Honey Bread Bears
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2.5 cups bread or plain flour
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1 teaspoon yeast
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200ml lukewarm water
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5-6 tablespoons runny honey
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1 tablespoon oil
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1 teaspoon salt
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1 egg, beaten to glaze
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Black food colouring and a touch of water or black food colouring pen
Step 1 - In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix the flour, yeast and water together. It will be quite shaggy and look like a bit of a mess but allow to sit for 10 minutes.
Step 2 - Then add the honey and oil and knead for about 4-5 minutes if using a mixer, or 8-9 minutes by hand until the dough becomes elastic.
Step 3 - Shape into a ball and cover with cling wrap and sit in a draught free place for 30-45 minutes until risen and double in size. Punch down and knead for a minute. Line a baking tray with parchment and preheat oven to 180C/350F.
Step 4 - Shape the dough into small balls-be careful to not use too much flour or the ears will not stick onto the heads. I made them in a variety of sizes. Pinch small pieces of dough for ears and affix to the side of each head. Allow to rise for about 20 minutes or so.
Step 5 - For brown bears, glaze with a beaten egg-be sure to try and glaze quite evenly as they will be patchy in colour otherwise (a couple of mine were-be sure to get under the "chin" of the bear). If you want the pale bears, leave them unglazed. Bake for 10-15 minutes.
Step 6 - To decorate, I added some black food colouring to a small amount of water and used the end of a wooden skewer for the eyes and nose. You can also use an black pen with edible ink to draw these on.