Before reading this month’s challenge, I was unaware that Dutch Crunch bread, a staple at sandwich joints in San Francisco and the area, is pretty much unknown elsewhere here in the US. It really does have Dutch origins—it’s called tijgerbrood, or tiger-bread, in the Netherlands—but elsewhere in the States it’s not a common option. I guess I never paid attention to my bread choices when getting sandwiches outside the Bay Area.

I was also unaware that the crunch was mostly the result of a rice flour slurry applied to the bread, not some sort of heavy egg wash.

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!

We were required to make Dutch crunch bread, in the form of rolls or a loaf, and then make a sandwich out of it. I went the roll route. I modified the recipe provided by Sara & Erica, swapping out the milk for water (didn’t have any milk on hand, and have made bread without milk countless times). I also didn’t have any rice flour, so I pulverized some arborio rice I had on hand in my coffee grinder, and sifted it as they suggested.

The result? Phenomenal! My rolls flattened, as usual, in the oven, but the insides were still very much moist after baking, and the crunch was so awesome. It provided a great balance to the soft ingredients that I put in our sandwich:

• aioli with garlic, thyme and smoked paprika
• fresh mozzarella with fresh oregano leaves
• brown tomatoes (these Trader Joe’s “kumato” tomatoes with a dark reddish-brown color)
• avocado

Pics after the jump.

Here are the 2 rolls with rice flour slurry on top, awaiting the oven.

Absolutely gorgeous right out of the oven. Love the golden-brown crackled top. Surprisingly, the texture upon biting in was remarkably similar to the way it looks.

Here’s the completed sandwich with mozzarella, avocado, and tomato. A delectable Sunday brunch sandwich!