This post contains affiliate links.  To learn more about this, read my Disclaimer

Orange Cardamom Bunny Rolls

Easter is upon us and with it comes tradition foods, like Hot Cross Buns and Ham and Scalloped Potatoes.  Over the years I’ve tried some fun treats with my family that add to the excitement (and maybe the waistline as well)  This recipe for Yummy Bunny Munch is one of my favorites and now and I have a new orange roll recipe that I made in the shape of bunnies, Orange Cardamom Bunny Rolls!

I have number of different roll recipes I’ve used over the years from 1 hour Cinnamon Rolls to overnight rolls.  This new recipe is similar, but heating the milk and butter is different from the ones I’ve made.  I also substituted powdered milk (because I didn’t have any dairy milk) and it worked perfectly.  I’ve never used cardamom before but I loved the extra flavor it added. If you want, you can skip it, just add a little more orange zest.  Let’s get on to making Orange Cardamom Bunny Rolls!

Supplies:

• Kitchen Mixer (I used my Bosch)
• Kitchen scale (they turn out more uniform if you weigh the pieces; totally optional)
• Cardamom
• All purpose flour, instant yeast, oranges (I used 3 large navel); granulated sugar, salt, butter and eggs.  For the glaze you’ll use the juice from the oranges, powdered sugar and more orange zest
• Dough Scraper (also optional)
• 2 large Baking Pans
• Parchment Paper
• Zester
• Orange Juicer

Directions:

• Using the Zester, scrape all the oranges, setting 1 TBSP aside for glaze.  

• Using the juicer remove any juice from the oranges, Setting aside 1/4 cup for glaze.
• Over medium/high heat, mix milk, butter and sugar until the butter is melted and mixture is warm

• In mixing bowl, mix together dry ingredients (using 4 cups of flour only at this point)

• Pour the liquids into the dry, adding the eggs and orange juice and mix, continually adding more flour until you have a soft, non sticky dough.  **Be careful, as the size of the eggs as well as moisture in the air can increase of decrease the amount of flour you will need**

• Add the orange zest and continue to mix until you have a soft, non sticky dough.
• Lightly grease a large bowl and knead the dough a few times to form into a nice ball.  Place the dough in the greased bowl, cover and let rise until double (about 45 minutes)  I turned on my oven until warm and set the dough inside.

• Punch down the dough and divide into 4 portions.  You should be able to get 5 equal rolls of dough out of each portion.  I used a scale and a dough scraper to cut the dough and weigh it.  It worked out that each ball was 3 oz (ended up with 22 rolls)

•  These rolls ended up being about 4″ long when cooked, so you could make them smaller, especially for kids, who, by the way, love to make these!

Bunny Formation:

• Preheat Oven to 375°
• Using two large baking pan, line with parchment paper and set aside
• Take each ball of dough, pinch off a small piece (for tail) and roll it on the counter into a long rope

• Form a loop for the bottom and twist the dough to form ears (see photo) 

**I would make the ears a bit longer because as they rise again the shape can get a bit distorted**

• Roll the tail piece into a ball (or just tuck it into a ball shape) and tuck it into the small hole at the bottom of the bunny
• Repeat will all the dough pieces.  

• It takes a while to form the bunnies so when the first baking pan is full, give them a few more minutes to rise (another 5) and pop it into the oven.  You’ll see they have had a good rise and you can finish the other pan while they bake
• Finish the second pan.

 

Glaze:

• For the glaze you will need powdered sugar, orange juice and orange zest

• Starting with 1.5 cups of powdered sugar, add 1/4 cup of orange juice and stir, adding more sugar as needed.  
• Add the orange zest and stir

• I used shredded coconut, finely chopped walnuts and small non-perils to decorate only the puff of the tail.  

I like the flavor and transparency of the glaze because I could still see the shape of the bunny.  The fun decorations on the tail were purely for decoration.

Enjoy, 

Cheryl

Want to remember this?  Post Orange Cardamom Bunny Rolls to your favorite Pinterest board!