If you have an automatic bread machine, you can make sweet roll dough quickly, with little or no monitoring. And if you’re planning on having an Easter brunch, these Sweet Lemony Bunny Rolls will be perfect to serve as dessert. Once the dough is finished, the bunnies are easily shaped; they are cut into strips, brushed or dipped in butter, then lemon sugar, and twisted to resemble bunnies. As soon as they come out of the oven, a colored marshmallow is placed at the fold for the tail; the heat from the hot rolls melts the marshmallow just enough to stick. If you like your rolls extra sweet, they can be drizzled with a mixture of powdered sugar, soft butter, and lemon juice.

At Easter time, mini egg shaped marshmallows are available; they come in an assortment of Easter colors. If you can’t find them, regular colored marshmallows work fine. Serve the warm rolls in a cute Easter basket with Easter grass for a festive presentation.

If you don’t have an automatic bread machine and are too busy to make yeast breads, consider getting one at a thrift store – spring cleaning usually means that people clean out their garages and get rid of their automatic bread machines because they haven’t used them in a while. Since they make perfect dough, and they do all the work, it’s worth it to own one. Otherwise, you can make the dough by the conventional method; it’s not as easy, and uses more hands-on time, but the end result is the same.

16 Bunnies

Dough:
1 1/2 cups warm water
1/4 cup powdered milk
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 egg
4 cups flour
1 tablespoon yeast

1/2 cup melted butter

Zest of 1 lemon
1 cup sugar

Easter marshmallows

Optional Glaze:
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup powdered sugar

1. Place the ingredients for the dough in the order given.
2. Turn the bread machine to the dough setting.
3. Check after 5 minutes to make sure the ingredients have formed a soft ball. If the ball is too soft, add a little more flour; if the ball is too stiff, add more water and start the cycle over.
4. When the cycle is finished, transfer the dough to a lightly floured pastry cloth or lightly floured surface.
5. Roll or pat out to a 12 x 12" square.
6. With a pizza cutter, cut the dough in half horizontally, then vertically into 8 strips.
7. Brush each strip with melted butter and roll in the lemon sugar mixture.
8. Stretch each strip, bring the ends together, and twist once.
9. Bake 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned.
10. Immediately place a colored marshmallow at the fold to resemble a tail.
11. Drizzle with the glaze if using.

Glaze: whisk together the butter, lemon juice, and enough powdered sugar to make a smooth glaze.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 299 Calories from Fat 90
Percent Total Calories From: Fat 30% Protein 6% Carb. 64%

Nutrient Amount per
Total Fat 10 g
Saturated Fat 6 g
Cholesterol 39 mg
Sodium 329 mg
Total Carbohydrate 48 g
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Sugars 15 g
Protein 4 g

Vitamin A 8% Vitamin C 5% Calcium 0% Iron 3%