Mix all the ingredients for dressing in a bowl. The dressing can be prepared upto 2 days ahead and refrigerated. Resting the dressing helps to develop flavor.
Salad
Blanch whole broccoli head in a bowl of hot water with the stem up for 1 minute. Remove and put it in ice-cold water. Drain well and cut into florets. Also, chop tender stem.
Roughly chop bacon strips using a scissor. Cook in a hot skillet until crispy, drain fat, and keep aside. To save time use packaged crispy bacon bits.
In a big salad bowl add chopped broccoli, diced onion, bacon bits, cranberry, and sunflower seeds.
Drizzle half of the dressing and toss well. Keep refrigerated for 30 minutes.