Step 1

Add flour, sugar, condensed milk, milk, water, 25 g of the egg (about half of the egg, store the rest in the fridge for brushing) and yeast into the stand mixer and knead on low speed until the dough is formed.

Step 2

Cover the mixing bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Step 3

When it's done resting, add salt and continue to knead the dough until you can pull and stretch the dough for 2 inches without breaking.

Step 4

Add butter cubes one at a time and knead until the dough is very smooth and passes the windowpane test. (This step takes me about 6 minutes, with 5 minutes on low speed and 1 minute on medium speed. The actual time it takes you depends on your mixer.)

Step 5

Form the dough into a ball (it will be very sticky, but if it's too sticky to handle, then add a little bread flour and knead for another 1~2 minutes) and put it in a lightly greased bowl. Cover, and let it rise for 1 hour to 1.5 hours in a warm place (about 82°F to 90°F) until it doubles in size.

Step 6

Transfer the dough onto a working surface and cut it into 8 even pieces. Form each piece into a ball by tucking the edge to the bottom, cover with a piece of greased plastic wrap and let it rest for 5 minutes.

Step 7

Take one piece of dough, press it flat and roll it tightly into a log. (See the gif for reference). Repeat this step for the rest of the buns and arrange it in the order that they were rolled. Cover and let the buns rest for 10~15 minutes.

Step 8

Meanwhile, pat dry the hot dogs and cut each piece into half in a 45° angle, to make them a bit longer.

Step 9

Take the first bun (the one you first rolled) and roll it into a long, even and thin log, about 15" (40 cm) long, and eliminate all the air pockets. You will need to use some effort here as the log will keep shrinking back.

Step 10

Place the thin log into a U shape, place a piece of hot dog on it, feed both ends into the hole, one at a time. (See pictures in the post)

Step 11

Pull the "bunny ears" out a bit more to make the hot dog fit more snugly in the bun. Make the ears longer than you'd like, since they will shorten after baking. Pinch the back together to eliminate the gap (see picture in the post) before placing bun on a lined baking sheet.

Step 12

Repeat the process for the rest of the buns (working on them in order) and let them proof in a warm place (around 82 to 90°F) for about an hour until they're puffy and they spring back a bit to the touch.

Step 13

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) towards the end of the proofing process.

Step 14

Brush the rolls with a thin layer of egg wash before placing them in the oven. Bake for 12~14 minutes until golden brown. Place the rolls on a cooling rack to cool down.

Step 15

Meanwhile, put chocolate chips in a piping bag or the corner of a ziploc bag and soak in hot water to melt.

Step 16

Once the rolls are cool, cut the tip of the bag and squeeze the chocolate out of the bag to draw eyes on the bunny's face and put a bit of ketchup on the cheek if desired.

Step 17

Use a skewer to poke a hole at the end of the hot dog and put the stem of the herb in the hole to be the "carrot's leaves".

Step 18

If you are not eating these in the same day, the best way is to store them in the freezer once the rolls are cool, and decorate them after reheating on the day you want to eat them.