Make Hardtack

Hardtack is a type of hard unleavened bread, that was often eaten by soldiers during the Become a Civil War Drummer (Reenacting) and sailors during sea journeys. Usually infested by weevils, larva, and grubs, the soldiers invented many ways to ingest these "edible rocks". Fortunately, that's probably not something you have to worry about. If kept dry, these crackers can and will last easily over 50 years. If you intend on going on a long backpacking trip, make a dozen or so, and take them with you. These will help keep your energy up for the length of the trip.

Ingredients

Traditional Hardtack

  • 6 cups flour
  • 1 cup water

Softer Hardtack

  • 4 cups of flour
  • 2 cups of cold water
  • 2 tablespoons of cold butter or shortening/margarine
  • 4 teaspoons of salt

Fried Hardtack

  • One of the above recipes (ingredients from)
  • Olive oil
  • Confectioners sugar (optional)

Steps

Traditional Hardtack

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. (190°C.)
  2. Mix flour and water together in a bowl. Place the water in the bowl, and slowly add in flour while stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes too thick to stir, at which point enough flour has been added.
  3. Knead dough and roll out until it is 1/2" (1cm.) thick.
  4. Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into 3"x3" (7cm. x 7cm.) squares.
  5. Poke four rows of four holes in the cracker using a skewer stick.
  6. Lay the crackers out on an ungreased cookie sheet.
  7. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes.
  8. Remove from oven, flip crackers over, and bake for another 30 minutes.
  9. Take crackers out when they are a light golden brown. Let the crackers cool for 30 minutes before eating.

Softer Hardtack

  1. Preheat oven to 375ºF or 190ºC.
  2. Put flour into a bowl.
  3. Quickly crumble in butter or shortening.
  4. Add water.
  5. Stir just a few times until a dough forms.
  6. Press dough into 3 x 3 (7cm x 7cm) inch pieces that are about half an inch (1cm) thick.
  7. Put pieces on non-greased pan.
  8. Using a skewer stick, poke four rows of four holes in the pieces in a square formation that has the holes half an inch away, and have the holes cover the pieces.
  9. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove from oven and allow to cool.
    • Note: because fat has been added, it will oxidize / become rancid over a relatively short time and thus the softer version is not for long term storage.

Fried Hardtack

  1. Mix water, salt, melted butter and seasoning of choice. Add flour as needed. Follow one of the recipes suggested in the previous methods.
  2. When you've made a good dough, take a handful and roll into a ball. Crush into a disk shape.
  3. Fry in oil. Fry at low temperatures; increase the temperature as needed. (Be aware that grease will pop at high temperatures.)
    • Olive oil is preferred.
  4. Remove from the pan. Place on a plate lined with paper towel, to drain the grease.
  5. Serve immediately. You can sprinkle with confectioners sugar if wished.
    • Store in an airtight container.

Eating Hardtack

  1. Crumble into a cup of coffee, and allow it to soak for a few minutes.
  2. Crumble into a pan full of bacon grease, then fry.
  3. Make "waffles" by soaking them in water overnight, then frying them in butter for breakfast. Genuine hardtack would not disintegrate in spite of soaking, but simply become softer and rubbery.

Variations

  1. For better tasting hardtack, add 3 tablespoons of cooking or olive oil. However any oil or fat added will likely become rancid over a few weeks or months time depending on temperature, etc.
  2. Add 1/4 cup cinnamon and/or sugar for sweetness, though this will dramatically decrease shelf life and encourage mold.
  3. Adding salt will improve flavor, but decrease authenticity if used for living history.



Tips

  • The crackers will be semi-hard out of the oven, so if you want them for living history, make them about a month ahead of time and then store them in a cool dry place to achieve maximum hardness.
  • Hardtack was often shaved with a sharp knife to get slivers into meat broth so that it has more of a soup consistency.

Warnings

  • If you wear braces, have crowns or very fragile teeth, don't eat these!
  • Adding sugar and/or flavourings will dramatically reduce the shelf life of hardtack.
  • Hardtack has virtually no flavour. It has to take on the flavour of what it is soaked in.

Things You'll Need

  • Mixer and bowl
  • Oven
  • Cookie Sheet
  • Skewer stick
  • Pizza cutter or knife
  • Rolling pin

Related Articles

  • Roll Paper Cartridges (Reenacting)
  • Make Energy Balls
  • Make Granola Bars
  • Make Red Lentil and Bulgur Pilaf (for Backpacking)
  • Bake an Election Day Cake

Sources and Citations

  • "Hardtack and Coffee, or the unwritten story of Army life" By John Billings

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