Typically prepared during Easter, these delicious Zopfhasen - or rabbit-shaped buns - are found in most Swiss households, with children often helping out in the preparation and molding of the buns.
Today, my girls and I enjoyed some quality time together while making them, and giggled at the lopsided eyes or ears of a few of our test subjects. One of the eyes even popped off during baking, but the bunny tasted delicious nonetheless! 😂
This recipe was inspired by @eatlittlebird!
Wishing you all a very HAPPY EASTER!
INGREDIENTS:
(Makes roughly 12 buns)
600 g bread flour (plus a few extra tablespoons if dough is too sticky)
110 g sugar
1 tsp salt
40 g fresh yeast (broken up into small pieces)
380 ml warm milk
60 g butter (softened - room temperature)
Raisins (for the eyes - 24 Pcs)
Pearl sugar
Egg wash:
1 egg
1 tbsp milk
METHOD:
Combine flour, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl. Dissolve the fresh yeast in a measuring cup of very warm milk. Slowly pour the milk into the flour mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until well incorporated.
Add the butter cubes little by little, mixing with the wooden spoon until all butter is added in.
Lightly sprinkle your work surface with flour and turn out dough. Begin kneading for around 10 mins. This can also be done on a standing mixer for around the same time.
Once kneaded, rub oil around the sides of a large bowl, place dough back inside, cover with a damp tea towel, and allow to rest and rise for 1 to 1.5 hours until double in size.
Once the dough has risen, uncover and gently punch the dough down, releasing the built-up gas.
Using your hands, Roll the dough into one wide and long strip and begin cutting the dough into 3 pieces per bunny. 20 g dough ball for ears, 30 g for head and 50 g for the body.
Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Roll the smallest ball for the ears into an oval, and make a cut in the dough without entirely cutting the oval in half. Spread the two cut halves out, creating ears. Place these ears on the baking sheet above the 30 g ball (tucking in the the sides to the bottom of the dough ball, and then rolling the ball around in your hands to obtain a perfect sphere), and finally the 50 g ball should be placed underneath the 30 g ball of dough. Continue doing this for the remainder of the bunnies.
Cover again with a damp tea towel and allow to rest for another 20 minutes. During this time, preheat the oven at 200 C. Mix the egg and milk together for the egg wash.
Once oven is hot, brush the tops of the buns with the egg wash, place two raisins for the eyes and sprinkle the pearl sugar over the body of the bunny. This part is a lot of fun for the kids!
Place buns in the oven and bake for around 14-16 minutes. But do check for browning around 10 minutes after placing in the oven. Cover loosely with aluminum foil should they be browning too quickly.
Remove from oven, and very carefully, using a spatula, move the buns to a cooling rack, and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes.
Bon Appétit! Buon Appetito! Guten Appetit! En Guete! Itadakimasu!
Gastronomically yours,
💖Pia
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