Name: Vegan Tiger Bread Recipe | Dutch Crunch Rolls | Giraffe Buns
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 35 min
Ingredients: 3 cups - 365 grams all purpose flour/maida; 1 tsp Yeast ((we used instant)); 1 tsp salt; 1 tbsp sugar; 3 tbsp oil; Water as required; 1/2 cup - 75 grams rice flour; 1 tsp Yeast; 1 tbsp sugar; 1/4 tsp salt; 1 tbsp sesame oil; Water as required

16 Sep Vegan Tiger Bread Recipe | Dutch Crunch Rolls | Giraffe Buns

Posted at 18:29h in Bread Recipes, Sweet and Savory Bakes, Vegan Christmas recipes, Vegan Recipes by blessmyfoodbypayal 0 Comments

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Last Updated on September 16, 2025 by blessmyfoodbypayal

Vegan Tiger Bread Recipe | Dutch Crunch Rolls | Giraffe Buns with step wise pictorial and video method.

Tiger Buns/bread, also known as Dutch Crunch Bread in the U. S. is a very simple and common bread but still stands out due to it unique appearance.

Soft from inside and crunchy outside, this bread is such a bakery item which is popular due to it’s mottled, crackly crust pattern on the outside which resembles the stripes or patches of a tiger and this is how it got its name.

You must have noticed that it is being called by both the names i.e. buns and bread interchangeable and that is all due to it’s shape, otherwise there’s nothing about it taste or texture. If you roll the dough into log shape, it becomes a bread and if in round shape, it is a bun. As simple as that.

We have made them into round shape because we wanted to make burgers out of it. But you can play with the dough the way you like.

This is such an amazing piece of bakery which has been called by so many names. Tiger bread and Dutch Crust is not enough but it used to be called as Tijgerbrood or Tijgerbolletjes (for rolls) at the time when it was originated in the Netherlands.

Wait, the story doesn’t end here.

Sainsbury’s, which is the British Supermarket and one of the largest grocers had to renamed it’s Tiger Bread into Giraffe Bread after receiving a letter from a toddler in 2012 who wrote them that the pattern on the bread looked more like a giraffe’s spots than a tiger’s stripes.

Now let’s talk about the science behind the creation of pattern. Actually the bread is made of all purpose flour and it gets puffed up due to yeast and anything with a gluten expands as well because of gluten. But on the other hand, over the top of these buns or bread, a paste made of rice flour is applied which is gluten-free and anything without gluten doesn’t expand to that extend even with yeast and here lies all the technique.

As the bread bakes, the rolls made of all purpose flour puffs up but the rice paste on the top dries out, cracks, and separates, creating the famous mottled crust.

We have already mentioned that we wanted them to be burgers but you can use them as sandwiches or as dinner rolls. You can make them more flavourful by adding Oregano, red chilli flakes, black pepper powder and more salt while kneading and in that case, needs no accompaniment to enjoy these buns.

This is something which can adorn your table on special occasions like family gatherings, kitty parties, birthdays or festivals like fall, Christmas and the like.

STEP WISE PICTORIAL RECIPE OF VEGAN TIGER BREAD RECIPE

For MAKING DOUGH, sift all purpose flour in a bowl. Add salt, sugar, yeast and oil.

Firstly mix without adding water. Then start adding water but little at a time and begin to knead the flour. Initially the dough with be quite sticky but keep kneading.

After 8-10 minutes of kneading, dough will turn smooth. This dough really needs to be kneaded well.

Put this dough in a greased bowl and cover the bowl cling film or airtight lid. Leave the dough to rise at some warm place in the kitchen for 1:30 to 2 hours. This duration may vary depending upon weather conditions. If it is hot, it will be fermented earlier otherwise will take more time in winters.

After 2 hours, dough will be double in size.

Knead it again for a minute. Divide the dough in 8 equal portions.

Roll each portion one by one into a smooth ball.

Arrange each ball in a generously greased baking tray. However you can use the baking tray as well for this purpose. Make sure there should be some gap between each ball.

Cover the tin/tray with cling film or with anything which cover them tightly not letting the air go in easily. Initially leave them to rest for 20 minutes.

In the meantime, for MAKING PASTE, take rice flour, salt, sugar, yeast and oil in a bowl.

Slowly start adding water and mixing. Make a thick but spreadable paste.

After 20 minutes, spread the rice paste with spoon on each ball.

Cover them again likewise and further leave for rest for 20 more minutes.

Uncover and place in the preheated oven in the middle rack and bake @200°C for 30-35 minutes with both the rods on. If you find that balls are properly baked but still white on the top, switch the oven settings to only top rod on, shift the baking tin/tray on top rack and bake for 1 or 2 minutes only on highest temperature (@230°C). But you have to be extra careful at this stage because balls can burn in fraction of seconds.

Once done, take them out and let them rest for 5-10 minutes only. Thereafter remove the buns and arrange on cooling rack to cool down completely.

Tiger buns are ready to enjoy.

NOTES

We have used instant yeast which need not to be activated before using. Just add and it is done. But if you are using active yeast, that needs to be activated first. To learn the technique in detail, click here.
Instead of all purpose flour, you can use whole wheat flour or suji (semolina – we have already tried, see here) as well or both all purpose flour and wheat flour in the ratio of 50:50.
Either you can make the division of dough in 8 equal portions on guess basis or use weighing scale for proper distribution. Our’s whole dough came to 570 grams, so each portion was 71.25 grams.

VEGAN TIGER BREAD RECIPE- RECIPE CARD