Food for Thought: Bunny Rolls

I had never heard of Bunny Rolls until I met my sweetie. His family had way more Easter traditions than we did while we were growing up. Of course we colored boiled eggs and we usually ate ham for Sunday dinner, but that was about it. Sometimes we had Jell-o eggs and one year my mom even made chocolate eggs, but my sweetie’s family did the same things every year.

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On Good Friday they always had Hot Cross Buns. Usually they made them and occasionally they bought them from a bakery. On the Saturday before Easter his mom always made chocolate cupcakes with green coconut frosting and jellybeans. She even used red licorice whips to make them look like miniature Easter baskets. And on Sunday they had Bunny Rolls.

Of the 28 years we’ve been married, we have probably eaten Bunny Rolls 25 times. And believe me…the other 3 times I’ve HEARD about it! They are basically a very tasty orange roll. Over the years we have refined the original recipe a bit. The kids love twisting the dough into various bunny shapes and maybe Bossy kept pictures of the ones Gamer made. I hope you enjoy them. Leave me a comment and let me know…Happy Easter!

Gamer's Mother-and-Child Bunnies

Bunny Rolls

1 ½ tbsp active dry yeast
1 cup warm milk
½ cup shortening
5 ½ cups flour
¼ cup orange juice (undiluted)
¼ cup warm water
½ cup sugar
1 ½ tsp salt
2 eggs
grated orange peel (optional)

Soften yeast in warm water, set aside. Blend milk, sugar, shortening, and salt. Stir in 2 cups of flour; beat well. Add eggs; mix well. Stir in softened yeast. Add orange juice (peel) and remaining flour to make a soft dough. Let rest 10 minutes.

To start bunnies, roll dough to ½ inch thick. Using a knife or a pizza cutter, cut dough in strips about 1 inch wide. Roll like snakes between hands. Shape in circle or twist bunnies.

"Kid-Friendly" Bunny

Fold "snake" in 1/2. Twist twice. Shape ears. Add tail with additional dough.

"Traditional" Bunny

 

Cut "snake" in unequal halves. Roll bigger piece like a sweetroll for "butt" Shape smaller piece into head. 

(Baby bunny optional.)

Let rise until nearly double. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Glaze right from oven.
 
Sugar Glaze
1 lb powdered sugar
¼ cup orange juice (undiluted)
1 stick of margarine or butter
milk

Mix sugar, juice, and margarine until well blended. Add milk to thin to glaze consistency (approx ¼ - ½ cup). Drizzle over bunnies.

Traditional (left) and kid-friendly (right)