Bunny Bread

One of my coworkers when I started teaching twenty years ago had young kids, and for Easter one year she showed me a super cool Bunny made out of Rhodes bread dough and surrounded by veggies. Inserted in the tummy of the bunny was a container of dill dip.

The original recipe came from Taste of Home :

Ingredients

  • 2 loaves (1 pound each) frozen bread dough, thawed
  • 2 raisins
  • 2 sliced almonds
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • Dip of your choice

Directions

  1. Cut a fourth off of one loaf of dough: shape into a pear to form head. For body, flatten the remaining portion into a 7x6-in. oval, place on a greased baking sheet. Place head above body. Make narrow cuts, about 3/4 in. deep, on each side of the head for whiskers.
  2. Cut the second loaf into four equal portions. For ears, shape two portions into 16-in. ropes; fold ropes in half. Arrange ears with open ends touching head. Cut a third portion of dough in half; shape each into a 3-1/2-in. oval for back paws. Cut two 1-in. slits on top edge for toes. Position on each side of body.
  3. Divide the fourth portion of dough into three pieces. Shape two pieces into 2-1/2-in. balls for front paws; shape the remaining piece into two 1-in. balls for cheeks and one 1/2-in. ball for nose. Place paws on each side of body; cut two 1-in. slits for toes. Place cheeks and nose on face. Add raisins for eyes and almonds for teeth.
  4. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30-45 minutes. Brush the dough with egg. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
  5. Place bread on a serving tray. Cut a 3-1/2-in. circle in the center of body. Hollow out bread, leaving a 1/2-in. shell (discard removed bread or save for another use). Place a 1-cup shallow bowl in the hole and fill with dip.

During COVID, I didn’t want to give up the tradition, but we were facing a holiday of only three. Rhodes Dough had a smaller solution that was actually easier to eat! It used their roll dough instead of the bread loaves, and then it became a peel-and-pull bunny bread made of rolls. It was a very similar recipe to the one above:

  1. 13 Rhodes White Dinner Rolls, dough thawed but still cold.
  2. Roll out one roll on a sprayed surface to a 7-inch circle. Place on a sprayed baking sheet towards the bottom (this will be the body that holds the dip).
  3. Cut ten rolls in half. Place one roll half to be the center of the face and encircle it with 7 other roll halves. Place 12 remaining roll halves around the body of the bunny. Be sure the two circles touch.
  4. Use the remaining two rolls to make the ears. Take 1/6 of one of the remaining rolls and roll it out to be a 3-inch strip. With the remainder of the roll make a 7-inch rope. Connect the rope into a loop and place it around the strip, tucking the base of the ears under the face of the bunny. Repeat to make a second ear.
  5. Cover with sprayed plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes. Remove plastic wrap, place dip in the center of the bunny and on the ears. Brush the dough with melted butter.
  6. Bake for 35-40 minutes, use tinfoil to prevent over browning if necessary. Remove from oven and serve.

I added the craisin or raisin eyes, depending on if I wanted a Bunnicula looking creation and almond sliver teeth. Ta-da! Slightly smaller, but still celebratory.