Easter Brioche Bread Bunnies

1. In a large bowl or stand up mixer whisk together the flour, salt, zest and sugar, add the yeast and mix gently, make a well in the middle and add the egg, butter, vanilla and milk mix with a fork until it is almost combined.
2. Then with the dough hook on speed 2 knead the dough for 7 minutes, until smooth, the dough will remain slightly sticky, (this dough can also be kneaded by hand for 10 minutes).
3. Move the dough to a lightly floured flat surface and form into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 40 minutes.
4. Remove the dough from the fridge and form the bunnies.To form the bunny -1. Remove a piece of dough (about 1 ¼ ounces / 38 grams) and roll into a long rope ( 10 inches / 25 cm) roll up the rope from the left to the right leaving a piece sticking out to form the front foot.2. Remove a piece of dough (½ ounce/14 grams) and roll into a ball to form the head attach it to the body.3. Remove a piece of dough (⅓ ounce / 10 grams) and shape into an oval with a slightly pointed top, slice in the middle 3/4 the way down, do not cut through, shape the 2 pieces into ears, attach to the head, 4. Remove a small piece of dough (2 grams) and make a small round ball and attach to the body for the tail.I made 7 Bunnies which were a medium size (for me), you could make smaller or even a large one. Weight is just to give you an idea of the sizes of dough you will need.
5. Place the bunnies on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet or 2. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean tea towel and let rise in a warm draft free area for approximately 1-2 hours or until doubled in bulk.
6. Pre-heat oven to 350F (180C).
7. Brush the bread with an egg wash, sprinkle with nonpareils or sugar if desired and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes check for doneness* (depending on the size, could be more or less time, check after 15 minutes). Immediately move the baked bread to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

EGG WASH

1. In a small bowl beat together the egg and water.

*The bread is done when the inside temperature reaches 190F (88C) or when knocked on the bottom there is a hollow sound.