Sourdough pandesal: why breadcrumbs coat the rolls

Useful to know

Pandesal is a Filipino bread roll, made with ripe sourdough starter in the King Arthur Baking version examined here. Its coating of fine dry breadcrumbs gives the outside a texture distinct from the soft interior. [1]

The breadcrumbs belong to the shaping stage; they do not replace the flour in the dough. When comparing recipes, also check the leavening: this particular version uses sourdough, so rising times should not simply be copied from a recipe using packaged yeast.