Semolina Wheat Easter Bunny Bread

John 6:35. “Then Jesus said, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry.”

Somehow Easter has always had a bunny or two gracing our table- chocolate or marzipan or a tempting salad that looks like a bunny. It was just a way of bringing the message of Easter to us kids, whose main focus was always on food. Nowadays, I have graduated to making different kinds of Easter Bunny Bread. Semolina Wheat Easter Bunny Bread is one that I came across while looking for Easter breads a while ago. The basic bread recipe is from www.pinterest.com and the shaping of the bunnies is from another recipe I found last year on the same site. You don’t need a step by step recipe to make anything. You need to apply the principle of transfer of training to everything you do. That is my secret and I find it easy to adapt recipes to my taste and that of my family. Since I shifted to healthy baking years ago, I bake with wholesome ingredients and it was a joy to find this recipe that uses ingredients commonly found in every Indian home

The Recipe For Semolina Wheat Easter Bunny Bread:

The Ingredients For Semolina Wheat Easter Bunny Bread:

2 cups unroasted sooji/chiroti rawa/semolina

1¼ cups whole wheat flour ( I use the flour that’s used for chappathis)

1 tsp instant yeast

1½ cups tepid water

1 tbsp brown sugar

¼ cup Olive Oil

1 tsp pink Himalayan salt

3 cloves garlic crushed

The Milk Wash For Semolina Wheat Easter Bunny Bread:

1 tbsp milk powder

1.5 tbsp water ( more or less)

Mix together till smooth

Ghee for brushing over top

Method For Semolina Wheat Easter Bunny Bread:

Add all the ingredients in a stand mixer or in a large bowl. Mix and knead until the dough is smooth, shiny and elastic, about 2 to 5 minutes on the machine (10 to 12 minutes by hand). If the dough begins to climb the hook earlier, it means your dough is ready for the first proofing. Do not be alarmed.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover and let rise until it doubles in volume, about 1½ to 2hours. This is the first proofing

Grease your pans. I used a really large pan to make the Easter Bunny bread.

Divide dough into 2 portions. Keep one half aside to make something else like pizza or braided bread.

Divide the other portion into 3 (about 160 gms each). It is best to weigh each portion to get precise results. Roll each portion into a 12 inch rope. Cut off ½ inch from each rope and roll into balls for the tail. Fold the dough rope in a U shape and loosely twist twice to form the body of the bunny as in image. Gently place on baking paper on a tray and press down the overlapping ear a little bit to prevent it from rising too high. To make the bunny tail press ball of dough into folded end of the twist. Repeat with remaining dough to make 3 bunnies. Let the bunnies rise for 15 minutes.

Apply a milk wash and sprinkle some sooji on the tail and all over ( optional).

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Bake the bread for 35 minutes golden brown. Brush some ghee over the bunnies and bake again for 5 to 10 minutes. Brush with ghee again, immediately after baking if desired. This makes the bread soft and moist. Cool and serve for Easter lunch.

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31