Easter Bunny Rolls
Yields: 10 bunnies (or depending on size)
These Easter bunny rolls made with yeast and greek yogurt turn out soft and fluffy! They’re easy to make and perfect for Easter breakfast or brunch!
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter
- 7 tablespoons (105 ml) whole milk
- 4 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar or raw cane sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/4 teaspoons (7 g) instant yeast (1 standard packet)
- 1 teaspoon (2 g) fresh lemon zest
- 1/2 cup (113 g) plain nonfat greek yogurt (see Notes!)
- 2 large eggs
For Brushing and Decorating
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) whole milk
- raisins
- pearl sugar
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat, add the milk, and warm to 105°F to 110°F (41°C to 43°C).
- Add the flour, sugar, salt, and instant yeast to a large mixing bowl and whisk together. Add the lemon zest, greek yogurt, and eggs, then pour the liquid from the saucepan over it.
- Using a hand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 5 minutes.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Set an oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Use your hands to punch down the dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough about 1/2-inch thick.
- Dip your cookie cutters in flour prior to each cut, cut out bunnies and place them on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them at least 1 inch apart from each other.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and milk. Brush the dough pieces with the egg wash. Decorate with raisins for the eyes by pressing them gently into the dough and sprinkle with pearl sugar.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, or until lightly golden brown (baking time may vary depending on the size and shape of the dough pieces).
- Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. The bunnies taste extra good when still slightly warm.
Notes
Storage & Freezing Instructions: The bunnies taste best the day they are made. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. They freeze well for up to 3 months. Freeze leftover bunnies once they are completely cooled. Let thaw on the counter for some hours.
Greek Yogurt Alternative: The original recipe uses quark instead of greek yogurt. So if you want to use it, feel free to replace the plain nonfat greek yogurt for plain nonfat quark. The results will be the same.
Yeast Note: You can totally make the recipe using fresh yeast. Use 21 grams of fresh yeast instead of the instant yeast. In step 1, be sure to warm the milk to max 98°F (37°C) for fresh yeast. In step 2, crumble the fresh yeast over the dry ingredients. In step 4, dough rising will take a little shorter if you use fresh yeast, about 45 minutes.
Large cookie cutters are best for this recipe, with a minimum size of about 3×3-inches. The bunny shaped cookie cutter I used is about 7×3-inches in size.
No bunny-shaped cookie cutter? You can also shape the bunnies by hand. I'll add instructions on how to do this in the future.
You can also make this recipe using a stand mixer. Or even by hand, in which case kneading will take about 10 minutes.
Did You Make This Recipe?
I'd love to know how it turned out! Please leave a comment below. Or snap a photo and tag @teatimeontheporch on Instagram so I can see it!