Unglazed bunnies, fresh out of the oven. All photos by Brendan.
There is a magazine called the Friend that I read religiously while growing up. My grandma made sure our home always had a copy, and even when we lived overseas and our APO address caused slight mailing delays, I looked forward every month to this publication. It’s put out by my church, and one of my most favorite parts of the Friend was a section called, “Kitchen Krafts.”
In this section, fun recipes are featured that even the littlest of hands can make. I remember reading about the wonders of Pizza Fondue. Pudding Witches. Monster Dogs and Frankenfeet. (Halloween themed food, as you may have noticed, was my favorite.) Looking back, I realize I had a curiosity in the kitchen even when I was very small. No wonder why I like being around food so much.
Years later in my grown-up years, I am still a monthly Friend subscriber. But this time around, it’s for my children. My daughter is reaching the age where she’s beginning to understand the stories, and just like me, she looks forward to flipping first to “Kitchen Krafts.” We just got our April issue in the mail, and the first thing that catches my girl’s eye is an illustrated bunny made out of dough.
Little hands with lemon glaze.
“Mom!” she shouts. “What is that!”
“Hmm,” I say peering over her shoulder. “It looks like they are called Bunny Buns.” I read the recipe and it’s a reprint of a 1980′s Kitchen Kraft. There is kneading involved, and hours for the dough rise. It’s a little more complicated and requires more patience than most of the Friend recipes I usually see. Despite the extra time involved, I am happy to see something homemade and constructed from scratch. I tell my daughter we will make them — even throwing in a pinky-promise for assurance — and my happy little gal goes to sleep that night with the magazine by her bedside.
Brendan helps make the dough that evening, and I throw in my own substitutions like lemon zest and lemon juice. For the glaze, I also try my own rendition. I make mine with fresh lemon juice that gives it a slightly tart punch with tons of sweet flavor. The next day, I invite a friend and her daughter over after lunch. Together, kids and moms make Bunny Buns. The little ones roll out the dough into long snakes, and the moms twist them into funny looking bunnies. We place candies or sprinkles for eyes, raisins for noses. The buns rise for another hour, and after that torturous wait (at least for my four-year-old) I pop them in the oven to bake. The house soon smells of warm, sweet bread and our tummies grumble with anticipation.
Mom takes a turn with the glazing.
I bake them slightly under the suggested time, and am glad for it. The bunnies come out soft and chewy, like golden puffs of fluffy pillows. We let the kids brush a coating of the lemon glaze over their bunnies while they are still warm. Seconds later, there is quiet in my house for the first time all afternoon. No screaming, no whining, no asking for the 30th time if the dough is ready yet. Just sweet stillness as little mouths are silenced with busy, happy chewing.
I admit. The bunnies are kind of strange looking, with tails in front and slightly melted chocolate eyes. Since I just pulled off pieces of dough to roll into shapes, they are kind of bumpy bunnies too. I don’t care. I love them. Imperfections and all. My kids had a fun in the kitchen, and I had a blast watching them roll out dough. Use a pastry brush. Chose mini m&ms for eyes with the most careful selection.
Kitchen Krafts may be for kids, but this adult appreciates them too.
Hippity-hop.
******
Lemon Bunny Buns
slightly adapted from the Friend
makes approximately 15 buns
1 package of active dry yeast, or 2 1/4 teaspoons
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup milk
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
5 1/2 cups all purpose flour, sifted
2 whole lemons (for the dough and glaze)
for the lemon glaze:
1 cup confectioners sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from the lemons listed above)
for decorating:
small candies
raisins
craisins
sprinkles
Zest the lemon peel. You will need about two tablespoons of the zest (1 lemon makes about 1 tablespoon), set aside. Cut the lemons in half and juice. For the buns, reserve 1/4 cup of juice, save at least 3 tablespoons for the glaze as well.
Beat the eggs in a small bowl and set aside. In another bowl, place the yeast. Sprinkle the warm water over the yeast and set aside.
Warm the milk over the stove top or microwave, just make sure it doesn’t come to a boil. When very hot, add to a large bowl and mix in the sugar, shortening and salt. Once cooled to lukewarm, add the beaten eggs, water with yeast, 1/4 cup of lemon juice and lemon zest.
Next, add the flour in one cup at a time. Slowly stir to make the dough, let stand for 10 minutes.
On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough with your hands until the mixture is smooth and elastic. Lightly grease another large bowl and place the dough mixture in it. Cover with a clean towel and let the dough rest for about 2 hours in a warm room. The dough should rise and be double in size. After it rises, punch the dough down and let sit for another 10 minutes.
To make the bunnies, pull off about 1/4 cup of dough and roll into snake-like strips about 14 inches long. Fold the strips in half, and twist to make a circular loop at the bottom and cross in the middle. The two ends will be the bunnies ears. Pull off another small section of dough and roll into balls. These will be the bunny’s tail, place in the middle of the dough loop. Using small candies, raisins, craisins or sprinkles, add eyes and other facial features as desired.
Place the bunnies on a cookie sheet, leaving about two inches in between each bun. Cover the bunnies with a towel for 45 minutes to 1 hour to rise. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake the buns for 12-15 minutes. (I like mine super soft, so I baked these buns for about 11 minutes.) The bunnies will be much bigger in size after they bake.
While baking, quickly make the glaze. In a small bowl, mix the confectioners sugar with the 3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice. As soon as the buns are cooked, glaze the bunnies and serve immediately. These little critters are so good warm and right out of the oven.
