In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Let stand 5 minutes. Mixture should become foamy; if not, either yeast was too old or water was too hot. In either case, start again. Add milk, butter, salt and honey. Stir in oats, rye flour. Whole-wheat flour and 2 cups of bread flour to make a soft dough. Knead in wild rice. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes. Then mix in enough additional bread flour to make a stiff dough.

Turn onto bread board and knead for 10 minutes, adding more flour as necessary to keep dough from sticking. Turn dough into lightly greased bowl, cover and leave in draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.

Punch down dough and knead briefly. To shape, divide dough into 3 parts; shape each part into a strand and braid together to form a wreath. Or divide dough into 2 parts and place in 2 greased 9" baking pans.

Let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375°F. Brush tops with egg-water mixture. Sprinkle with sunflower seeds. Bake about 45 minutes, until loaf or loaves sound hollow when tapped. Cool on rack.

Smith