Sorry in advance to your Easter ham, but these bunny rolls may just steal the show.
Instructions
1
Activate the yeast
2
In a small bowl, dissolve the active dry yeast in warm water. Let the mixture stand until it becomes nice and foamy, 5 to 10 minutes. Editor’s Tip: If the yeast does not foam up, discard it and start again. Make sure that the yeast isn’t expired and that the water is 110° to 115°F.
3
Make the dough
4
In a large bowl, combine the sugar, shortening, egg, celery seed, salt, sage, nutmeg, yeast mixture and 2 cups flour. With a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the mixture on medium speed until the mixture resembles sand. Add in the warmed milk, and blend the mixture until it’s smooth. Stir in enough of the remaining flour to form a soft dough.
5
Knead the dough and let it rise
6
Turn the dough onto a floured surface. Knead the dough until it's smooth and elastic, six to eight minutes. Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover the bowl with storage wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size, about one hour. Punch the dough down, and let it rest for 10 minutes. Editor’s Tip: Use the poke test to tell if your dough is kneaded enough. Press your finger into the dough. If the indent holds, the dough is not kneaded enough. If it springs back, it’s ready to rest.
7
Shape the dough into bunnies
8
Divide the dough into 24 pieces. You can use a kitchen scale if you want to make this precise. For each bunny, roll out one piece of dough into a 20-inch rope. Cut the rope into one 10-inch piece, one 5-inch piece, two 2-inch pieces and one 1-inch piece. Coil the 10-inch piece to shape the body, and place it on a greased baking sheet. Coil the 5-inch piece for the head, and place it next to the body. Form the ears from the two 2-inch pieces and the tail from the 1-inch piece. Add to the bunny. Pinch and seal the pieces together. Repeat the same process with the other 23 portions of dough, placing the shaped dough bunnies 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Cover the bunnies with a clean kitchen towel, and let them rise until they’re doubled in size, about 25 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°.
9
Bake the bunny rolls until they’re lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Pull the rolls out of the oven, and brush them with melted butter. Serve the bunny rolls while they’re still warm.
