Easter Bunny Breads Recipes

Steps:

• Cut a fourth off of one loaf of dough; shape into a pear to form head. For body, flatten remaining portion into a 7x6-in. oval; place on a greased baking sheet. Place head above body. Make narrow cuts, about 3/4 in. deep, on each side of head for whiskers., Cut second loaf into four equal portions. For ears, shape two portions into 16-in. ropes; fold ropes in half. Arrange ears with open ends touching head. Cut a third portion of dough in half; shape each into a 3-1/2-in. oval for back paws. Cut two 1-in. slits on top edge for toes. Position on each side of body., Divide the fourth portion of dough into three pieces. Shape two pieces into 2-1/2-in. balls for front paws; shape the remaining piece into two 1-in. balls for cheeks and one 1/2-in. ball for nose. Place paws on each side of body; cut two 1-in. slits for toes. Place cheeks and nose on face. Add raisins for eyes and almonds for teeth., Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30-45 minutes. Brush dough with egg. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack to cool., Place bread on a serving tray. Cut a 3-1/2-in. circle in center of body. Hollow out bread, leaving a 1/2-in. shell (discard removed bread or save for another use). Place a 1-cup shallow bowl in the hole and fill with dip.

Steps:

• Whisk warm milk, 1/4 cup flour, and yeast for dough together in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let sit about 15 minutes to ensure yeast is active; small bubbles should start to rise to the surface. Add sugar, beaten egg, lemon and orange zest, cinnamon, salt, cardamom, nutmeg, melted butter, and most of the remaining flour (you might not need it all). Mix with a dough hook attachment until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and becomes slightly elastic, 5 or 6 minutes. Continue kneading until dough is soft and shiny, about 10 minutes. Remove dough from dough hook and shape into a ball. Transfer to a lightly floured work surface.
• Shape dough into a round ball. Transfer to lightly oiled mixing bowl. Cover and let rise in a relatively warm, draft-free place until double in size, about 2 hours.
• Poke dough down a bit with your fingertips. Transfer to a lightly floured work surface. Work dough into a uniform piece and cut into eight 4-ounce pieces. Roll one piece with the flats your hands into a 12-inch rope; it's okay if one end is a little thicker than the other.
• Cut 2 inches off the smaller end and 3 inches off the larger end. Roll the 2-inch piece into a ball for the tail. Roll the ends of the 3-inch piece into points, then flatten one end slightly for the face. Roll the remaining piece into a 12-inch rope, about 1/2 inch wide.
• Transfer the rope to a Silpat®-lined baking sheet and make a coil for the body. The end of the coil will be the bunny's front legs and paws, so place the head on top of that, touching the body, with the flatter side facing the same way as the paws.
• Cut the back side of the head (the pointy side) about 2/3 of the way in towards the face to make 2 ears. Make depressions in the middle of each ear with a bench scraper or the back of a knife; do not cut all the way through. Set the tail in place, touching the back of the body.
• Repeat to form remaining bunnies; you will use 2 lined baking sheets for 8 bunnies. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and proof in a warm spot for 15 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Beat egg and water together for egg wash.
• Remove plastic wrap from the baking sheets and brush dough with egg wash. Poke small holes in the faces for eyes, then push raisins in the holes. Redefine the ears by pressing again with a bench scraper or knife.
• Bake in the center of the preheated oven until beautifully browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Carefully remove from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
• Cut into the center of the ears again to redefine them. Brush bunnies with simple syrup and sprinkle coconut onto the tails.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, mix the sugar cookie dough with the cherry extract and 1/2 to 1 cup flour to make a very firm cookie dough. Roll out the dough to 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick. It has to be very thick for the lollipop sticks to stay in once baked.
• Cut out bunny shapes and insert lollipop sticks. You should get about 8 cookies, depending on the size of your cutter. Bake according to package directions (they will probably need a little longer as they will be MUCH thicker). Cool completely.
• Decorate with icings. Let the icing dry overnight.
• Place the foam in your large tray or basket. Top with the wheat grass. Insert the bunny cookies into the grass and foam. Scatter some Easter eggs around the grass.

Steps:

• Cut a fourth off of one loaf of dough; shape into a pear to form head.
• For body, flatten remaining portion into a 7x6" oval; place on a greased baking sheet.
• Place head above body.
• Make narrow cuts, about 3/4" deep, on each side of head for whiskers.
• Cut second loaf into 4 equal portions.
• For ears, shape 2 portions into 16" ropes; fold in half.
• Arrange ears with open ends touching head.
• Cut a third portion of dough in half; shape into a 3 1/2" oval for back paws.
• Cut two 1" slits on top edge for toes.
• Position on each side of body at bottom.
• Divide fourth portion of dough into 3 pieces.
• Shape two pieces into 2 1/2" balls for front paws; shape the remaining piece into two 1" balls for cheeks and one 1/2" ball for nose.
• Place paws on each side of body at top of body.
• Place cheeks and nose on face. Add raisins for eyes and almond for teeth. *You can secure cheeks and nose with pieces of toothpick to hold in place. You can also use a halved white jelly bean instead of the almonds if desired. *Do not use the jelly bean though until just before serving, or it will melt a little and get grainy. (So place the teeth on just before serving.).
• Brush dough with egg.
• Cover and let rise for about 30-35 minutes or til doubled.
• Bake at 350º for 25-30 minutes til golden brown.
• Remove to a wire rack to cool.
• Place bread on a lettuce-lined 16x13" tray.
• Cut a 5x4" oval in center of body.
• Hollow out bread leaving a shell.
• Cut bread into cubes for dipping.
• Line hole in belly with lettuce leaves, fill with dip.
• Surround entire bunny with bread cubes, fresh veggies and crackers for dipping.
• *That is to be 2 (1 lb.) loaves of bread dough, there must be a glitch because it won't go through!