1/4 cup (1 3/8 ounces) cracked wheat
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) boiling water
1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) olive oil
3 tablespoons (1 1/4 ounces) sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
1 cup (4 ounces) King Arthur Traditional Whole Wheat Flour
1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten (optional)
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
2 teaspoons instant yeast

Combine the cracked wheat and boiling water in the pan of your bread machine, and let the wheat soften for 30 minutes.

Place the remaining ingredients into the pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Program the machine for the basic cycle, and press Start.

Check the dough's consistency about 10 minutes before the end of the final kneading cycle, adding additional water or flour to form a soft, smooth ball of dough. Allow the machine to complete its cycle. Cool the bread completely before serving. Yield: one loaf.

Note: To bake bread in the oven, program your machine for the dough or manual cycle. When the cycle is complete, remove the dough, and place it in a lightly greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan. Allow the dough to rise, covered, for about 1 hour, or until it's crowned about 1 inch over the rim of the pan. Bake the bread in a preheated 350°F oven for 35 to 45 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf registers about 190°F. Remove the bread from the oven, turn it out of the pan, and let it cool on a wire rack.

This recipe reprinted from The Baker's Catalogue, Spring through Summer 2001.