Easter Bunny Rolls

5 from 1 vote

Hop into spring with these irresistibly cute Easter Bunny Rolls! Made from soft dough and shaped entirely by hand, each bunny holds a baby carrot topped with a parsley leaf. These Easter Bunny Rolls will be an instant hit for Easter brunch, kids’ parties, or spring-themed gatherings.

Prep Time25

Cook Time20

Proofing Time1

Total Time1 45

Course: Bread, Easter

Cuisine: American

Servings: Bunny Rolls25

Calories: 208kcal

Author: Chula King

Equipment

Food Processor with Steel Blade
Kitchen scale
2 half sheet pans
Parchment paper
Bench scraper
Kitchen shears
Paring Knife
Red food marker
6 Pieces of nonstick aluminum foil, roughly 5 inches square.

Ingredients

10 ounces (2 cups) bread flour (See Tip 1)
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons Instant yeast (See Tip 2)
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
6.33 ounces (⅔ cup plus 2 tablespoons) cool filtered water (See Tips 3 and 4)
2 teaspoons olive oil
15 raisins or mini chocolate chips for the eyes and nose
Egg wash made with a large egg whisked together with one tablespoon of water
6 baby carrots
6 Italian parsley leaves

Instructions

The Dough

Place bread flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in the bowl of food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse process 5 or 6 times to combine ingredients.
With the food processor running, slowly add the cool water and olive oil through the feed tube. Continue to process for about 20 seconds until the dough forms a satiny, tacky ball that clears the sides of the bowl. (See Tip 5)
Once the dough has formed a satiny, tacky ball, allow it to sit for 10 minutes. Then, process the dough for another 20 to 30 seconds.
Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and place it in a warm location until doubled in size, about 30 to 45 minutes.

Forming the Bunnies

Transfer the dough to a floured surface and cut it into the following pieces for six bunnies: The body and arms - 6 pieces that are 1.5 ounces each; the head - 6 pieces that are 0.75 ounces each; the ears - 12 pieces that are 0.16 ounces each; the feet - 12 pieces that are 0.10 ounces each. (See Tip 6)
Form each bunny on a parchment-lined half-sheet pan. (See Tip 7)
Take a 1.5-ounce piece of dough and form it into a flat oval that's about 2 1-2 inches by 1 1.2 inches for the body. Cut the arms about 1 ¼ inches at about a 30° angle on both sides of the body. Form a 0.75-ounce piece of dough into a flat round piece for the head. Take two 0.16-ounce pieces of dough and roll them into cylinders about 1 ½ inches long for the ears. Place the ears on top of the bunny's head. Roll two 0.10 pieces of dough into small balls for the bunny's feet and place them at the bottom of the body.
Take a piece of nonstick aluminum foil and ball it up into a cylinder to serve as a placeholder for the baby carrot. Place the foil cylinder on the top left side of the bunny's body and bring the arms up and over the cylinder.
Place two raisins on the face for the eyes, and one raisin for the nose.
If desired, add some detail to the feet by making three cuts at the bottom with kitchen shears. Take a paring knife and make a shallow cut on each of the bunny's ears.
Cover the pans with a dish towel and place in a warm location for about 20 minutes to allow the bunnies to rise slightly.
Preheat the oven to 375F. Brush the bunnies with an egg wash made with a large egg whisked together with a tablespoon of water.
Bake the bunnies in a preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about five minutes. Then, remove the aluminum foil cylinders.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Use a red food marker to draw the mouth. Place a baby carrot between the bunnies' arms. Use a sharp skewer to make a hole at the top of the baby carrot and insert a parsley leaf.
Yield: 6 Easter Bunny Rolls

Video

Notes

When making bread, I always weigh the flour and the liquid to ensure proper consistency. If you don't have a digital scale, you should purchase one.
Active dry yeast, which needs to bloom before being added to the other ingredients, is not the same as instant yeast, which can be added directly to the ingredients. Use instant or bread machine yeast.
You should use cool water because the dough is heated by the rapid rotation of the food processor blade, and if the water is not cool, the dough could overheat.
Always use filtered water as opposed to tap water when making bread. The reason is that tap water contains chlorine which can retard the growth of the yeast.
If you weigh your ingredients, the dough should be perfect. However, if after 20 seconds, the dough is still sticky and sticks to the blade, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of flour and continue processing. If the dough appears dry and crumbly, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of cold water and process until the dough forms a ball.
This recipe makes approximately 17.14 ounces of dough.
I used two half-sheet pans because I didn't want to crowd the bunnies.

Nutrition