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Easter is this Sunday, for holiday dinner I like to make fresh homemade bread rolls. But to make the rolls more festive, I decided to make them into shapes of bunnies. These rolls are fun to make, a classic yeast bread dough with bunny ears. You can even make this bread dough ahead of time by before shaping it, These rolls are fluffy and buttery, the perfect side dish to serve at your Easter dinner.
These rolls are made with a classic yeast dough, so it will need some time to rise. But the dough can easily be made ahead of time and baked the next day. The yeast dough is made with milk, butter and an egg, resulting in a tender fluffy bread. The dough needs to rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours or until it has doubled in size. Or you can also cover the bread and refrigerate it overnight. Then when you are ready to bake the rolls, let it rise at room temperature.
Once the dough has doubled in size, deflate it and divide the dough into two balls on a floured surface. For half of the dough, divide it into 12 round balls to form the head. With the other half of the dough, divide it into 24 long ropes for the ears. Make each rope into a u shape, then press the ends together to seal, forming the shape of a bunny ear. Repeat for the remaining dough ropes. Place two of the ears onto the back of each roll, pressing to seal. Place the rolls onto greased baking sheets. Using a toothpick, poke holes in the rolls for the eyes, nose and mouth. Cover and allow it to rise for another 30-60 minutes. Just before baking the rolls, brush them with melted butter. Bake until the rolls are lightly browned.
Easter Bunny Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups milk, warmed
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
Instructions
- In a large measuring cup, whisk warm milk with granulated sugar and active dry yeast. Let sit for 10 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Add in yeast mixture, melted butter and egg. Mix until a thick dough forms. Place dough onto a floured surface.
- Knead dough until smooth and elastic. Place dough into a large greased bowl, turning to coat. Cover with either plastic wrap or a towel. Let rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours, or until doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Divide dough in half. Shape half of the dough into 12 even sized balls.
- Divide the remaining half of the dough into 24 long ropes. Shape each rope into bunny ears. Place two bunny ears onto each dough ball. Place rolls onto large greased baking sheets.
- Using a toothpick, poke holes in the rolls for the eyes, nose and mouth. Cover and let rolls rise for another 30-60 minutes. Evenly brush the remaining melted butter onto each roll. Bake for 15-20 minutes.