How to bake attractive bird bread rolls for Valentines Day

How do you know when to bake these gorgeous bird shaped bread rolls? When you hear the birds chirping outside your window. Then it’s time.

Just before the spring arrives, our birds fall in love and make a nest. All this happens on or around Valentines Day, says the legend from the northwest Croatia.

This bird bread rolls recipe comes from Međimurje. It’s the part of Croatia where my Mum grew up and where they bake love bird buns to celebrate the marriage of birds. Ftičeki se ženiju, they say.

I never met anyone who can resist these puffy, adorable bird buns. Children squeak with joy when they see them. And in the old days, when my Mum was a child, soft, bird-shaped buns were hidden in tree tops for them to find.

On the night before Valentines Day, life-sized bird bread rolls were baked and placed on the branches of fruit trees. Perched like that in the orchard, they looked uncannily real, with a beak, tail and puffy wings all made by twisting the dough. Kids barely slept with excitement. They knew there would be treasure hunting the next day.

These days we celebrate Valentines Day eating out in restaurants. But if you have a baking bone and want to get your whole family jump with joy - try this recipe.

Our bird shaped bread rolls are a lightly sweet pastry which is excellent with a morning cup of coffee. But if you wrap it with a piece of bacon, you’ll get an eye-catching cocktail treat. So, save a few rolls for that special dinner (wink!).

Croatian bird bread rolls recipe

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4 from 1 vote

Croatian bird shaped bread rolls

These tiny buns shaped as birds are baked for St. Valentines Day. We say that the birds are getting married and believe that this is the first herald of spring.

Course Snack

Cuisine Croatian

Keyword finger-food

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Proof Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 50 minutes minutes

Servings 6 people

Calories 235 kcal

Ingredients 

For the dough:

• 500 g bread (strong) flour, plus more for shaping (4 cups )
• 7 g dry yeast (2 ¼ tsp)
• 50 g sugar (¼ cup)
• 7 g salt (1 tsp)
• 280 ml milk, lukewarm (1 cup + 1 tbsp)
• 60 g butter, melted (¼ cup)
• 25 ml yoghurt (1 ¾ tbsp)
• 25 ml vegetable oil (1 ½ tbsp)

For the decoration:

• 24 peppercorns
• 1 egg yolk, whisked
• 10 ml milk (2 tsp)

Instructions

Mixing the dough

• Sift the flour into a mixing bowl. Add the yeast, sugar and salt, and whisk to blend evenly.
  
• In a separate bowl, combine lukewarm milk, melted butter, yoghurt and oil and stir to get a smooth mixture. Pour it into the flour mix.
• Bring the dough together with a spoon, then switch to the stand/hand mixer fitted with a dough hook(s). Work the dough for 2-3 minutes until smooth and velvety.
  
• Transfer the dough ball to a clean bowl, dust it lightly, cover with a kitchen towel and leave to proof in a warm place for 45 minutes.
  

Shaping the dough

• Turn the dough onto the lightly dusted work surface. Divide it into 12 equal pieces. Be precise and use the kitchen scale for aesthetics: each piece should weigh 78 g.
  
• Shape each piece into a small dough ball by folding the edges into the centre. Then flip the dough so it sits the seam-side down. Cup it loosely with your hand and push it against the work surface in a circular motion. Cover the dough balls with cling film.
  
• Without further resting, shape the first dough piece into a 25-cm- (9-in-) long rope that is narrower in the middle with bulkier ends.
  
• To shape the love bird, fold the left end over the right one to make a loop. Next, run the left end underneath and then through the loop. The end that surfaces is the bird's head. The right end that sits underneath the knot is the tail.
  

Deecorating the dough

• Continue the shaping by pinching the head to create a tiny bulge: this is the bird's beak. Make a tiny cut into the beak with the scissors: now you have a singing bird. Using a toothpick, press peppercorns into the bird's face to give it eyes. Finally, stamp the tail with a fork.
  
• Continue shaping the birds, then place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
  
• Preheat the oven to 200 °C (400 °F).
• Whisk together the egg yolk and milk and brush each bird bun with this egg wash. Make sure to reach the eyes, too, as they tend to fall out. In fact, I always push them in with the toothpick once again so they don't pop out while baking.
  
• Bake the buns for 20 minutes until they turn golden brown, especially their heads.
• Eat them warm on the same day or for breakfast the following morning.

Nutrition

Calories: 235kcal