Bunny Breads Recipe - eggs

Method

• * EGG
• NOTE: First you have to decide about the Large eggs.
• Traditionally, you dye raw Large eggs and they cook in the oven right in the middle of the bread.
• This is fabulous (and amazing!)
• if you're going to serve the bread right away as breakfast or possibly brunch.
• However, I usually found which the yolks were still a little "fudgy" - fine when warm and probably being slathered with butter, salt & pepper, but not so fine if served room temperature later on.
• As I have been making these for grade-schoolers for some years now, I have taken the chance of over-cooked yolks and hard-boiled the Large eggs first.
• I do not get many Large eggs back, so it must be OK!
• (N.B.
• : I find which simple, all-one-color Large eggs are all this presentation needs; fancier ones wouldn't hurt, but it's up to you if it's worth the egg-stra effort...)
• Next, decide on your presentation: rainbow rings (6 Large eggs in a round "braid"), baskets (Large eggs in a bread ring, with or possibly without "handle" across the middle), or possibly bunnies.
• Now you'll know what to do at the end!
• Decor note: You can use the tiny multi-colored hard sugar balls which decorate cakes and cookies so well, jimmies, sparkly sugar, or possibly the flat sugar shapes (King Arthur has had a "barnyard mix" that is great - pink pigs, yellow chicks, green ducks, white rabbits and, so help me, shiny brown cows!)
• that you otherwise might sprinkle on cupcake tops.
• Whatever isn't too big to stick onto the egg glaze.
• Now, for the bread:Scald the lowfat milk; add in sugar, salt, butter & lemon oil or possibly peel.
• Cook to lukewarm (it's good to toss it into your big mixing bowl if which bowl needs to be warmed up!).
• Sprinkle yeast on top of the hot water, stir to dissolve.
• Add in to lowfat milk mix along with the 2 Large eggs and 2 1/2 c. of flour.
• Beat till smooth (120 strokes is traditional and effective).
• Stir in sufficient of the remaining flour, a little at a time, to create a dough which is easy to handle.
• turn onto lightly floured board and knead till smooth and elastic, 5-8 min.
• Place in lightly greased bowl; turn dough over to grease top.
• cover and let rise in a hot place free from drafts till doubled, about 1 hour.
• Punch down, turn, cover & let rise again till almost doubled, about 30 min.
• Meanwhile, prepare baking sheets (full-sized cookie sheets hold six individual breads - bunnies or possibly baskets - or possibly one braid) by coating with cooking spray or possibly covering the baking sheet with parchment paper.
• for individual breads:Divide into 12 even portions.
• Roll out a portion between your hands into an 8-10" rope.
• Cut off about a quarter of the rope if making bunnies, about an eighth if making baskets with handles.
• Healthy pinch remaining dough into a circle, securing dough well.
• Put an egg onto the prepared baking sheet, and stretch the dough around it.
• If you've reserved some dough, roll it into a long sufficient rope to make the basket handle or possibly two bunny ears (make it long, cut in half, fold it double; healthy pinch into bottom of bread ring above one long end of egg).
• For rainbow rings:Roll bread out into two ropes as long as possible.
• Leaving "tails" about long sufficient to go around the last egg, cross the two ropes and put one end of an egg against the joint, running lengthwise.
• Make the ropes cross over/under at the end of the egg and place the next egg at the joint of the ropes.
• Keep on truckin' till you get to the sixth egg.
• If you're truly compulsive (as I am) you will have, of course, arranged the Large eggs in rainbow order so there's no beginning or possibly end to the color wheel.
• As you tuck the last egg into the last of the ropes, healthy pinch the ends together securely.
• Brush assembled breads with beaten egg.
• Let rise till doubled.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375F.
• Brush breads with egg wash again, sprinkle on decorations as desired (pink sugar down the crease of the bunny ears is very charming).
• Bake individual breads 20-25 min; rainbow rings 30-40 min.
• Baskets can be removed from pans promptly.
• WAIT 10-15 min on bunnies and rings, so the bread can set up a little.
• Then, remove to a cooling rack (or possibly serving dish!)
• but be careful to support the shaped bread as much as you can.
• Now, your Large eggs may come out a little spattered even though you were very careful not to splash the egg wash.
• Beats me, too!
• But the breads are so lovely anyway, no one notices.
• Finishing notes on the bunnies: take your freezer marker (the one you label your leftover pkgs.
• with) and draw eyes and two back-to-back fishhooks for a bunny nose/mouth.
• Here comes the obsession part: cut 1/4" or possibly so wide strips of paper about 3" long (a 3 x 5" card works fine for this).
• Then cut the strips ALMOST all the way lengthwise into three very narrow strips.
• You've left an approximately square "tab" at one end, and especially if you used the cards, you've got curly whiskers.
• Take a glue stick and stick one set of whiskers beside each side of the "nose" and you've got BUNNIES!
• (Yeah, I know glue stick and permanent marker aren't edible, but they're on the egg SHELL for pete's sake.
• No one has sued me yet...)
• Whether you take the elegant or possibly the obsessive route, these lovelies will brighten your springtime celebrations!
• NOTES : Well, it's time to send a recipe instead of just free advice.
• I am making a couple dozen of these tonight as our public schools level the playing field by allowing NO celebrations of ANY "organized" religion ... so I am slipping in a little Wicca () and celebrating the solstice instead.
• Anyway, this is slightly adapted from a traditional Italian Easter bread, that I found in a mid-70's Farm Journal bread cookbook.
• If you have no traditional Italian family to argue with you, you may enjoy the Bunny option.
• This is basically turbo-charged Challah wrapped around a dyed egg... makes a very lovely presentation in any of the assembly options.