Golden Sunflower Seed Wheat Bread - cooking recipe

Ingredients

3 1/4 cups warm water (110-115F degrees)
2 (1/4 ounce) packages active dry yeast
1 1/4 cups bread flour
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup honey (agave nectar has a low glycemic index, making it acceptable for diabetics to eat) or 1/3 cup agave nectar (agave nectar has a low glycemic index, making it acceptable for diabetics to eat)
3 teaspoons salt
5 1/2 - 6 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
2 -3 tablespoons butter, melted (optional)

Preparation

In a large mixing bowl, add warm water and yeast. Cover and let activate for 10 minutes.
Add bread flour, canola oil, Agave, salt and 4 cups of whole wheat flour to the yeast mixture. Mix thoroughly.
Mix in sunflower seeds. Slowly add whole wheat flour one cup at a time until you reach a firm dough.
Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead for 5-8 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a lightly warmed oven for 1 hour or until doubled in size (hint: Before I place the bread in the oven, I turn the oven on to 350F degrees and warm it for only a few seconds--20-seconds. You don't want the oven hot).
Punch down the dough and divide into either two greased 9 x 5-inch loaf pans, or three greased 8 x 4-inch loaf pans. I like to put parchment on the very bottom of my pans for ease of turning out the loaves. Cover the loaves and let rise in a warm place for an additional 30 mins or until doubled in size.
Bake at 350F degrees for 35 minutes, then brush on melted butter and continue to bake for 5 minutes more or until lightly browned.
Remove from oven and brush on remaining melted butter. Turn out from pans and place on a wire rack to cool completely before cutting and serving.