Pudica's Food Corner: Easter Bunny (sweet yeast bread)

This is another Easter recipe :) Like my Easter Lamb last year, these Easter Bunnies are sweet yeast bread. The recipe is almost the same, a little sweeter.

I did accidently use a little too much yeast and the dough rose a little too much (especially during shaping the Easter Bunnies), so they may not look as smooth and detailed as they should...

Ingredients:

200ml milk (warm, not hot)
30g yeast (fresh - or substitute with 1 package instant or active dry yeast)
1 Tbsp sugar

500g flour
70g sugar
1 tsp vanilla sugar
1 Tbsp salt
1 tsp lemon peel
1 egg (lighly beaten)
75g butter (melted, but not hot)

1 egg (beaten, as egg wash)
2 Tbsp hail sugar or pink sprinkles ;)

Preparation:

Use all ingredients at room temperature.
Preheat oven at 180 degree celsius (Ober- und Unterhitze) / 350 degree Fahrenheit (convection oven).

Dough and First proofing

First, activate the yeast. Don't use a metal bowl as it will prevent/ slow down activation. Warm up the milk in a glas or plastic bowl to about 30 degree celsius. It should not be too hot for your own skin if you try to dip in your finger. Add 1 Tbsp sugar and add the yeast (not too much). Stir (with a wooden spoon) till it is dissolved and let stand for about 10 minutes. It will activate and you will see bubbles, the volume will increase.

Second, in another big bowl, add the flour, sugar, vanilla sugar, salt and lemon peel. Mix. Create a little well in the middle. Pour in the beaten egg and the melted butter. Now, pour in the milk-yeast mix. Give it a stir with a fork by adding the flour from the sides, bit by bit. Either continue mixing with the fork or use the machine with a dough hook. Keep mixing for about 5 minutes, the dough should not stick to the sides of the bowl any more and be realtively smooth. Take it out of the bowl and keep kneading and stretching it by hand for another few minutes.

Kneading and stretching the dough will result in very fluffy bread and helps the yeast to activate and rise. Do not cut down on that step, it does take several minutes to knead.

Now, form a smooth dough ball, place it in a bowl and cover it. Let it rest in a warm place till it doubles in size. This will take about 30-60 minutes. If you do not have a warm place, you can put warm water in a tray and place the bowl in it.

Shaping (Second proofing)

When the dough has doubled in size, take it out of the bowl and quickly beat it down again. Now, cut the dough in 8 pieces (see picture). First, cut the dough in half, then each half again in halves, and the same one more time. Take each piece and form a dough ball (instruction on how to form a smooth dough ball can found in the recipe of my Easter Lamb).

Roll each dough ball into ropes/ strips of about 30 cm. Cut off a piece of 2 cm at the end and form a little ball out of it (it will be the Easter Bunny's tail). Form an Easter Bunny with each rope (see pictures): Overlap one end of the strip over the other to form a loop, bring the end that's underneath up over the top end (a double twist), letting one end extend on each side to make ears, pat tips of ears to shape in point.

Place the Easter Bunnies on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Add the little tail balls on the Easter Bunnies. Use the egg wash and brush on the Easter Bunnies (this will result in the golden brown coloring during baking). Now, sprinkle hail sugar or other colorful sugar sprinkles onto the little tail balls.

Let the Easter Bunnies rest and rise for another 20 min before baking. They won't dry out thanks to the egg wash.

Baking

Place the baking sheet with the Easter Bunnies in the preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes till they are golden brown on top. Exact time depends on your oven, so keep an eye on it. Best served fresh and warm :)