You Can Call Me BUNNY

Tasty Tuesday - Bunny Bread

When Little S was either not quite or just barely 5 we had overnight company who she had never met before.  The son introduced himself as C R Jr, but you can call me "Calvin".  So Little S responded with, "My name is S,  but you can call me 'Bunny'."

And the whole family dropped their jaws.  Where had that come from?  No one had ever called her "Bunny."
So that had brought on 5 years of teasing her about being called "Bunny".

Last year for her birthday she rolled with it a bit better and asked for a Bunny Cake for her birthday, but I think it was more as a memory of Grandma making Bunny Cakes than her own Bunny story.  This year she did not want a Bunny Cake.  So I secretly made Bunny Bread for her birthday dinner.  I was afraid she would be annoyed, but they turned out so cute she just couldn't be upset.

I believe I found this recipe in a magazine before I was even married. I remember making lots of bunnies and giving them as gifts for Easter one year.  The recipe appears to be from a Fleishmann's Yeast advertisement.  I obviously cut it down to fit the 3x5 recipe card and lost some of the picture.  I don't think I made it again after that one time, but it has traveled with me these many many years.

BUNNY BREAD

5-6 cups all purpose flour
2 pkg yeast
3 T sugar
2 t salt
1 c water
2/3 c milk
3 T margarine
1 egg


Mix 3 cups flour, the yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl.
Heat water, milk and margarine to 125 - 130F; stir into yeast mixture.
Stir in egg.
Stir in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.
Turn onto lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 8-10 min.
Cover; let rest 10 min.

Lightly grease 2 cookie sheets.
Divide dough into 4 equal parts.

For each bunny, divide 1 part into halves.
Shape 1 half into flattened round for body, place on cookie sheet.
Shape a walnut size piece of remaining half into ball for tail.

Make deep indentation into body for tail and press into body and flatten.


Divide remaining dough into halves.
Shape 1 half into flattened round for head; place next to body.
Shape remaining half into ears and feet.
Place ears next to held.
Make deep indentations in body for feet; press into body and flatten.

Cover; let rise slightly 15-20 min.
Bake in 400F oven until light brown, 18-20 min

Decorate as desired.

Makes 4 large bunnies.

Notes:  Since we were heading out of town the next day I did not want leftovers.  I made a half recipe, which made 10 approximately 5" bunnies.  One for each guest on a bread plate.  Perfect.   

I pushed chocolate chips into the heads for eyes before baking.  Worked fine.  Some bunnies were facing away and had only a tail in the back and no legs or eyes!  

Since mine were smaller they did not need as long a baking time.  

I thought about doing this in the bread machine, but it was really simple enough by hand and came out just fine.