Prepare the overnight levain:

1. In a small bowl, mix the flour, water, and starter until it is thoroughly incorporated. Cover and let it rest overnight at room temperature for 8-12 hours. (I let mine rest for 11 hours before using.)

Preparing dough in bread machine:

1. Place all ingredients, except the melted butter, in the bread machine pan in the order suggested by your manufacturer. (For my bread machine, the liquid ingredients are added first, then the flour, salt, sugar.) Add the levain and the softened butter with the liquid ingredients.
2. Select the Dough/Manual cycle. Let the machine complete the mixing and proofing cycles.
3. Once the dough cycle is finished and the machine beeps, remove the dough to a bowl, cover and let it ferment at warm room temperature for 2 more hours.
4. Perform a stretch and fold after the first hour and place the dough back in the bowl, covered, for the remaining hour.
5. Transfer the dough to a lightly-floured work surface and let it rest for 10-15 minutes.
6. Line your pan or baking sheet with parchment. I used a 16” pizza pan.
7. Place a 2-3” biscuit/cookie cutter or canning ring in the center of the pan.
8. Divide the dough into 20 equal pieces. (My dough weighed 842 grams so each piece was about 42 grams) Shape each piece into a ball.
9. Place 7 balls around the ring/cutter leaving space for the rolls to rise. Form the outer ring of the wreath using the remaining 13 balls. Depending on the size of your ring/cutter, you may only need 6 balls around the center or 8. Just space them as evenly as you can.

Preparing the dough by hand

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, salt.
2. In a separate bowl, beat the egg.
3. Add the water to the levain and mix to combine. Stir the beaten egg into the levain/water mixture. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix well to incorporate.
4. Cover and let the dough rest for 30 minutes to develop the gluten before adding the butter.
5. Work in the softened butter until it forms a soft dough.
6. Cover and let the dough proof for about 2 hours. After one hour, stretch and fold the dough over itself. Cover and let the dough rest an additional hour, or until doubled.
7. Line your pan or baking sheet with parchment.
8. Place a 2-3” biscuit/cookie cutter or canning ring in the center of the pan.
9. Divide the dough into 20 equal pieces. (My dough weighed 842 grams so each piece was about 42 grams) Shape each piece into a ball.
10. Place 7 balls around the ring/cutter leaving space for the rolls to rise. Form the outer ring of the wreath using the remaining 13 balls. Depending on the size of your ring/cutter, you may only need 6 balls around the center or 8. Just space them as evenly as you can.

Baking the wreath the same day

1. Cover and let the rolls rise until double in size, 1-2 hours. (Dough will be ready when indentation remains when lightly touched.)
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. while the rolls are rising.
3. Uncover the wreath, brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter and sprinkle with seeds, if using.
4. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Rotate the pan partway through the bake cycle for even baking.
5. Serve warm or slightly cooled.

Making the wreath ahead, and baking the next day

1. Cover and let the rolls rise for about an hour, then wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator overnight.
2. The next day, remove the wreath from the refrigerator and let the rolls warm up while the oven is preheating to 375 degrees F.
3. Uncover the wreath, brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter and sprinkle with seeds, if using.
4. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Rotate the pan partway through the bake cycle for even baking.
5. Serve warm or slightly cooled.