2 teaspoons instant or active dry yeast (I love Red Star Platinum)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup sunflower seed kernels, roughly chopped
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 large egg
Instructions
Dissolve the yeast into the warm water. Add the honey and let it rest for five minutes to activate.
Add the chopped sunflower seeds to a large bowl with one cup of the whole wheat flour and salt. Stir until combined.
Once the yeast is activated, add the olive oil to the yeast honey mixture. Pour into the large bowl of sunflower seeds and flour.
Add the last half cup of whole wheat flour and begin to add the all purpose flour one half cup at a time mixing well until it forms a loose ball.
On a well floured work surface, knead the dough for about five minutes (or use dough hook on a KitchenAid mixer). Feel free to add a bit more all purpose flour if dough is too sticky or a little water if dough has become too dry. After kneading, dough should be soft and supple.
Place the dough back into the mixing bowl, cover loosely with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let rise for about an hour or until it has doubled in size.
Once doubled in size, divide the dough in half and form into two balls. Place the dough balls on a large baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Cover the baking sheet with a damp towel and let rise until doubled again, about an hour. Feel free to press some additional sunflower seeds into the top of the loaves before rising.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and place a baking sheet or stone into the oven to preheat. When loaves are ready to go into the oven, whisk a tablespoon of water with an egg white and brush over the loaves.
Glenty take a sharp knife and cut an X or three slits into each loaf. Transfer the loaves by lifting the parchment paper to the preheated stone or baking sheet.
Bake 20-25 minutes at 400 or until the loaves are golden brown on top. Allow to cool before slicing.