Cracked wheat and wheat berries for ashure differ from bulgur: they have not been boiled and dried, so they need to cook fully in the pot. Both are soaked overnight in cold water and then simmered in plenty of water for a long time. They are done when the grains swell and split and crush without resistance when bitten. Cooking time varies considerably by type and age, so check by tasting rather than relying on the clock.
What distinguishes these two ingredients from bulgur is how they are processed. Bulgur has been boiled and dried, so it is already cooked; cracked wheat and wheat berries for ashure have only been hulled and either cracked or left whole. In other words, they go into the pot raw. The process is therefore actual cooking, not just adding water, and it requires both a long soak and a long boil. Cooking times from bulgur recipes should never be used for these two ingredients. Check the package to see which product you have; names vary from region to region.
Soak the grains overnight. Sort and rinse them, put them in a wide bowl, and cover them with several inches of water; the wheat will swell noticeably during this time. In hot weather, put the bowl in the refrigerator. In the morning, discard the soaking water and rinse the grains. Skipping the soak makes the cooking time much longer and the grains soften unevenly: the outside breaks apart while the inside stays firm. Choose a wide soaking bowl because the wheat absorbs much of the water as it swells.
Cook the grains in plenty of water. Put them in a large pot, cover generously with water, and bring it to a boil; skim off the first foam with a slotted spoon. Lower the heat and cook the wheat at a gentle simmer. As the water is absorbed, add hot water. Depending on the type, cooking can take from an hour to several hours; whole wheat berries for ashure take noticeably longer than cracked wheat. Leave the pot lid ajar; starchy foam can easily boil over when the lid is closed.
Check doneness by looking at and tasting the grains. They swell and split lengthwise, exposing the white interior; this shows that cooking is nearing the end. Decide by tasting: the grains are done when they crush without any resistance when bitten. Add salt and any acidic ingredients at the end; acid added early noticeably delays softening. Check a few grains each time, because they are not all the same size and do not cook at the same rate.
Do not discard the cooking liquid. Starch passes from the grains into the water during cooking and thickens it; in ashure, this liquid provides much of the dessert’s consistency. The same liquid is also used in keskek and wheat soup. Divide the cooked wheat and its liquid into shallow containers to cool, refrigerate it within 2 hours, and store it with the liquid for 3 to 4 days; grains left without liquid dry out and become firm. It can also be portioned and frozen. If freezing, portion the wheat with its liquid and label it with the date. The consistency of the liquid is also an indicator: thickened liquid shows that the wheat is fully cooked.