Day before: Put the water and flour in a small pan. While stirring constantly, slowly bring the mixture to a boil until it thickens somewhat.

Allow to cool slightly and place covered in the fridge until use.

Day before: Put the water in a bowl and stir in the yeast. Add the flour, mix well and cover. Let it sit for two hours at 21–23°C (69.8-73.4F) so the yeast starts to ferment. Then let it continue to ferment in the fridge until the next day. The batter should at least double in size.

The next day: Put all ingredients (except the 10-20g water) in the order shown in a mixer bowl and knead for 8-10 minutes on a low setting. The dough will be a bit sticky, even slightly gummy. But don’t worry! Continue to knead gently for another 5 minutes and add 10-20 g of water to the dough if and as required. The dough should ultimately be soft and smooth.

You can also knead the dough by hand to the specified consistency, but this can take a few minutes longer.

Ideal dough temperature after kneading: 23–25°C (73.4-77F).

Cover airtight at 21–23°C (69.8-73.4F) for 1 hour.

After preparing the dough and the first proof: place the dough on an unfloured or very lightly floured work surface (smooth side down). Divide the dough into 8 pieces of dough weighing 45g each (torso), 8 pieces of dough weighing 30g each (head) and 8 pieces of dough weighing 30g each (ears) and continuously shape them into balls.

Shape the 8 “ear” balls into oblong dough pieces (dumplings). Place 4 bunnies per baking paper as shown. Finally, form 8 bunny tails (balls) from 2g dough each and place them beneath the torsos. Let the Easter Bunnies relax for 10 minutes covered with a kitchen towel. Press the halved raisins into the dough (eyes) and leave covered to proof for another 30-45 minutes.

Brush the first 4 Easter Bunnies with maple syrup and cut the ears with clean, sharp scissors. Bake in a very well preheated oven at 190 °C (374F) without steam for 18-20 minutes. Proceed in the same way with the second Easter Bunny batch.

After baking, brush the Easter Bunnies again with maple syrup, if desired.

Decorate the Bunnies with colorful fabric ribbons.

Have fun and enjoy!