Cook with us Week #4 - Italian Easter Bread Rolls

A big thank you to the team of @cookwithus for the awesome Cook With us Contest.
This is one contest you should not miss if you enjoy cooking or baking, as you will see fabulous food and meet a couple of kindred spirits along the way.
Last week's dessert entries were amazing, so I really felt honoured to get a joint second place; a huge thank you to @chefsteve , @pandamama and @offoodandart!
This week's theme is great with such a variety to choose from, but I decided to go for a yeast bake - Italian Easter Bread Rolls with a twist.
I cannot resist any yeast bake, but do not fancy the idea of eating a cooked egg with a sweet bun as is done traditionally in Italian Easter Bread! My bake has little candy coated chocolate filled Easter eggs nestled inside the twisted buns, with a very light glaze icing, don't want it too sweet and sticky either, sprinkled with 100s and 1000s as we call it. They not only looked pretty, but were absolutely delicious!

The buns had a sweet crunchy crust with a soft spongy texture inside.

Italian Easter Bread Rolls are prepared similarly, but a raw coloured egg is placed in the middle of the twisted bread/bread dough and sometimes finished off with glaze icing and sprinkles.
Besides #cookwithus, I had another motive for devising this bake, as I left Easter Egg buying too late, and wanted to surprise my 92 year old friend who lives in a retirement centre nearby, plus give something to our good neighbours.
These buns made an excellent gift, and it certainly brightened our friends' day!

Ingredients required:

For the dough:
Place into mixing bowl - 1 1/4 cup Warm Milk, 1/2 cup Sugar & 100 grams Butter

Add 4 cups White Cake Flour, 1/2 teaspoon Salt, 10 grams Yeast

Knead in food mixer, then add 2 eggs

Knead for about 5-10 minutes till dough is smooth and holds its shape.

Cover with cling wrap and leave in a warm place to prove; I always use the amazing fabric cooking bag called the Wonderbag, a South African invention originally designed for rural women and those who do not have access to electricity and gas, works very well!

Leave till dough has doubled in size - mine almost reached the top of the bowl as I got a tad busy :)

Knock down dough and divide into 12 - 18 pieces, dependent on size bread roll you desire.
Roll into longish sausage shapes.

Twist the sausage dough.

Pinch ends together to make a round bun.

Place on buttered baking sheet, and place mini candy coated chocolate Easter Eggs in centre, paint an egg glaze on to dough.

Bake for approx 20 minutes at 170 C fan oven (180 C regular) or till a nice golden brown, remove and cool on wire rack.

To make the glaze icing - mix till smooth and a thick pouring consistency: 1 cup icing sugar, 2 1/2 tablespoons Milk & 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Essence.
Spoon over bread rolls/ buns and sprinkle with 100s & 1000s.

A lovely Easter Sunday gift for a special friend.

Crispy on the outside with a beautiful texture inside.

Fluffy inside and absolutely delicious!

Wish I could have given all my Steemit friends one of these :)

Edit - I dedicate this post to my 92 year old friend, Minnie Nel, who eventually learned how to die on Wednesday. She used to tell me she was so stupid, did not know how to die!
Sad that I can't go and visit aunty Min who always made me laugh but happy that my Easter buns brightened her day on Easter Sunday and happy that she's now reunited with her husband and daughter, both who left this world way too soon!