Bunny Buns

I saw this recipe in this month's Friend Magazine and decided to give it a try, and I am glad I did! They were so easy and turned out really good and surprisingly most of them even resembled a bunny! They were so good that I am going to make them again for our Easter dinner. The only change that I will make is to add orange juice instead of water to the glaze to make the buns more flavorful.

Bunny Buns
(Friend Magazine, April 2011)
I was able to make about 18 bunnies from this recipe

• 1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 cup milk, warmed not quite to boiling
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup shortening (I used 1/2 cup applesauce and it worked great)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons grated orange peel
• 5 1/2 cups flour, sifted
• Glaze: 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 cup hot water, 1 teaspoon butter
  
  

Sprinkle yeast in the warm water and set aside.

In another bowl, blend milk, sugar, shortening, and salt. Cool until lukewarm, then add eggs, water with yeast, orange juice, and orange peel.Stir in flour a few cups at a time to make a soft dough. Let stand for 10 minutes

Knead dough 5–10 minutes on a lightly floured surface until dough is smooth and elastic. Place it in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface. Cover bowl with a clean towel and put it in a warm place. Let dough rise for 2 hours, or until double in size. Punch dough down and let stand for 10 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a rectangle 1/2 inch thick. Cut dough into strips 1/2 inch wide and 14 inches long. Roll between hands into rounded snake shapes. Cut one strip into pieces 1/2 inch long, and roll into balls.

Place one long piece of dough on a greased cookie sheet. Place one end of the strip over the other to make a loop; bring the end that is underneath up and cross it over the other end. Place a ball of dough on top of the bottom loop.

Cover bunnies and let rise in a warm place for 45–60 minutes, until nearly double in size. Bake at 375ºF (190ºC) for 12–15 minutes

For the glaze, stir powdered sugar, water, and butter together. Frost bunnies with the glaze while they are still warm. Use sprinkles, chocolate chips, or whatever suits your fancy for the eyes and mouth (don't look too closely at mine...I used bat shaped Halloween sprinkles for the eyes).

Enjoy!