These cute Bunny Rolls are the perfect addition to Easter Dinner or brunch. They’re soft, fluffy, buttery, and really simple to make.
The bunny bread rolls dough is made with our Quick Dinner Rolls dough—an incredibly easy yeasted dough recipe that’s perfect for beginning bakers or experts. With just a few basic ingredients and a little bit of time, you can create a super festive side for your Easter menu that everyone will love.
You could also make these with the same garlic butter sauce from this Garlic Butter Rolls Recipe. It would be an easy adaption for Easter.
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Bunny Rolls for Easter
Before you skip past this recipe looking for something a little easier, let me assure you that this Easter Bunny Rolls recipe is as quick and easy as homemade bread gets. We start with our Quick Dinner Rolls dough which couldn’t be simpler to throw together. Most of the time spent is waiting for the dough to rise.
To shape, split each ball of dough into 2 pieces. One piece is rolled into a ball while they other is rolled into a log. Just wrap it around the ball, give the “ears” a little twist, and voila!
You can definitely have your kids help to shape these rolls if you want. And feel free to add a sprinkle of sea salt or other herbs and spices before baking. Pair these with our Bunny Cinnamon Rolls for an extra adorable spread.
Bunny Roll Ingredients
- Water – you want your water to be warm (about 110 degrees F) in order to help “wake up” your yeast.
- Active Dry Yeast – Active Dry Yeast needs to be activated by combining with warm water and a bit of sugar. If you choose to use instant yeast, the mixing, rising and baking times will need to be adjusted (you can read more on that in the tips below).
- Sugar – use regular granulated sugar, or substitute honey if you would like.
- Oil – you can use any kind of low-flavor cooking oil, including avocado oil, canola oil or vegetable oil.
- Egg – any type of large egg will work.
- Salt – salt is incredibly important to both the flavor and structure of bread, so don’t forget to add it!
- Flour – we usually use all-purpose flour for rolls. You can substitute bread flour, but you will probably need to adjust the amount of flour that you will need to add so keep an eye and make sure your dough is smooth and elastic and shiny.
- Milk – whole milk or 2% work best.
- Butter – melted butter is brushed on just after baking to give that extra shiny top and yummy buttery flavor.
How to Make Bunny Easter Rolls
- Activate the yeast. Combine the warm water, yeast, and sugar and let sit for about 5 minutes, or until bubbly.
- Mix the dough. Add the oil, egg, and salt to the yeast mixture and mix, then add 2 cups of flour and begin to mix using the dough hook attachment. At this point, the dough will be very sticky. Continue to add up to 2/3 cup flour to the dough, until the dough starts to pull away from the edges of the bowl as you mix. Once you have added all of the flour, mix on low speed for about 2 minutes to knead.
- Proof the dough. Let the dough rise until doubled, or about 30-45 minutes.
- Divide and shape the rolls. Punch the dough down and knead lightly. On a lightly floured surface, separate into 12 even pieces of dough. From those 12 pieces, take a small ball of dough to form the tail. Roll the dough into a 12-18″ rope. Make a small twist in the center of the dough and place the ball of dough (tail). Twist the top again to form the ears. Place the bunny shape on a large greased baking sheet. Repeat the process with all the dough to make 12 bunnies.
- Proof again. Cover loosely again and let the dough sit in a warm place for 15-30 minutes, or until the rolls are about double the original size.
- Bake the rolls. Remove the towel and brush the rolls lightly with milk. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Remove from the oven and let cool for 1-2 minutes, then brush the tops with melted butter. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
If your rolls come out dense rather than soft and fluffy, the most likely reasons have to do with how long you mixed or kneaded the dough and how long you let the dough rise. You need to mix the dough until it begins to come away from the sides of the bowl and is slightly stretchy. If you over or under mix, the gluten will not be properly developed which can cause dense rolls.
Similarly, if you either proof the rolls for too long or not long enough, your rolls are likely to come out dense. Make sure to let them rise until they are about doubled in size before going on to the next step.
For these rolls, you can substitute instant yeast, but you will only need ¾ tablespoon. You can also eliminate the first step of “waking up” the yeast. Just add all of the dough ingredients and mix. Be sure to keep an eye on the rise time of the dough as well, as it might be different.
Yes! You can either mix the dough, cover, and let it rise in the fridge overnight or mix and shape the rolls, then cover and let them rise in the fridge overnight. The next day, pull from the fridge and let the dough or shaped rolls come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before baking or shaping as directed.
Storing and Make Ahead Instructions
- Room temperature: store rolls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Refrigerator: store rolls in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: transfer completely cooled rolls to freezer bags or another airtight container and store frozen for up to 2 months.
- Make-ahead instructions: you can make the dough the day before, cover, and store in the fridge. The next day, pull to room temperature for about 30 minutes before shaping and baking as directed. You can also preshape the rolls, cover, and store in the fridge overnight. The next day, pull the rolls out to room temperature while you preheat the oven and bake as directed.
Bunny Dinner Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup water, warm, about 110 degrees F
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
Mix the Dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the warm water, yeast, and sugar and mix to combine. Let sit for about 5 minutes, or until the yeast mixture starts to get bubbly.
- Add the oil, egg, and salt to the yeast mixture and mix, then add 2 cups of flour and begin to mix using the dough hook attachment. At this point, the dough will be very sticky.
- Continue to add up to 2/3 cup flour to the dough, until the dough starts to pull away from the edges of the bowl as you mix. Once you have added all of the flour, mix on low speed for about 2 minutes to knead. Turn the mixer off, cover the bowl loosely with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let the dough rise until light and puffy, or about 30-45 minutes.
Shape the Rolls
- Punch the dough down and knead lightly, then separate the dough into 12 even pieces. From those 12 pieces, take a small ball of dough to form the tail. Roll the dough into a 12-18" rope. Make a small twist in the center of the dough and place the ball of dough (tail). Twist the top again to form the ears. Place the bunny shape on a large greased baking sheet. Repeat the process with all the dough to make 12 bunnies.
- Cover loosely again and let the dough sit in a warm place for 15-30 minutes, or until the rolls are about double the original size.
Bake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Remove the towel and brush the rolls lightly with milk. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown on top.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 1-2 minutes, then brush the tops with melted butter. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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More of the Best Easter Recipes
- Pea Salad
- Coconut Macaroon Easter Nests
- Amazing Carrot Cake
- Hard Boiled Eggs
- Deviled Eggs
- Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
- Bacon and Asparagus Quiche
- Cadbury Cookie Bars
- More Easter Dinner Menu Ideas
- More Easy Bread Recipes
These soft and fluffy Easter Bunny Rolls are the perfect festive side to add to your Easter Brunch or dinner menu. They are incredibly easy to make and can even be started the day before.
