grease a large bowl with the olive oil and set aside.

4. Add the flour, vegetable oil and salt to the mixer. Using the dough hook on low speed, mix until a shaggy dough forms. Switch to medium speed and continue mixing until the dough forms a ball and is smooth and elastic. This should take about 6-8 minutes.

5. Transfer the dough to the lightly greased bowl. Cover with a clean dishtowel and allow the dough to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

6. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

7. Once the dough has doubled in size, turn onto a lightly floured surface. Using a pastry cutter or sharp knife, cut the dough into 8 even sections. (If you want to be exact, you can check the weights of each with a scale.)

8. Shape each section of dough in to ball. Place seam side down on a lightly flowered baking sheet.

9.Cover the rolls with loosely with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.

10. Move your oven racks so that your oven is divided into thirds. You will need to use both racks for baking. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

11. In a medium sized bowl, combine the rice flour, sugar, vegetable oil, yeast, and warm water for the topping. Stir until combined. This mixture should be…goopy, thicker than a pancake batter, but still spreadable.

12. After the rolls have rested, spoon the topping onto each of the rolls and spread it around the top and sides. This is what will create the dutch crunch top so it doesn’t need to look perfect. (I spread my topping no more than 1/4 inch thick so that it will easily crack.)

13. Back the rolls for 20-25 minutes or until the tops have cracked and the rolls are a golden brown. Be sure to rotate the baking sheets (front to back, and between your two oven racks) halfway through the bake time.

14. Once done, transfer the rolls to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing, about an hour. If you try to cut them while still warm the bread will not cooperate and end up smushed. (Trust me, I know how difficult it is to wait.)

15. Store your bread in air tight container at room temperature once cool.