Cranberry Pecan Rye Bread, con't, con't

I'm back!  I survived the end of the semester craze and I'm ready to blog.  I actually have been baking, just not writing about it, so I have some catching up to do.

In any case, I'm finally going to tell you about the bread I made.

It was amazing!  I've never made bread and, as it turns out, it isn't scary, it's so much fun.  I admit it has it's dull moments...I'm not terribly patient and you have to wait so long for it to rise, but that's OK, it's worth it!

The recipe, from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook, was very easy to follow and relatively simple.  The only problem was, the instant yeast didn't wake up properly when I followed her directions to activate it, so I wasted 2 packets of yeast and some time.  Then I had to follow the yeast's instructions on how to activate it, which worked perfectly, but meant I had to modify the bread recipe (because I had to dissolve the yeast in less water than she called for and some sugar.)  Ah well, it all worked out.

The bread was great.  It was the perfect rye bread, soft on the inside, chewy on the outside.  The cranberries and pecans were incredible in it.  And I really liked the maldon sea salt on top, though I think there was a little too much.