Sausage Bunny Rolls (Klobásoví zajíčci)

Yeast dough truly is a little kitchen miracle, and these sausage bunnies are a delightful example. I baked them for Easter as a special treat for the carolers, along with the traditional dyed egg. Let's give the bunny rolls a try!

➜ About the recipe

I was inspired to make this recipe after watching the Dobré ráno show, which airs every weekday on Czech Television. The episode was dedicated to Easter baking, and alongside Mazanec bread and Beránek lamb cake, the lady cook demonstrated how to make these cute bunnies!

Since yeast dough has a long-standing tradition in Czech cuisine, I decided to bake the bunnies myself and share them here on my blog.

➜ Ingredients

✅ See the recipe below with step-by-step photos and many helpful tips. Scroll down for the full printable recipe in both US cups and metric measurements.

Useful kitchen equipment for this recipe: A plastic dough scraper (affiliate link) is great for handling yeast dough. It prevents sticking and makes the dough easier to work with. For rising, I use a dough proofer from the Czech brand Tescoma (affiliate link)-highly recommended!

➜ How to make sausage bunny rolls

STEP 1: Prepare the dough

Start by preparing the yeast dough. I like to use a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, but you can mix it by hand if you prefer.

Add the yeast to the flour and stir by hand to combine. Pour the mixture into a mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolk into the warm milk, then pour it into the flour. Turn on your kitchen mixer with a hook on low speed. After about a minute, the ingredients will come together.

Now add the salt and oil. Increase the speed to medium-high and let the dough knead for 8 minutes. You should end up with a soft, elastic dough.

Use a dough scraper (affiliate link) (rather than your hands) to transfer the dough into a clean bowl. Cover it with a clean tea towel or plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size. This usually takes about 1.5 hours, depending on the rising method.

STEP 2: Shape the dough

Once risen, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide it into 7 equal portions, each weighing about 2 ½ ounces (70 grams).

Take each piece of dough and fold the edges toward the center, then roll it into a smooth ball using the palm of your hand. Place the dough balls seam-side down on a lightly floured surface and cover with a clean tea towel. Let them rest for 10 minutes.

In the meantime, cut the sausages into pieces about 3 ½ inches (8-9 cm) long.

After resting, roll each dough ball into a long strand. A good length is from your elbow to the base of your fingers.

Now form two loops with each end of the strand (see photos 1 and 2 below for reference). Push a piece of sausage through the two loops (photos 3 and 4).

Flip the shape over (photo 5), and separate the loose ends to create the ears.

The eyelets should be slightly twisted-if you are unsure, I have made a short video to show the shaping step. You can watch it on my YouTube channel here: Sausage bunny rolls.

Place the shaped bunnies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving about 1 ½ inches between them-they will rise and puff up during the final proofing and baking.

Cover the bunnies with a clean tea towel and let them rise for another 30 minutes.

Since the dough contains only a small amount of fat, I recommend spraying the bunnies with water to keep the surface from drying out.

MY TIP: Place the baking sheet with bunnies in the oven (turned off) with a pot of hot water at the bottom. The gentle steam and warmth help the dough second-rise beautifully! In this case, skip the step with spraying I wrote above.

STEP 3: Add details and bake

Make a simple egg wash by whisking the leftover egg white with a tablespoon of milk. No need for a blender-a fork will do just fine. Gently brush the tops of the bunnies with the mixture using a pastry brush.

To make faces, place two sunflower seeds for eyes and a few black cumin seeds underneath for the snout.

Preheat your oven to 380 °F (190 °C). Bake the bunnies for about 14 minutes, until they're golden brown. Transfer them to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely.

You might also like these traditional Czech Rohlíky rolls-my recipe yields excellent results!

➜ How to serve

In the Czech Republic, I would give these bunny rolls to carolers on Easter Monday-along with a brightly dyed egg-as they visit homes with their pomlázka whips and sing cheerful songs. Read how Czechs celebrate Easter.

You can also make the rolls for other occasions! They are perfect for children's parties. Just choose a milder sausage if you are serving little ones.

➜ Storage tips

• Once cooled, place the bunny rolls in a sealable plastic bag. They will stay fresh at room temperature for two days, but because they contain sausage, I recommend keeping them in the fridge. There, they will last up to five days.
• Want to save them for later? No problem-these bunnies freeze well. Just place them in an airtight container and freeze for up to three months.

📖 Recipe