MasterChef at Home: Jenn’s Recipe for Bunny Buns Is Too Damn Cute

You guys. MasterChef is back! Well, almost. MasterChef Australia: Fans & Favourites is on the way and it’s going to see 12 of our favourite past contestants compete against 12 new home cooks. Is anyone else counting down the days to get to the cooking?

In celebration of the upcoming season, the team behind MasterChef Australia: Fans & Favourites has treated us to a particularly cute recipe that will work quite well for any Easter celebrations you’ve got upcoming.

New contestant Jenn has shared an adorable recipe for what she refers to as ‘Bunny Buns’ and we can’t get enough of these little babies.

Jenn, who is described as a ‘quirky dentist’ on the show, is sure to be a real competitor with recipes like these up her sleeve. Here’s a quick introduction to her story:

Now, if you’d like to get cooking, here is Jenn’s recipe in honour of MasterChef Fans & Favourites.

MasterChef Fans & Favourites at home: Jenn’s recipe for Bunny Buns

Ingredients:

• 140 ml milk
• 4 g yeast
• pinch sugar
• 310 g bread flour
• 10 g milk powder
• 30 g sugar
• 3 g salt
• 1 egg
• 40 g butter
• 6 chocolate bars or cheerios
• 20g chocolate 

Directions for Jenn’s MasterChef Bunny Bun recipe:

1. Microwave milk with pinch of sugar for 20 secs. Until just barely warm, stir in yeast and set aside for 5 mins.
2. In bowl of stand mixer add in bread flour, milk powder, salt, sugar and egg. Mix on low until the dough comes together.
3. Add in 40g butter bit by bit and continue to mix on low for another 10mins. It might look like it’s not coming together but keep letting it mix and it will come together
4. After 10 mins of mixing, the dough should be nice and smooth and the bowl mostly clean. 
5. Take out the dough and shape into a ball, place back into the bowl, cover with cling wrap or damp towel and let rise for 1 hour. 
6. After 1 hour, the dough should have puffed and almost doubled in size. Take out the dough onto a benchtop lightly dusted with flour and divide into 6 pieces. 
7. Roll a dough piece into a sausage shape, flatten with a rolling pin, into a rectangle and fold lengthwise into thirds. Flatten and roll out again with a rolling pin and fold in half. Press along the entire length with your palm to degas the dough and roll into a long fat noodle shape, roughly 45cm.
8. Shape the bunny by placing a long noodle into an upside-down U shape. place the cheerio or chocolate bar across the dough leaving a 3cm gap from the top of the dough. Thread one end of the dough over the chocolate bar and under the top of the dough and repeat with the other end. Adjust the shape if needed and place onto a baking sheet. Cover with cling wrap and rest for 40 mins, until slightly puffy.
9. Preheat oven to 175C. Bake the bunny buns for 15 mins at 175C. 
10. Remove the buns from the oven and let cool on the tray.
11. Melt the 20g of chocolate in the microwave and using a toothpick or chopsticks, draw eyes for the bunny. 

We’ll continue sharing food hacks and recipes from the upcoming MasterChef season as they become available, so keep a keen eye. And if you want more cooking tips, here is a collection from previous contestants.

MasterChef Australia 2022: Fans & Favourites hits screens on Monday, April 18 at 7.30 pm on 10 and 10 Play on-demand.