Bird Rolls

I made some "Bird Rolls" today. They actually look like soft pretzels and taste like the Challah Bread that I make. The rolls call for some extra work to make them look like birds with unblanched almonds and making tail feathers with a knife but I skipped that part. People around here eat food no matter what it looks like! Here's the recipe:

BIRD ROLLS
1 package (1/4 oz) active dry yeast
1 cup warm milk (110 - 115 degrees)
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. salt
3-1/2 to 4 cups all purpose flour

(Additional ingredients: 1 egg, 1 TBSP water, 16 whole unblanched almonds)

In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk. Add the butter, brown sugar, 2 eggs, salt and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide into 16 pieces. Roll each into a 12 inch rope; tie each into a knot. To form bird's head, tuck one end back into knot. With a sharp knife or scissors cut two slits on opposite end to form tail feathers. Place 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Beat 1 egg with 1 TSBP water; brush over dough. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Insert an almond into each for beak. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. Yield: 16 rolls

MY NOTE: I used the dough setting on the bread machine and skipped the hard work. Just follow the breadmaker instructions for loading the ingredients.