Dutch Crunch Bread and Avocado, Crispy Bacon and Grilled Tomato Sandwich

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!

I must admit, I had never heard of a Dutch crunch or Tiger crunch or Giraffe crunch bread before, but hey I m all game for new challenges! Thanx Sara and Erica for this wonderful challenge and for introducing us to this gorgeous creation.
The instructions and recipe given by Sara and Erica were pretty simple and straight forward and of course I googled :). Dutch Crunch bread, I learned, is found commonly in corner stores and sandwich shops around Northern California. Until recently, Dutch Crunch was largely unknown outside of Bay Area, but the rest of the world is starting to catch on.

Until recently, Dutch crunch was largely unknown outside of the Bay Area and the Netherlands, but the rest of the world is starting to catch on.

Source: The Bay Citizen (http://s.tt/13g2U)

Until recently, Dutch crunch was largely unknown outside of the Bay Area and the Netherlands, but the rest of the world is starting to catch on.

Source: The Bay Citizen (http://s.tt/13g2U)

Until recently, Dutch crunch was largely unknown outside of the Bay Area and the Netherlands, but the rest of the world is starting to catch on.

Source: The Bay Citizen (http://s.tt/13g2U)

So what is Dutch Crunch Bread or Tiger Bread or Tigerbrood? It's a dense, doughy bread with a moist crumb. But what sets it apart is the crackly top--with crunchy little bits growing from the paler crust underneath. 
The bread is coated with a wash of rice flour, butter, sugar, and yeast. In the oven, the top crust splits and browns, giving us that distinctive streaked or spotted crust. Needless to say, the crunch is the best part of the loaf. Sweet and crispy, worth picking off and eating by itself, its only fault is a tendency to scrape the top of your mouth when you're taking a huge bite. But it's worth it.

Learn more about the history of Dutch Crunch bread, particularly in the Bay Area, here, here, and here.

Brown Bread 
(I have used my simple Wheat Bread Loaf recipe, which I have been making from ages) 
Ingredients:
500 grams Strong Wheat Bread Flour or you can use all purpose flour
15 grams dry yeast
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon olive oil, you can use any vegetable oil or melted butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (240 ml) + 1/2 cup (120 ml) warm water, between lukewarm and hot to the touch

Method:
Mix the honey and yeast in the warm water, stir and add a pinch of flour. Cover and leave for 10 minutes. When the surface is full of froth, the yeast is ready to use.
Dissolve the salt in 1/2 cup of warm water. Add both the liquids to the flour and make a soft dough. If required add a little more of warm water.
Knead the dough for at least 6 minutes. Add the olive oil, mix well and cover with a wet cloth for 25 minutes or until the dough is double in size.
Knead again until the dough comes back to it's original size. Cover with wet cloth and keep aside for 20 minutes for proofing.
Knead again until the dough comes back to it's original size. Shape into bread loaves. Place into two greased loaf tins (I made 1 loaf and 6 mini rolls).
Apply the Dutch Crunch Topping (recipe given below) and coat the loaf completely with it. Leave for 15 minutes or until double in size again.
Bake in preheated oven at 250 degree Celsius for 10 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 200 degree Celsius and bake for a further 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Remove from the pan after 5-8 minutes and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Dutch Crunch Topping
Adapted from  Baking JDs  
Ingredients:
1 tablespoons active dry yeast
1/2 cup (120 ml) warm water (105-115º F) (41-46°C)
1 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoons vegetable oil
pinch of salt
3/4 cups (120 gm) rice flour (white or brown; NOT sweet or glutinous rice flour)

Method:
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and beat with a whisk; beat hard to combine. The consistency should be like stiff royal icing – spreadable, but not too runny. If you pull some up with your whisk, as shown below, it should drip off slowly. Add more water or rice flour as necessary. Let stand 15 minutes.
Coat the top of each loaf or roll with a thick layer of topping. You should err on the side of applying too much topping – a thin layer will not crack properly.
Let stand, uncovered, for any additional time your recipe recommends. When baking, place pans on a rack in the center of the oven and bake your bread as you ordinarily would. The Dutch Crunch topping should crack and turn a nice golden-brown color.

Avocado, Crispy Bacon and Grilled Tomato Sandwich
Ingredients:
1 small ripe avocado
4 bacon rashers
1small tomato, cut into rounds
1 tablespoon lime juice
salt and pepper
pinch of chilli flakes

Method:
Heat grill to a high (or you can use your frying pa). Grill bacon rashers and tomato slices for 10 minutes. Turn bacon halfway through, until crisp.
Meanwhile, take the flesh of  avocado, and mash with a fork. Stir in lime juice, chilli flakes, salt and pepper.
Toast 2 chunky slices of Dutch Crunch Bread and spoon on the mashed avocado. Top with the tomatoes and bacon, then serve.