These German bunny rolls are a great addition to your Easter breakfast. They are perfect for little hands that like helping in the kitchen. These bunny-shaped rolls (Hefehasen) are a traditional German Easter dish. We serve them alongside many other Easter bakes, such as braided bread, chocolate buns, and Easter bread.
You can also make them the day before and bake them fresh the next day! If you want to learn more about the German Easter Bunny Tradition Jump to the section below.
Bunny Rolls Ingredients
The dough is made from simple yeast. Do not be afraid of baking with yeast—I will walk you through it step by step.
These bunny rolls are made from a yeast dough, which are popular in Germany. They are very similar to American dinner rolls.
You will need:
What we need for the dough: milk - full fat milk is best, granulated sugar, instant yeast , eggs, all-purpose flour,( UK bread flour, Germany type 550 flavourings), salt, vanilla extract butter - at room temperature
For the egg wash: egg yolk and milk
How to Make Easter Bunny Buns
Step One: Make the yeast dough
Heat the milk to lukewarm. Stir in the sugar and then add the instant yeast. Leave the milk and yeast mixture to rest for 10 minutes. When you return, bubbles should have formed on the surface.
Knead the flour, salt, vanilla extract (affiliate link), and butter into a large mixing bowl to a smooth dough.
Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and leave to rest for at least 1 hour in a warm location.
After this time, the dough should have roughly doubled in size.
Step Two: Shaping the Easter Bunny Buns
Knead the dough on a floured surface (or a non-stick baking mat).
Divide the dough into six equal pieces.
Each portion should be divided again into 3 smaller portions. ⅔ for the body, ⅓ for the head and a little ball for the tail
Using two-thirds of the dough, roll one of the dough pieces into a 30 cm (12-inch) long roll. Roll it up into a swirl shape.
Use the remaining one-third of the dough to roll it into a short, thick roll for the head. Pinch a small slice to form the bunny tail. With scissors or a sharp knife, make an incision for the ears. Attach the head to the body.
Roll the remaining dough into a ball for the tail and attach it to the body. Press a raisin into the head for the eye.
Press a raising in the head for the eye.
Once you have completed all your bunnies, place them on the baking tray, leaving enough space between each, as they will expand while baking. Cover them with a tea towel and leave them to rise for another 20 minutes.
In a small bowl whisk together the egg yolk and milk and brush the egg wash onto the bunnies. This will give them a nice sheen after being baked.
Step 3 Bake the rolls
Bake the buns in a preheated oven at 180°C /356°F for 15-20 minutes. Leave to cool, and if you wan,t you can decorate them with a colourful ribbon around their neck. They are ready to eat.
Make ahead
You can make the dough the day before and shape the yeast into bunny shapes, then leave them in the fridge overnight. It is important not to bake the dough straight from the fridge, but give it enough time to get back to room temperature so they will be nice and fluffy after being baked.
How to serve
These Easter rolls are not sweet, but not overly so. They taste great by itself, but I suggest trying with butter and a fruit jam of your choice.
Storage Instructions
These cute little bunny rolls taste best warm and fresh out of the oven. But they keep well up to three days are being baked. Store in an airtight container.
Background Info: German Easter Bunny Tradition
The Easter Bunny is a German tradition that spread to the rest of Europe and the United States through German immigrants in the 19th century.
According to folklore, the Easter Bunny hides colorful eggs in the garden for children to find on Easter Sunday. But the origins of this tradition date back even further. In the 18th century, it was common for priests to give members of their congregation a red, hard-boiled egg. The cold, hard egg symbolized death and burial, while the red color represented life and resurrection.
However, Protestant reformer Martin Luther disapproved of the practice, believing it was not in line with Protestant beliefs. As a result, people were no longer allowed to take their eggs home from church. Instead, they began hiding them in their gardens for children to discover the next day.
At first, it wasn’t just rabbits delivering the eggs—foxes, roosters, and even peacocks were part of the tradition. But over time, the Easter Bunny became the most popular figure and remained the symbol of the holiday.
The Easter Bunny truly rose to fame in the 19th century, when advancements in sugar production made it easier to create sweet Easter treats on a large scale. From that point on, the tradition flourished, and the beloved Easter Bunny became a cherished part of springtime celebrations around the world.
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Recipe
Easy Bunny Buns
Ingredients
- 250 g milk
- 100 g sugar
- 2 teaspoon instant yeast (7g) - one sachet
- 500 g all purpose flour UK plain flour, Germany type 550.
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg medium size, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 60 g butter
For the glaze
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tsp sugar
- 6 raisins
Instructions
- Heat the milk to a lukewarm temperature (between 37-40°C / 98-104°F). Stir in the sugar and then add the instant yeast. Leave the milk and yeast mixture to rest for 10 minutes. When you return, bubbles should have formed on the surface. This means your yeast is activated. If you do not see bubbles, check the expiry date on your yeast, or your milk might have been too hot. If so, it is best to start again.250 g milk, 100 g sugar, 2 teaspoon instant yeast
- Place the flour, salt, egg, vanilla extract (affiliate link), and butter into a large mixing bowl. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer with a dough hook, knead the dough for about 10 minutes. The dough should no longer be sticky.500 g all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (affiliate link), 60 g butter
- Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and leave to rest for at least 1 hour in a warm location.
- After this time, the dough should have roughly doubled in size. Remove it from the bowl and knead on a floured surface (or a non-stick baking mat). Divide the dough into six equal pieces. To be precise, you can weigh the dough and then divide the weight by six.
- Divide the dough into six equal pieces. To be precise, you can weigh the dough and then divide the weight by six.
- Using two-thirds of the dough, roll one of the dough pieces into a 30 cm (12-inch) long roll. Roll it up into a swirl shape.
- Use the remaining one-third of the dough to roll it into a short, thick roll for the head. Pinch a small slice to form the bunny tail. With scissors or a sharp knife, make an incision for the ears. Attach the head to the body.
- Roll the remaining dough into a ball for the tail and attach it to the body. Press a raisin into the head for the eye.6 raisins
- Once you have completed all your bunnies, place them on the baking tray, leaving enough space between each, as they will expand while baking. Cover them with a tea towel and leave them to rise for another 20 minutes.
- In the meantime preheat your oven to 180°C /356°F.
- In a small bowl whisk together the egg yolk and milk and brush the egg wash onto the bunnies. THis will give them a nice sheen after being baked.1 egg yolk, 2 teaspoon sugar
- Place the bunnies in the oven and bake for approximately 15-20 minutes.
- Once baked, leave them to cool. To decorate, you can tie a colorful ribbon around each bunny.
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