Savory Morning Buns with Sausage, Fontina, and Broccoli Rabe

Directions

1. Step 1

   Make the dough: Whisk together the milk and 2 tablespoons of the spelt flour in a small saucepan. Cook the mixture over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until it boils. Whisking constantly, boil the flour paste until it’s thick and starts to pull away from the bottom of the pan, about 30 seconds. Transfer the paste to a bowl, cover directly with plastic wrap, and let cool to room temperature.

   Step 2

   When the flour paste has cooled, put the yeast and water in a small bowl and let sit for about 5 minutes to rehydrate the yeast. In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the paste, yeast mixture, remaining spelt flour, the all-purpose flour, salt, egg, and butter.

   Step 3

   Knead on low speed for a few minutes until all of the ingredients are combined (you may need to scrape down the bowl once or twice). Switch to medium speed and continue kneading until the dough is smooth and springy, about 8 minutes. Remove the dough from the mixer and shape into a ball. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic or a damp towel. Let rise at room temperature until doubled in volume, about 1½ hours, and then pop into the refrigerator for an overnight rest.

   Step 4

   A couple of hours before you want to serve the morning rolls, take the dough from the refrigerator and make the filling.

   Step 5

   Make the filling: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add enough salt that it tastes like the ocean. Add the broccoli rabe and boil until the stems are quite tender when you cut (or bite) them, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain well, let cool, then chop roughly, making sure there are no long pieces of stem, which can be fibrous even when fully cooked. Set aside.

   Step 6

   Heat a nice glug of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the smashed garlic and cook slowly over medium heat until the garlic is very soft, fragrant, and nicely golden brown—but not burnt—about 5 minutes.

   Step 7

   Add the sausage patties and cook, flipping occasionally, until browned on the surface and just cooked on the inside. Break into bite-size chunks with a spoon and cook until no longer pink. (You can leave the garlic in the pan as you cook the sausage, if it’s not getting too dark. If it is, scoop it out and add back when you add the broccoli rabe. In either case, smash it further into small bits.)

   Step 8

   Pour off any excess grease from the skillet and add the chopped broccoli rabe. Cook, stirring, for a minute to integrate the broccoli rabe and flavor it with the sausage grease. Stir in the maple syrup.

   Step 9

   Transfer the mixture to a bowl, let cool completely, then add the Fontina and chile flakes and season with lots of black pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Refrigerate while you roll out the dough.

   Step 10

   BAKE THE ROLL: Coat a 9-inch (23 cm) cast-iron skillet or cake pan with 1 tablespoon butter.

   Step 11

   Lightly flour your work surface and roll the dough into an 18 × 12-inch (46 × 30 cm) rectangle. Distribute the filling in an even layer over the whole surface of the dough.

   Step 12

   Beginning with a long side, roll the dough into a tight cylinder (it will be soft, just work gently and do your best) and coil the cylinder into a loose spiral. Gently lift the spiral and place into the buttered pan; you may need to pat things back into place, but that’s fine. Cover loosely with a cloth and let rise in a warm place until the dough is puffy and the coil is swollen, 1½ to 2 hours.

   Step 13

   About 20 minutes before the dough is fully risen (just guesstimate!), heat the oven to 375°F (190°C).

   Step 14

   Brush the morning roll with the beaten egg and sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Bake until medium brown and dry-looking on the top, with no “raw dough” look in the folds, 20 to 25 minutes.

   Step 15

   Let cool for a few minutes so the filling can set, then cut into slices and serve.