Shaping these gluten free buns is easy and so much fun! This is a baking activity the kids (and big kids) will love and you can make them either with a sweet dough or a traditional bread dough.
For this example I have used a sweet dough recipe which is at it's yummiest when still warm and sprinkled in cinnamon sugar. Even better when dunked in a sweet and warm, chocolate sauce.
Like with all of my gluten free bread making, I used FG Roberts bread flour (traditional white) for this sweet dough. If making a savoury version of these bunny buns, why not try the FG Roberts traditional brown bread flour and glaze with a beaten egg topped with some seeds.
Recipe
Bunny Buns
Ingredients
450 grams full cream milk
8 grams instant dried yeast
400 grams FG Roberts traditional white bread flour
5 grams white vinegar
30 grams vegetable oil (I used rice bran)
1 egg, room temperature and beaten
75 grams caster sugar
Sugar Glaze
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons sugar
Cinnamon Sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 teaspoons caster sugar
Method
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius and line a baking tray with paper.
Warm the milk and one teaspoon of the sugar to 40-45 degrees celsius, then add the yeast.
Cover and leave until the yeast starts to bloom. It should look like a layer of cream on top of the milk.
While the yeast blooms, weigh the bread flour into a large bowl, set aside.
Once the yeast blooms, add the vinegar, oil, egg, and sugar and gently mix to combine.
Make a well in the dry mixture and add the wet mixture.
Gradually work the dry into the wet mixture, until the flour is incorporated and the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
Turn out onto a floured surface and knead the dough for at least 5 minutes until it’s smooth and elastic.
Divide the dough into 8 equal portions
Roll each portion into a sausage to about 40cm long.
Break a 5cm piece off each sausage and form into ball (this is the bunny tail)
Twist the sausage into the bunny shape.
Place the dough ball in the loop part of the bunny for the tail.
Place the bunnies onto the prepared tray.
Cover with lightly greased cling wrap and leave in a warm spot until double in size.
Bake in the preheated oven 5 minutes at 200 celsius then turn the temp down to 175 celsius for a further 20 minutes. TIP place a pan of water in the bottom of the oven to keep the buns moist
Once the buns are cooked remove fro the oven onto a wire rack.
Place the sugar glaze ingredients in a microwave safe bowl and cook 90 seconds.
Immediately glaze your buns while still hot with the sugar syrup using a pastry brush.
Combine the cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle over the glazed buns.
Enjoy!