Printable Recipe: Chubby Bunny Bread with Veggies and Dip Recipe

Chubby Bunny Bread with Veggies and Dip

If you don't think this adorable free Easter recipe --a chubby bread bunny with dip in his belly-- is just about the cutest thing you've ever seen, you may not have a heart! (kidding!) And though he's an impressive thing to bring along to any Easter dinner or Easter brunch, he's also surprisingly easy to make.

You can also have fun with shapes and ingredients. The bunny here is made entirely of bread-- eyes, cheeks, and nose. But you can also do things like use raisins for eyes, sliced almonds for little bunny teeth, or... whatever! Have fun with it!

One Chubby Bunny Bread serves about 10. Fill him up with your favorite dip! I love this one, but you can use whatever you like. Cheesier dips taste great with the bread cubes.

Note: when you see all the steps here, you'll probably this is one of those free Easter recipes that's too work-intensive to be worthwhile. But it's really not. The steps are for clarity... the process is really very easy! However, if you're looking for something similar but quite a lot simpler, check out my recipe for Bunny Biscuits!

Ingredients:
2 lbs. (2 loaves of 1 lb. each) frozen bread dough, thawed completely, OR
Two loaves' worth homemade bread dough
1 egg, lightly beaten
Cabbage or lettuce leaves, for lining and to decorate tray
Dip recipe of your choice
Fresh crudites (carrots, broccoli, celery, bell pepper, snap peas, etc.)
Crackers, as needed
Cubed French Bread (optional)

Instructions: 1. To shape the bunny, remove the top quarter of one of your loaves of bread dough. Make a head shape that goes narrower at the top to leave room for ears. Set aside.

2. Use remaining 3/4 of loaf to form your bunny's body. You'll want the body to be about 7" long, but you'll also want to leave him a little chubby to make room for a dip bowl in his tummy. Place body on a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper on it. Place head on top of body.

3. To make the ears, cut your second loaf of bread in half, and then in half again to make four pieces. Two of these pieces will be your ears.

4. To make the ears, use your hands to form each of these dough pieces into long, thin ropes. Thinner is best, or else your bunny may end up looking like a mouse!

5. Fold ear ropes in half and place on either side of your bunny's head, slightly pressing cut ends of dough into the head. Make the ears stick straight up or go off to the side a bit-- your choice.

6. To make your back feet, cut one of your remaining two pieces of dough in half. From these two pieces, form two oblong balls with your hands. Place on the bottom of your bunny's body for feet, and slice 2-3 shallow slits in the dough for toes.

7. With your last piece of dough, you'll make the front paws and the face. Divide it into three equal pieces. Take the first two pieces and form them into balls. They'll be your bunny's front paws. Attach them to the side of your bunny's body.

8. The last piece of dough will be your facial features. Make three small balls (for eyes and nose) and two larger ones (for cheeks), or, if you plan to use raisins for eyes, make two large balls (for cheeks) and just one small one (for nose).

9. Use these to create your bunny's face. They tend to move a bit as the bunny bakes, so you may want to secure your bunny's facial features with toothpicks.

10. Brush your bunny with the beaten egg, and let rise about 30 minutes, or until doubled in size.

11. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake your bunny until risen and golden, about 30 minutes. Move to a wire rack to cool.

12. When your bunny is cooled, place him on a serving tray lined with lettuce or cabbage leaves.

13. Hollow out an area in his belly that will fit a small serving bowl for dip. Place lettuce or cabbage leaves in the hole, and place your bowl inside. Fill with dip.

14. Surround your bunny with crackers, bread cubes, and veggies, and then... dig in to this cutest of free Easter recipes!