Bunny Bread

I made this bunny bread several years ago and it was a hit with the little ones, so thought I would make it just for us. DD19 wanted Ranch Fiesta Dip with our Easter dinner so this is a fun way to serve it. I found this recipe in Quick Cooking magazine.

The recipe calls for 2 1-lb loaves of frozen bread dough, thawed. I have a recipe that makes a 2 lb loaf in the bread machine so I used that on the dough setting.

From 1 loaf make the head and body. Take 1/4 of the loaf and make a pear shape for the head. Place it on a greased cookie sheet. With a sharp knife, make a couple slits on each side of the face for whiskers.
Take the remaining 3/4 of the loaf and shape into a rectangle for the body.
Divide the second load into 4 equal portions. Take 2 of the portions and shape into ropes. Fold over and place the ends next to the head for the ears. Divide one portion into two and make the hind feet from those. Make two cuts for the toes.
Divide the last portion into two. From one half make 3 small balls (one should be a little smaller than the other two) and make the cheeks and nose. From the other half, make 2 balls and place for the front legs. Make 2 slits in these.
Add 2 dried cherries or raisins for the eyes (I like the cherries as they are larger and the raisins seemed to be 'lost' in the face) and 2 slivered almonds for the teeth. Brush with a beaten egg.
Let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes.
Here is my unbaked bunny before rising.


Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool.

When cool, cut out the tummy to make a bowl for the dip. I used a cream cheese container to make my circle. The fun part is getting to eat the fresh bread from the tummy :-) DD17 and DD19 helped me with that!
I used the cream cheese container placed in the tummy to serve the dip (I don't like getting the bread all soggy around the dip - no one here eats it so it just goes to waste. This way all the bread gets eaten :-)