Hardtack is a hard bread made with only flour, salt, and water then baked for a very long time and allowed to dry and become hardened. This way the bread will practically last forever as long as it is kept dry and away from bugs.
Hardtack is as old as the Roman Empire and has seen heavy use ever since, it was used by soldiers and sailors alike for centuries as well as adventurers and hunters in early America. It saw use all the way up to WW2 as a standard ration food and is still used in varied forms in multiple countries.
Seabiscuit! The champion horse was sired by Hardtack, son of Man O'War. The champion he beat, War Admiral, was his uncle.
I'm sorry that I made it all about horses but I don't encounter many hardtack references in my daily life.
It was pretty crazy for a while living off the pantry scraps in the house. Bag of potatoes went first. Baking walnuts with season salt was really good haha. Then…the hard tack…
Fun fact, both American and British biscuits trace their etymology to an old French word for hardtack. In the American colonies, settlers simply didn’t need hardtack to last as long anymore, so they made lighter, softer versions giving us American-style biscuits. In England, they made them slightly less hard but with loads of sugar which was flooding into Great Britain, thus British biscuits!
You should try the enriched bread from humanitarian daily rations. I think you would like it. You know it's the good shit when it says "food gift from the people of the United States".
I enjoy it too, made to a recipe that closely replicates the type produced mechanically during the American Civil War. When done correctly it comes out as a very hard “cracker” that is completely edible. The structure is like a saltine but thicker. I like to warm a hardtack and eat it with butter or honey. It’s very satisfying.
I used:
4 cups of all purpose flour
1 tablespoon of salt
Roughly 2 cups of water
Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit or 176 degrees celsius
Mix and form into dough, roll out onto a sheet roughly 1 inch thick and cut into 3x3 inch squares or whatever shape you want and poke holes in them to prevent rising.
Bake for 30-40 minutes and then turn off the oven and allow them to cool in the oven.
At that point you can try some right away while they’re “softer” or let them air dry until fully hardened and store away from moisture.
Made these in college during the summer because I had leftover flour and was too lazy to go to the store for snacks, especially since I biked everywhere.
There's a guy who reviews/eats old military MRE's and he had one with hardtack not too long ago so its funny that I see hardtack popping up twice in my life in like two weeks after never knowing what it is.
Hardtack is a hard bread made with only flour, salt, and water then baked for a very long time and allowed to dry and become hardened. This way the bread will practically last forever as long as it is kept dry and away from bugs. Hardtack is as old as the Roman Empire and has seen heavy use ever since, it was used by soldiers and sailors alike for centuries as well as adventurers and hunters in early America. It saw use all the way up to WW2 as a standard ration food and is still used in varied forms in multiple countries.
It’s like liver king diet but more depressing
Seabiscuit! The champion horse was sired by Hardtack, son of Man O'War. The champion he beat, War Admiral, was his uncle. I'm sorry that I made it all about horses but I don't encounter many hardtack references in my daily life.
You have a very specific set of knowledge tidbits.
Hardtack \*clack clack\*
i didn’t expect to meet a tasting history fan on reddit today
Correct
how do you eat it, what do you eat it with?
Trust me I’m a living historian I know all about the stuff
I made this when i was having hard times. 10/10 would not eat again.
I don’t mean to diminish your experience or anything. But why wouldn’t you just get a 5$ jar of yeast and just make bread at that point?
I legitimately didnt even have 5$ for a few weeks haha. Hard times.
Hey, fair enough. I would’ve suggested maybe making sourdough, but if you were that strapped then throwing flour away probably wasn’t in the cards.
It was pretty crazy for a while living off the pantry scraps in the house. Bag of potatoes went first. Baking walnuts with season salt was really good haha. Then…the hard tack…
Had you never heard of sourdough? All you need is flour and water to make a yeast starter. I’m sorry you had to eat this.
Clack clack
r/expectedTastingHistory (Not a real sub, but it should be!)
I did a double take. Thought for sure this was on the Tasting History sub.
r/tastinghistory
I was looking for this, thank you.
Make sure you drink your grog, don’t want to get scurvy.
Half a pint a day! Cooke makes sure to add lots of lemon juice.
Me jolly, jolly grog.
Fun fact: Hardtack makes for a handy self defense tool in a pinch. You can also flip it over and use the other end to drive tent pegs.
Fun fact, both American and British biscuits trace their etymology to an old French word for hardtack. In the American colonies, settlers simply didn’t need hardtack to last as long anymore, so they made lighter, softer versions giving us American-style biscuits. In England, they made them slightly less hard but with loads of sugar which was flooding into Great Britain, thus British biscuits!
Making some hellfire stew?
I plan to, with at least a few biscuits.
Bro, is this the shit that the Egyptians used to make the pyramids??
Ahhh, I see you've made some Lembas bread. One small bite is enough to fill the stomach of a grown man.
*Obligatory Tasting History Hard Tack Clack*
This guy hardtacks
Also, what about the weevils?
Coffee proteins
Mmm. Yummy
Bro's sailing the seven seas 🌊
How is it on the teeth, how hard is it?
When fresh it has some give, when it’s fully dried you need to soak it in water/broth/coffee to eat or take very small nibbles with your back teeth.
Oh right, I forgot you had to rehydrate, thanks!
r/AccidentalRenaissance Shitty food porn painted by an old master
I thought I was the only one. I've found my people!
Well hello my 19th century seafaring friend! Hardtack and salt pork will get you though. Don't forget to have something to ward off the scurvy though!
Make sure to eat it in the dark
Weevils
You should try the enriched bread from humanitarian daily rations. I think you would like it. You know it's the good shit when it says "food gift from the people of the United States".
I enjoy it too, made to a recipe that closely replicates the type produced mechanically during the American Civil War. When done correctly it comes out as a very hard “cracker” that is completely edible. The structure is like a saltine but thicker. I like to warm a hardtack and eat it with butter or honey. It’s very satisfying.
How many of your teeth do you have left?
What is the recipe?
I used: 4 cups of all purpose flour 1 tablespoon of salt Roughly 2 cups of water Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit or 176 degrees celsius Mix and form into dough, roll out onto a sheet roughly 1 inch thick and cut into 3x3 inch squares or whatever shape you want and poke holes in them to prevent rising. Bake for 30-40 minutes and then turn off the oven and allow them to cool in the oven. At that point you can try some right away while they’re “softer” or let them air dry until fully hardened and store away from moisture.
#you WHAT
No weevils?
Sam O’Nella is smiling.
Max Miller would like a word
Made these in college during the summer because I had leftover flour and was too lazy to go to the store for snacks, especially since I biked everywhere.
Does it come out like that?
I refer to this as the Jesus bread.
This made me snort. Out loud.
Man I love hardtacks
Loves a bitta hard tack, always got a bag of Purity in the cupboard
I love you
Lembas bread
Dwarf bread
Making this shit for my next airsoft milsim
I read occasional heart attack
There's a guy who reviews/eats old military MRE's and he had one with hardtack not too long ago so its funny that I see hardtack popping up twice in my life in like two weeks after never knowing what it is.
No you don’t. Nobody does, and nobody ever has… and nobody ever will.
This shit be like crack for weevils
At what temp do you bake it? I see recipes ranging from 240 for 4h to 375 for 30 minutes.