Reindeer bread rolls to bake with kids
Prep: 35 min · Cook: 15 min · Makes: 12 rolls · For:
These soft little reindeer rolls make everyone smile at the breakfast table. They are made from a simple milk bread dough, with raisin eyes, a shiny red cherry nose and salty pretzel antlers. Children can shape them almost entirely by themselves.
Serve them warm for Christmas breakfast with butter and jam, add them to a lunchbox, or put them in a basket on the Christmas dinner table.
Tips
- Even rolls bake evenly, so weigh the pieces if you like (about 70 g each).
- Press the eyes in deeply. The dough swells and pushes them out.
- Add the antlers after baking, so they do not burn.
Little helpers
Children can knead, roll the balls, press in the eyes and noses and add the antlers. Every reindeer will have its own personality.
Ingredients
- 500 g strong white bread flour
- 1 sachet fast-action dried yeast (7 g)
- 25 g caster sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 280 ml lukewarm milk
- 40 g soft butter
- 24 raisins or currants
- 6 glacé cherries, halved
- 12 small pretzels, each broken in two
- 1 egg, beaten, for brushing
Method
- Mix the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the milk and butter and knead for about 10 minutes until smooth and springy.
- Cover and leave to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, until doubled.
- Knock the air out of the dough and divide it into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth ball, then gently pull one side into a slightly pointed oval for the face.
- Put the rolls on two lined baking trays with plenty of space between them. Cover and leave to rise for 20-30 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan, gas mark 6). Brush the rolls with beaten egg.
- Press two raisins into each roll for eyes and half a cherry at the pointed end for the nose. Push them in firmly, or they pop out as the rolls rise.
- Bake for 13-15 minutes until golden and hollow-sounding underneath.
- As soon as they come out of the oven, push two pretzel halves into the top of each roll as antlers. Let them cool a little before eating.
Questions
Can I make the dough the night before?
Yes. After kneading, put the dough in an oiled bowl, cover and leave it in the fridge overnight. Shape the rolls in the morning; the second rise takes a little longer.
Can I make them without pretzels?
Bake the rolls plain and add antlers of thin bread sticks, or snip little antlers into the dough with clean scissors before baking.
Are the pretzels safe for toddlers?
Hard pretzel pieces can be a choking risk for very young children. Take the antlers off for toddlers or use soft strips of bread instead.
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