Pumpkin Seed Rolls

These rolls might be a little parsnickity to make but they do come out quite nice and the seeds really add a lot of flavor. They are well worth the work.

Pumpkin Seed Rolls (Adapted from Milk Street)

Sponge:
1/2 c rye flour
1/2 c warm water
1 T honey
2t yeast

Dough:
1 c pepitas
1/2 c sesame seeds
4 T butter, cut into 4 pieces
2 1/2 c bread flour
1 c warm water
2 1/2 t salt (Kosher)

1 egg
Salt for topping

Mix the sponge ingredients in a bowl. Cover and let sit for about 1 hour (or until doubled).

Meanwhile toast the pepitas and sesame seeds in a skillet (some of the pepitas might pop). Let cool. Reserve 1/2 cup of seeds aside. Place remainder in a food processor. Buzz until finely ground. Add butter and mix together and smooth.

When the sponge is ready to go add the flour, seed/butter mixture, and water and mix until smooth. Let sit for 5 minutes. Add salt and mix again. The dough will be sticky but should not be too wet or too dry. Cover and let rise 1 hour. It will triple in size.

Turn dough out and press into a rectangle. Divide dough into 16 equal portions (it's always hard to judge this). Form each into a tight smooth ball, pinching the seams on the bottom. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Beat egg and brush tops of rolls. Top each roll with seeds that were set aside and sprinkle with some flakey salt. The egg should "glue" the seeds in place. I gave a good coating of egg after the seeds were on just for good measure. Cover and let rise 30-35 minutes. Bake at 450 20-25 minutes or until golden. You should rotate pan halfway through.  Remove from pan and cool on wire rack 30 minutes.