Turns out I should have made half a recipe of the topping since I was only making 6 rolls! I promise that I really do read a recipe all the way through before I start cooking, but sometimes I miss things. I realized in rereading this recipe that I should have added more water to my topping to make it less stiff and easier to spread. The topping adds great visual appeal and texture to the finished product. But they baked up beautifully and the topping lived up to its title of dutch crunch, but wasn’t striped like it should have been. As I spread it (or tried to) on top of the risen rolls I had some serious doubts. The topping struck me as strange when I mixed it up and did not look like the recipe said it should. And that makes me a little weird, I know. The dough was so easy, smooth and lovely. I chose a simple soft white bread that I made into rolls.

We were given a couple of bread recipes to use as the vehicle for the dutch crunch topping. Whenever I find myself in Northern California I will make sure to keep an eye out for it. Making this bread made me want to go try the real thing sometime. that I would have otherwise gone my whole life without knowing anything about. One of the reasons I really like being a part of Daring Bakers is the exposure I get to foods in other countries and other regions of the U.S. Sara and Erica also challenged us to create a one of a kind sandwich with our bread! 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. Thankfully it was a successful baking experience that resulted in a tasty sandwich and picnic lunch with my little family. This month I was confronted by my fear of bread baking with this Daring Bakers challenge.

Dutch crunch bread origin