Easter Bunny Buns

Ingredients:

Easter Bunny Buns

• 1/3 cup (5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon) butter, melted + extra for greasing the bowl and pans
• 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large egg + 1 yolk
• 3 cups premium flour + extra for work
• 0.5 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 tsp fine salt
• 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 0.5 cup raisins
• 24 mini chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup coconut flakes
• Special equipment: 2 pastry bags

Yeast mixture

• 0.5 cups whole milk
• 4.5 tsp active dry yeast (2 packets of 7 g)
• A pinch of sugar
• A pinch of flour

Glaze

• 0.5 cup powdered sugar
• 1.5 tsp whole milk
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp finely grated lemon zest
• 1 drop light pink gel food coloring

Preparation:

1. Yeast mixtureIn a medium saucepan, combine milk and 1/2 cup water and heat over low heat to 100°F (38°C) (do not exceed 110°F). Remove from heat and sprinkle the yeast, sugar, and flour onto the surface. Set aside without stirring until the mixture foams and rises to the sides of the pan, about 30 minutes.
2. DoughMix the butter, vanilla, and egg yolk into the yeast mixture. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and use a wooden spoon to stir in the liquid mixture until you have a thick, loose, and slightly sticky dough. Stir in the raisins. Turn the dough out onto a generously floured work surface and knead for about 8 minutes, until soft and elastic. Form into a ball.
3. Grease the inside of a large bowl with butter. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to lightly coat it with butter. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1.5 hours. If you have a marker, draw a circle on the plastic wrap the size of the dough ball and mark the time to make it easier to keep track of when it's risen.
4. Lightly grease a 22x32cm baking dish with butter.
5. Form the bunsPress and roll the dough with a rolling pin into a 35 x 25 cm rectangle. Cut a 5 cm wide strip of dough from a short side. If the remaining dough has become slightly misshapen, shape it back into a 30 x 25 cm rectangle. Cut the large rectangle of dough in half lengthwise, then cut each small rectangle into six 12 x 5 cm pieces, for a total of 12 buns. Take each piece of dough and roll it into a tight oval, covering any seams as best as possible. Arrange the buns in the prepared pan in 3 rows of 4, tucking any seams underneath.
6. Cut the reserved strip of dough into 24 pieces to form ears. Roll each piece into a 7-8 cm long rope, fold in half, and pinch the ends together to form an ear. Press two ears together to form a slight heart shape. Repeat with the remaining ropes to make 12 pairs of ears.
7. Grasp each pair from the front where they meet and press them onto the front third of the dough, securing them firmly. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature until the dough has doubled in size, about 45 minutes. If you poke the dough with your finger, it will leave a small indentation.
8. Preheat oven to 190°C. Whisk the remaining whole egg with 1 tablespoon of water in a small bowl. Remove the plastic wrap from the dough and brush the tops of the bunnies with the egg mixture.
9. Bake the buns until golden brown, 22-25 minutes. Cool for 20 minutes, then insert 2 mini chocolate chips under the bunny ears to create eyes.
10. GlazeIn a bowl, mix the sugar, milk, vanilla, and lemon zest until smooth. Transfer half of the frosting to a piping bag or resealable plastic bag and snip off a small corner. Add pink food coloring to the remaining frosting and mix well. Transfer the pink frosting to a small piping bag. Pipe pink frosting inside the ears. Pipe white frosting where you want the bunnies' tails to be. Sprinkle the tails with coconut.