Spring is in the air, and these cute bunny rolls add a special touch to any family gathering. I went way back for the dough recipe, using the original “Sixty-Minute Rolls” from a 35-year-old KitchenAid Mixer guide, with a few tweaks and explanations of my own. But the recipe is simple enough to knock out from start to finish in an hour. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can easily make and knead it by hand.
“Sixty-Minute Rolls”
yields about 2 dozen rolls, depending on size
In a mixer bowl with a dough hook attachment, combine together:
4 1/4 cups bread flour (can substitute all-purpose)
1 teaspoon salt
2 packages of instant active dry yeast
In a glass measuring cup or small glass bowl, heat in the microwave for one minute on high:
1 cup cold milk (whole is best)
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into chunks
After one minute, the milk should be nicely warm. Butter doesn’t have to melt completely. If the milk is hot to the touch, let it cool. If it’s still chilly, microwave it a bit longer. In the end, it should be the temperature you’d want for a baby’s bath, about 120 degrees if you’re measuring. To the warm liquid, add:
3 tablespoons honey
and stir together. Turn your mixer onto low and slowly pour the liquid ingredients into the flour mixture. Once the ingredients are combined, turn up to the next speed for a couple of minutes. If you see the mixture isn’t cleaning the sides of the bowl, add a couple of tablespoons of flour at a time until it does. If the mixture looks crumbly and dry, add a little more water. After a total of 7 minutes of kneading, take the dough out and form it into a tighter ball. Use nonstick spray or a bit of oil to lightly grease the inside of your mixer bowl. Pop the dough back in the bowl, then turn the dough over back in the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a draft-free space for 15 minutes.
Turn your oven to 425 degrees. Put a silicon mat or parchment paper on two sheet pans. I like to form my rolls on a silicon mat on my counter. After the bread has risen for 15 minutes, punch it down. Pinch off a bit of dough a little bigger than a golf ball. Roll it out into an even rope about 12 inches long. With the rope down on the counter, make a loop in the middle, then two twists (for the ears). In the center of the loop, place a small ball of dough for the tail. Set the rolls on your prepared sheet pan, keeping them a few inches apart so they don’t grow into each other. I put 7 on one quarter sheet pan.
Once rolls are formed, set pans aside and cover with plastic wrap for 15 minutes or until slightly risen. (If you can’t bake more than two pans at once, you can set the leftover dough wrapped in plastic in the refrigerator until you have space to bake it.) Once risen, use an egg wash (one egg beaten with 2 teaspoons of water) to brush each roll, then sprinkle with your choice of sesame seeds, poppy seeds, pretzel salt, or colorful sprinkles for the kids. Bake about 12 minutes at 425 degrees. Be aware with the glaze they can brown quickly. You may need to shift their spot in your oven for even browning midway through. Once baked, let them cool before eating. Best enjoyed that day. Yields about 2 dozen rolls, depending on how big your “bunnies” are.