The original survival food of the Pioneers and Civil War soldiers.
Take off all finger rings - this is gonna get messy...
Preheat oven to 375 and combine:
2 cups of white flour
2 tsp salt (adjustable). Use fine ground Pink Himalayan or Celtic Sea Salt for much needed minerals.
In a mixing bowl
, add 1/2 cup of water in small increments, knead well with hands.
Sprinkle very small amounts of flour as needed
Gather:
• Rolling pin
• 1 cookie sheet(s)
• Knife
• Fork for making holes in crackers
Once you form a solid ball with your dough, dust your work surface with flour.
Roll out a square shape with a rolling pin to an even 1/4 inch thickness.
Place rolled dough on the cookie sheet. (Use parchment to keep from sticking).
Cut the dough into manageable pieces (1 inch by 1-1/2 inches) with a knife then poke small holes that are evenly spaced across each piece with a fork to help the biscuit bake evenly.
Bake for 25 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven until they just begin to turn brown on the surface- pay close attention to your crackers as the flour can get scorched easily.
Remove your hardtack crackers from the oven and let cool completely. (We let our crackers out overnight in cold oven)
Once cooled, store them in an air tight package or container.
Variations:
Brown Sugar, Cocoa, Garlic Powder
*never add animal fats like tallow or lard as these ingredients are more likely to go rancid.
Eating HARDTACK (Caution!! it can actually cause harm or damage to teeth if you do not soak it first)
Hardtack is meant to be eaten with some sort of beverage or liquid. Eating plain, it will seem salty.
The best thing to do is soak hardtack in a mug of coffee, tea, milk, soup, or broth.
Stored properly, Hardtack will last for many months or even years. The most important thing to do is to make sure that it remains dry and sealed so insects and mice don't find it.
Individual packages should be kept small. Only open what you need.
Lori K.
Ver 1.1 Feb 8, 2024