Spring is in the air! Crocuses, snowdrops, and daffodils are blooming, and the sun is daring to peek through the clouds more often than not. Isn't it wonderful to see the world awakening from its hibernation and coming alive again?
And every year around this time, you see more and more eggs on bushes and bunnies in gardens – it's Easter! Surprise your loved ones this year with these sweet, homemade yeasted pudding bunnies!
Inspiration for these Yeasted Pudding Bunnies
I've actually been baking these pudding yeast bunnies for a few years now, and my family has loved them from the start! I was inspired to make these bunnies by this Chefkoch recipe for sweet yeast bunnies and this recipe for vanilla pudding rolls, which I simply combined. Without the custard filling, the bunnies were always a bit too dry and not sweet enough for my taste. In this combination, they are simply incomparably delicious!
More Time – Less Yeast
What I've adjusted compared to the recipes linked above is the amount of yeast and the proofing time of the dough. Extending these times makes the dough more flavorful, and the fermentation during the rising time also makes the baked goods easier on the digestion. Another advantage is that the longer the dough rests, the yeast pudding bunnies stay fresh and moist for longer, meaning they don't dry out as quickly.
Even if you've never worked with yeast dough before or have no experience with it, this recipe shouldn't intimidate you. Because we prefer to use time rather than heat to let the dough rise, handling the dough is much easier. The yeast doesn't need to be "activated". To do that, you would usually mix the yeast with warm milk and sugar before adding it to the main dough. During this step, it's easy to "kill" the yeast if the milk is too hot. In this recipe, almost all of the ingredients can be used cold (from the fridge), so this shouldn't be a problem.
Baking Schedule
In terms of timing, I prefer to follow the following baking schedule for this recipe:
- Day before – evening: Prepare yeast dough, knead, let it rise for 1 hour and put it in the fridge
- Baking day – noon: Shape yeasted pudding bunnies and let them rise for 1.5 – 2 hours
- Baking day – afternoon: bake the yeasted pudding bunnies
If you now feel like baking more with yeast, you can check out my Christmas Stollen recipe . Please save this one for the next Christmas season! You can find more Easter recipes here on “sizzling & frizzling” in the category of Easter.
Let me know in the comments if you and your family are as excited about these sweet yeasted pudding bunnies as we are!
Yeasted Pudding Bunnies
These sweet yeasted pudding bunnies will make children's eyes light up this Easter. But adults won't be able to resist this sweet temptation either! Delight your loved ones with an Easter greeting and these sweet yeasted pudding bunnies!
Ingredients:
For the dough:
For the vanilla pudding:
For garnishing / spreading:
Instructions:
Making the yeasted dough:
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Place all the ingredients for the yeast dough into the bowl of your kitchen machine. First, mix the flour with a pinch of salt, then make a well in the middle and add all the remaining ingredients to the center. You don't need to warm the milk or butter to activate the yeast; you can use them cold from the refrigerator. The butter should be soft, so it's easier to incorporate.
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Then transfer the dough to your kitchen machine and knead thoroughly. Knead on the lowest setting until the dough comes together. Then you can increase the speed (to setting 3). Let the dough knead for at least 10 minutes, but 20 minutes is better. Enough gluten should have developed for the dough to pass the windowpane test (see video).
Alternatively, you can also knead the dough by hand. Since it's not very soft or sticky, it's easy to work with by hand on your working surface.
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Then stretch and fold the dough once and let it rise at room temperature for one hour.
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Stretch and fold the dough again and then place it in the refrigerator for 12 - 16 hours (e.g. overnight).
Cooking the vanilla pudding:
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Pour the milk into a saucepan and, in a bowl, combine the vanilla pudding mix with the sugar, salt, and optional cinnamon. Then add 3 tablespoons of the milk to the pudding mix and whisk well until lump-free. Bring the milk to a boil, stirring occasionally.
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Remove the pot from the hot stove, add the pudding mix, and mix well with a small whisk. Return the pot to the hot stove and heat the mixture again until it boils, stirring constantly. This will make a firm pudding.
If milk burns easily in your pot, I recommend cooking the custard in a milk pot.
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Transfer the custard to a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Press the wrap directly onto the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Let it cool completely before refrigerating.
Shaping the bunnies:
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Once the dough has risen in the refrigerator for 12-16 hours, you can shape the yeast pudding bunnies. First, prepare the vanilla pudding by adding the crème fraîche and mixing everything well with a handheld mixer. It will seem very lumpy at first, but with a hand mixer, you'll have a smooth, lump-free mixture for the filling of your bunnies in just a few minutes. (You shouldn't try to beat the pudding with just a whisk until smooth, unless you haven't had a workout yet!)
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Then take 2/3 of the dough and roll it out into a rectangle on a lightly floured surface to about 0.5-1 cm thick. Spread the vanilla pudding evenly over the dough, being a little more sparing on one short side. Then, starting from the other (shorter) side, roll the dough up into a log.
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Now use a string to cut the dough roll into 4 equal sized pudding rolls. You can trim the edges to ensure that the snails all have a neat finish. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, including the mini trimmed-of edges.
If you use a knife instead of string to cut the dough into pudding rolls, you'll end up crushing the rolls, and they won't be as perfectly round. Therefore, I recommend using string, such as cotton.
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Now divide the remaining dough into 4 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a smaller ball for the bunny tail, and roll the remaining dough into a log about 10 cm long. Then place the logs and balls next to the pudding rolls to create the bunny shape.
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Now cut the end of the custard roll with scissors to form the bunny feet. Cut the 10 cm dough log in the same way to create the bunny ears. Now insert a raisin into each of the bunny heads for the eyes.
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Then, cover the yeasted pudding bunnies with cling film and let them rise again for 1.5 - 2 hours at room temperature. You can preheat your oven to 350 °F (180 °C) (top/bottom heat) for the last 15 minutes.
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Before baking the bunnies in the oven, mix the egg yolk with milk and brush the bunnies all over. You can also brush the trimmed of edges. Then decorate the paws and tail of the yeasted pudding bunnies with almond pieces or decorative sugar and press the raisin (the eye) firmly into place.
Bake the yeasted pudding bunnies:
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Bake the bunnies at 350 °F (180 °C), top/bottom heat, for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
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Let the yeasted pudding bunnies cool down a little before serving them (still warm).
Nutritional Information
servings 4
- Amount per Serving
- Calories 993kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 40.18g62%
- Potassium 412.75mg12%
- Total Carbohydrate 133.75g45%
- Dietary Fiber 5.13g21%
- Sugars 37g
- Protein 21.45g43%
** The daily percentages are based on a 2000 kcal diet. Your daily figures might be higher or lower according to your caloric need.
Remark
*Advertisement (Affiliate): I prefer to use the vanilla pudding powder from Alnatura, which you can find here , for example. What I especially like about it is that it contains real vanilla, not just vanilla flavoring. There's also no added yellow food coloring or milk powder, just starch and vanilla. And you can taste the difference!