Bunny Rolls

I can’t think of a cuter way to start off an Easter dinner than with these adorable bunny rolls. Soft, seasoned with herbs and spices, and formed into the cutest bunny shape, they’re perfect for your festivities. Call in the help of small hands to help with the rolling and shaping, so long as an adult takes care of the baking. Once these rabbit bread rolls are pulled from the oven, brush them with melted butter and serve them warm. You’ll get plenty of oohs and aahs.

Play around with the seasonings if you so choose, and don’t forget the power of grated Parmesan. You can even make these Easter bunny bread rolls sweet, too, for an excellent Easter brunch. Check out our Variations section for ideas!

Ingredients for Bunny Rolls

• Active dry yeast: If your active dry yeast packets have been sitting in the cabinet for a bit, take a second to look for an expiration date. Expired yeast won’t activate, and the bunny dinner rolls will be hard and dense instead of light and fluffy.
• Warm water and milk: The yeast is activated with a warm liquid. For our rabbit bread rolls, we use a mixture of water and milk for a little more flavor. Heat the liquids until they reach 110° to 115°F.
• Sugar: A little sugar will help the rolls reach a golden brown hue more easily during baking. Don’t worry, it won’t make the rolls taste sweet!
• Shortening: We enrich the rolls with 2 tablespoons shortening. You may use softened butter in its place if desired.
• Egg: Take a moment to beat the egg before adding it to the dough batter so it mixes into the dough more easily.
• Seasonings: Celery seed, sage and nutmeg impart an earthy, savory and warming seasoning blend. However, if you want plain bunny dinner rolls, feel free to omit these seasonings.
• All-purpose flour: All-purpose flour will make the Easter bunny bread rolls tender but strong enough to hold their cute shape.
• Butter: As soon as the bunny rolls come out of the oven, brush melted butter on top. The perfect finishing touch!

Directions

Step 1: Activate the yeast

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.

Step 2: Make the dough

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.

Step 3: Knead the dough and let it rise

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.

Step 4: Shape the dough into bunnies

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°.

Step 5: Bake the bunny rolls

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.

ELLIE CROWLEY FOR TASTE OF HOME

Recipe Variations

• Use different seasonings: Feel free to replace the seasonings with other options. Chives, garlic powder, thyme, Italian seasoning or dried dill would be fantastic here. Mix and match these spices based on your preference. A little grated Parmesan would be a great addition.
• Make ’em sweet: Yes, you can make these Easter bunny bread rolls sweet! Try omitting the seasonings and instead adding 1 teaspoon cinnamon and finishing the baked bunny rolls with a vanilla drizzle. Or, omit the seasonings and simply brush the baked rolls with honey cinnamon butter. These would be perfect bunny rolls for Easter brunch!
• Give the tail texture: For a “cotton tail” look, brush the tail with egg wash, then sprinkle on sesame seeds before baking.

How to Store Bunny Rolls

Allow the bunny rolls to cool completely to room temperature, then store them in an airtight container. They can be kept at room temperature for up to three days or in the fridge for five days. I love to rewarm them in the microwave for 20 seconds for that fresh-out-of-the-oven flavor.

Can you freeze bunny rolls?

Yes, you can freeze baked bunny bread rolls. Once the rolls have cooled to room temperature, stash them in an airtight container or resealable bag. They can be kept in the freezer for up to two months. Thaw them overnight in the fridge or heat them in a 250° oven until warmed through, 5 to 10 minutes.

Bunny Roll Tips

ELLIE CROWLEY FOR TASTE OF HOME

Can you use store-bought bread dough to make bunny rolls?

Yes, you can use store-bought bread dough to make rabbit bread rolls. Allow the dough to thaw completely before using, then follow our recipe’s instructions for shaping. However, keep in mind that you won’t be able to get the seasonings in the bread dough.

Why did my bunny rolls turn out dense?

Your bunny dinner rolls might have turned out dense for a few reasons. The first is if the yeast was not activated properly. The yeast must be activated in warm water and turn bubbly and foamy. If the yeast does not activate, your bread dough will not rise.

Another reason for dense bunny dinner rolls is if you skipped either dough rise. The dough must be able to rest and rise twice so the rolls can expand and the gluten can relax.

What do you serve with bunny rolls?

Bunny dinner rolls are the perfect addition to Easter dinner recipes. Serve them with the traditional leg of lamb or Easter ham alongside tons of Easter side dishes like au gratin potatoes, roasted carrots and lots of gravy, of course. These bunny rolls are especially perfect for dunking in brothy or creamy Easter soups.