Are you looking for another fun idea for the upcoming Easter holidays? Well, I have a super cute bunny bread dip bowl to share with you. This is a great and entertaining way to introduce your homemade bread, a delicious dip and a colourful range of fresh crunchy vegetables to your kids. I guarantee it’s going to be a huge hit.
Three of my most clicked Easter recipes are these cute chick deviled eggs, these amazingly looking Easter carrot croissants and the classic egg-stuffed meatloaf. However, this year, I decided to make a bread bunny with plenty of healthy vegetables around it.
This is a fabulous idea for a party snack, a big family grill dinner or a lovely Sunday lunch, too. In fact, it’s a perfect crowd pleaser and it pairs great with fish, a nice slice of ham or grilled meat. Pick crunchy vegetables, like cauliflower florets (yes, you can eat them raw), carrots, cucumber, bell peppers, radish or celery. One thing I am sure, it will bring lots of joy and eating vegetables will never be so much fun.
For the bunny bread, I used the same great bread recipe as for the delicious apple-cheese pide and for the salty braided breadsticks. I love this bread. It’s soft, fluffy and you can pair it to savoury and sweet dishes. Also, I added fennel seeds to the dough to elevate the flavour even more. Wink. Having said that, you can still buy store-ready bread dough. But I like to make it myself.
Make a sketch with a pencil
Moreover, I love being creative. And creating this bunny bread dip bowl was such fun. If you are more of a visual type, keep a picture on the screen while you are working on it or draw the shapes directly on the parchment paper (and then flip it over to avoid the marks on the bread).
Additionally, after the bread is baked, brush it with butter. I will say it one more time; brush it with butter. As a result, you’ll get a lovely softer and shiny crust yet with a little crisp. The great thing about the bread is, you can easily freeze the leftovers and simply pop them in the oven next time you want to eat them.
Ingredients for a bunny bread dip bowl (for 5-7 people):
- 12 g dry yeast
- 3 tsp sugar
- 240 ml of milk (room temperature)
- 600 g flour
- 4 tsp salt
- 45 ml of luke warm water
- 40 ml of olive oil
- 2 Tbsp of fennel seeds (optional)
- 2 hazelnuts (for the eyes)
- 1 almond (halved lenghtwise) (for the teeth)
- 1 egg (beaten)
- butter (for brushing)
Ingredients for the dip and snacks:
- 100 g cottage cheese or cream cheese
- 100 g of natural yoghurt
- 2-3 Tbsp of grated cucumber
- salt
- 1/4 of cauliflower (cut into small florets)
- 2-3 carrots (cut into sticks)
- 1 yellow pepper (cut into sticks)
- 10 cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 cucumber (cut into slices or sticks)
First of all, start with preparing the dough. In a smaller pot, combine sugar, dry yeast and milk. Give it a quick stir with a fork and put it in the oven (only with the light on) until bubbly and frothy.
Then, in a larger bowl, combine flour, salt, fennel seeds, water, olive oil and the yeast mixture. Using a wooden spoon or a hand-mixer, mix until all the ingredients come together. In order to really make that gluten work, transfer the dough on your counter and knead it for 7-10 minutes. I like to grease my hands with olive oil to avoid the dough from sticking.
Once the dough becomes smooth and elastic, form a ball and place it in a slightly greased bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and put it back in the oven (only with the light turned on) for 1 hour. Meanwhile, place a parchment paper on a larger baking sheet (min 40×50 cm) and grease it with a little bit of olive oil. After the dough has doubled in size, take half of it out of the bowl, cover the rest and place back in the oven.
Making the bunny’s body
Divide the dough in front of you in 1/3 and 2/3 piece. Then, shape the bigger piece into and oval egg form. Using your hands and finger stretch it and shape it in a desired form. Make sure it is 1-1,5 cm thick. Then, place it on the baking sheet (bottom 2/3) and continue with shaping the bunny’s head. Take the other piece of the dough, form a pear shape and place it at the top of the oval shape aka bunny’s body.
Creating bunny’s ears
Furthermore, take the rest of the dough out of the oven and cut it in half. Wrap the other half into the plastic foil, in order to prevent from drying. Place the dough in front of you and cut it again in half. Roll each piece into a 30-40 cm long rope. Then, fold the ends of each rope together and place them at the top of the head, by lightly pressing the part with the glued ends together with the head.
Creating bunny’s feet, cheeks and nose
Moreover, take the dough that you have left and cut it in half. Wrap the rest in the foil. Cut the dough in front of you again in half and shape two bunny feet. Then place them at the bottom of the body (one left one right), sliding them slightly (1-2 cm) under the body shape and pressing gently on the spot.
Next, place the remaining dough in front of you and cut 1/3 off and wrap it in the plastic foil. Cut the piece in front of you in half and form two bunny hands. Place the hands on the top third of the body, one left one right. Just as you did with the feet do also with the hands.
Then, take the remaining dough and cut 1/4 off. With this piece you form a small ball. Cut the remaining dough in half and form two slightly larger balls than the previous one. Now, place the two balls aka cheeks on the lower third of the face and above them, right in the middle place the smaller ball aka nose.
Almonds and hazelnuts
Last but not least, place the two hazelnuts just above the nose, by pressing them slightly into the dough and the two almond halves at the bottom of the cheeks. Using scissors, clip the fingers and the toes. Also, don’t forget to make three cuts for the whiskers on the face.
At this point, brush the bunny with egg (including the eyes and teeth) and then cover with a greased plastic wrap for 30-40 minutes. Five minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 180º C. Then, remove the foil and put the bunny to bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
In the meantime, wash and cut the vegetables. I picked carrots (so obvious), yellow peppers, cucumber, cherry tomatoes and cauliflower. In addition to the veggies, prepare a lovely dip. I mixed yoghurt, cottage cheese and grated cucumber with a pinch of salt.
Once the bread is baked, immediately brush it with butter and then let it cool down for 20-30 minutes. Before serving it, cut the bunny’s belly out, in order to give it a form of a bowl. I know it sound a little weird. Wink. I also placed some carrot slices in it, to prevent the bread from soaking the moisture.
Finally, place the bunny bread dip bowl in the middle of your table, fill the bunny’s belly with the dip and arrange all the vegetables around it. You may also add some boiled eggs, homemade mayo, hummus or aioli for the brave.
Enjoy!
PS
If you like the recipe, if you make the recipe or if you have any new ideas how to improve or change it, let me know in the comments section below or alternatively share your photos and reactions with me on Instagram (@Passionspoon), Facebook or Twitter (@PassionSpoon1). Simply use the hashtag #passionspoonrecipes in your posts. I would love to see them! (wink)
