Whole Wheat Bread With Sunflower Seeds And Walnuts

In a large mixing bowl, or in the bowl of an electric mixer or in a bread machine, combine all of the ingredients, mixing to form a shaggy dough. Allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes (this gives the flour a chance to absorb the liquids), then knead it for about 10 minutes, till it's smooth and supple. (If you're using a bread machine, allow it to go through its entire dough cycle, then shape it as directed below.) The dough will seem very wet and slack at first; just keep mixing, and eventually it'll come together, though it will remain sticky.

Note: For the optimal rise, we recommend using either a bread machine (set on the dough setting) or electric mixer to mix and knead this dough, with the bread machine being the first choice; kneading by hand will result in a smaller, denser loaf.

Allow the dough to rise, in a greased, covered bowl, for 1 hour. Shape it into a log, and place it in a lightly greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch bread pan.

Cover the pan (with a dough rising cover, or lightly greased plastic wrap) and allow it to rise for about 1 hour, till it's crowned about 2 inches over the rim of the pan.

Bake the bread in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for 45 minutes, tenting it lightly with aluminum foil for the final 20 minutes of baking.