It’s the Easter bread bunny!

Just in time for Easter, another recipe from reader Tina Poole Finocchiaro (who recently shared her family’s stuffed artichoke recipe). Bonus: This dish is a personal favorite in my family, too!

It’s the traditional sweet Easter bread baked into a bunny figure. More than anything else related to the holiday — the copious amounts of chocolate, the egg hunts, and picking out my church dress — I remember the thrill of seeing my Easter bread bunny for the first time.

Here’s Tina’s story (the recipe is after the photo):

Easter morning would not be Easter morning if each child in the family was not greeted with one of Mom’s Easter Bunny breads. They are a smaller, more personalized version of the braided Easter Bread shaped into a cute bunny face. I am looking forward to making these for my twin grandbabies this year as it will probably be the first Easter that will be in their memory for years to come.

EASTER BUNNY BREAD (Makes 5-6 bunnies)

• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 package dry yeast
• 2-½ to 4-½ cups flour
• 2/3 cup milk
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tbsp. melted margarine
• 5 raw dyed eggs

Icing:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp. milk
• 1/8 tsp. vanilla
• Colored sprinkles

In a large mixing bowl, blend the sugar, salt, and yeast well with one cup of the flour. In a saucepan, combine milk and butter, heating slowly until liquid is warm and butter is melted. Pour the milk into the dry ingredients and beat 125 strokes with a wooden spoon. Add eggs and one half cup flour (or enough to make a thick batter). Beat vigorously for two minutes. Stir in enough flour to make a ball of dough that draws away from the sides of the bowl. Turn out on to a floured board and knead for about 10 minutes, working in additional flour to overcome stickiness. Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning to grease the top.

Cover tightly with plastic wrap and put in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk (about one hour). Form bunny and put egg in the middle. Brush the dough with melted shortening. Cover the bread with wax paper and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until double in bulk, about 1 hour. Bake the bread in a preheated 350 F oven for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool. Once the bread is cool, drizzle the icing on top between the eggs, and decorate with colored sprinkles.

Photo: Courtesy of Tina Poole Finocchiaro

Update: The original version of this post included the incorrect amount of bunny breads this recipe makes.

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