"Bread is ideal for writers because it also takes well to revision." Linda in her kitchen at Windbreak House. (photo by Jerry Ellerman, 2009)
From
Land Circle: Writings Collected from the Land
“Land Circle: Lessons”
pages 241-242 original edition
pages 268-269 Anniversary edition
Every year, usually about December 20, I wish I’d written a Christmas poem as some organized writers do. This year, having failed again, I decided that sending greetings through my website would be compatible with my constant theme of sustainable, responsible behavior, saving both energy and cash.
Furthermore, after a couple of hours tapping at the keyboard, I realized that I may already have said most of what I want to say since I’ve been repeating my concern for the prairie in my writing for 30 years. That’s fine: some things need to be repeated often before they are accepted.
So I’m not going to waste energy debating causes and culprits of climate change. I’ll keep working to reduce my impact on the world from which I draw both physical and spiritual nourishment. And I’ll try to do unto others as I would be done to.
I’ve been re-reading some of the books that taught me a good deal, including Wendell Berry.
To live we must daily break the body and shed the blood of creation. When we do this knowingly, lovingly, skillfully and reverently it is a sacrament. When we do it ignorantly, greedily, clumsily and destructively it is a desecration.
-- Wendell Berry,
The Gift of Good Land
Among other sacraments I’ve rediscovered during this year-and-a-half on the ranch is that of baking bread, kneading it a long, slow ten minutes for that perfect texture and crunch. Here’s my current favorite recipe:
Rosemary (or Dill) Bread
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (about 110 degrees F.)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary or dried rosemary, crumbled
or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or 1 tablespoon crumbled dried dill weed
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon regular salt
1 cup whole wheat flour
About 2 cups all-purpose flour (I use unbleached)
Olive oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1. Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a large bowl; let stand until foamy (about 5 minutes). Add rosemary, sugar, regular salt, whole wheat flour, and about 3/4 cup of the all-purpose flour. Beat with a heavy spoon or an electric mixer until dough pulls away from sides of bowl in stretchy strands.
2. Beat in about 3/4 cup more all-purpose flour
To knead by hand: turn dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead until smooth and springy–about 10 minutes, adding more all-purpose flour if needed to prevent sticking. Place in a greased bowl; turn over to grease top.
To knead with a dough hook, beat on medium speed until dough is springy and pulls cleanly from sides of bowl (5 to 7 minutes), adding more all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon at a time as needed if dough is sticky.
3. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp dish towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled (about 1 hour).
4. Punch dough down and knead briefly on a lightly floured board to release air. Shape into a ball, gently pulling top surface under until the top is smooth.
5. Place on a greased baking sheet; brush lightly with oil. Cover lightly and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes.
6. Brush loaf with egg. With a razor blade or very sharp knife, make a small X-shaped cut on top of loaf. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake in a 375-degree oven until loaf is browned and sounds hollow when tapped on bottom (about 45 minutes). Transfer to a rack and let cool.
One of the things I love about bread is that it’s forgiving (shall I point out the metaphor?) If you find, when you cut open a loaf, that it isn’t done in the center, return it to the pan or put it on an oven rack and bake 10-15 minutes longer.
Bread is ideal for writers because it also takes well to revision. Find a recipe you like and experiment with it; I haven’t tried other herbs in this yet, but in summer, I surely will. Moisture introduced during baking–a pan of water on the lower rack of the oven–produces a crisp crust. Or spray the loaves several times during baking, using a plant mister. An egg white mixed with 1 tablespoon water or milk and painted on the loaf makes the crust shiny and does not brown as much as a crust glazed with a whole egg or egg yolk. Milk or evaporated milk give a brown color to the crust, the latter a little darker. Sprinkle the unbaked loaf with poppy, sesame or sunflower seeds after glazing, so the seeds will stick. Making two or three 1/2-inch-deep slashes across the top of a loaf allows moisture to escape.
So for this winter holiday season, I wish you this:
May you discover the joys of making bread with your own hands,
may your bread always forgive you, and
may you be nourished by its body and its spirit.
Linda M. Hasselstrom
December, 2009
Windbreak House
Hermosa, SD
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Welcome to Windbreak House Writing Retreat
In the center of the nation, deep in the grasslands of western South Dakota, essayist and poet Linda M. Hasselstrom grew up as an only child on a family cattle ranch homesteaded by a Swedish cobbler in 1899.
Today she invites you to benefit from a writing retreat on that same ranch. Come to the house where she discovered the Great Plains outside her windows, where she began to write the poetry and non-fiction books that have established her as one of the strongest voices on behalf of the prairie.
Linda holds a BA in English and Journalism, a MA in American Literature, and has been a teacher of writing for more than 40 years.
Not a writer but a reader? Enjoy Linda's vivid descriptions of her life and work on the ranch, as a writer, and as an advocate for the preservation of the prairies and the people and wildlife who inhabit them.
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What's Here?
What's So Great about This New Website?
What's New with Linda?
Linda's Books
Windbreak House Writing Retreats
Writing Conversations by eMail
Linda's Schedule of Upcoming Events
Information about Linda
Some Fun Stuff
"See What You Read" Photos
Environmental Projects on Linda's Ranch
And much more!
What's So Great about This New Website?
This website, online under the name windbreakhouse.com as of September 2008, is a new and improved version of Linda's previous website.
The information about Linda's Windbreak House Writing Retreats and her Writing Conversations By eMail consulting has been clarified and expanded, making it easier to find what you want to know. We're pleased to announce we've done away with the difficult-to-read brown type on brown pages that so many of you complained about. Those of you familiar with website terminology and function will appreciate that we no longer have the outdated frames setup, so links to other websites work well.
I am working on activating the inactive links and adding the missing content. If you find any typos or mistakes in grammar or content, please let me know. Thanks!
Send e-mail to info@windbreakhouse.com
Keep reading for a brief website tour . . .
What's New with Linda?
No Place Like Home, Linda's newest book, was published by the University of Nevada Press in September, 2009. What's it about? What does the cover look like?
Click here.
Linda was the cover story of the Winter 2009 issue of BLACK HILLS FACES MAGAZINE. Read all about it and see a photo of the magazine cover at
"Where in the World is Linda M. Hasselstrom?"
Linda's book
Land Circle was republished in the fall of 2008 with some new material. Learn about the 15th Anniversary Edition and see the new cover art by
clicking here.
Linda's Books
If you want information about Linda's books and her thoughts on her own writing, see the
Books & More Page and the
Ask Linda Page. Want to know more about a particular story or poem? Post a question for Linda on the Ask Linda Page and she'll answer it.
Windbreak House Writing Retreats
Would you like to have Linda help you improve your own writing in a creative environment? See the
Retreats Page to learn about Windbreak House, where Linda offers individualized writing retreats. The
Ask Linda Page has answers to some additional questions about writing help and the writing retreat experience. Don't find what you want to know? Ask your own question on the Ask Linda Page or send us an e-mail.
Writing Conversations by eMail
Can't take a retreat vacation right now? Want to work with Linda during the winter when driving to a writing retreat is difficult? See the
Consulting Page for complete details on how to sign up for a Writing Conversation by eMail.
Linda's Schedule of Upcoming Events
Hoping to meet Linda in your hometown? See
"Where in the World is Linda M. Hasselstrom?" on the
Books & More Page for a list of Linda's upcoming appearances and other newsworthy events. Sign up for one of her workshops, attend a reading, stop by to chat and get an autograph at one of her booksignings.
Information about Linda
Want to know more about Linda? Read
Linda's biography on the
Books & More Page and then read her
non-fiction books, starting with
Windbreak, to learn about her life on the ranch and beyond. Still have more questions? The
Ask Linda Page has many more details and you're encouraged to be as nosy as you wish with your own questions.
The Fun Stuff
This website also has some fun stuff. See the
Books & More Page for stories and photos of
dogs or
cows Linda has known,
rendezvous camping,
prickly things at Windbreak House,
food (growing and preparing it), and
birding at Linda's ranch. The
Ask Linda Page allows you to dig deeper into Linda's thoughts and feelings on her writing and her life.
"See What You Read"
This section lets you
see photos of the actual people, places, and animals Linda mentions in her writing. Let us know what you'd like to see!
Environmental Projects on Linda's Ranch
Linda is working with the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory to
improve bird and wildlife habitat on her ranch. Read more about this ongoing project on the
Books & More Page. A list of
wildlife seen on Linda's ranch is posted here, too. Many Windbreak House retreat participants enjoy birdwatching during their retreats.
The Great Plains Native Plant Society is creating a public garden on 350 acres of Linda's ranch. The article about the
Claude A. Barr Memorial Great Plains Garden on the
Books & More Page has details, including a list of
plant species found on the ranch. The garden is an easy walk from Windbreak House; retreat participants are welcome to tour the garden.
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