Revisiting hardtack

[BillinOregon]

I did a search and found this seven-age thread from 2020, which gave me ideas.
Seems like eight or ten years ago I tried several hardtack recipes, several of which were scarcely edible and one of which was quite addicting, but it wasn't true hardtack as it was soft enough to eat without tooth damage.
I think I will try a couple of the variants from the thread above: the one with oats, sugar, shortening and baking soda, and the one specifying whole wheat pastry flour and wheat bran.
Anyone else out there been on the hardtack/biscuit trail lately?

Tasty tasty Hardtack?!

To say I love food would be an understatement. I love the food of many countries it’s one of the things that’s made this country so great! So to no surprise to me my love of food and history intersect again. My earliest recollection of this is when I purchased a biblical times cookbook as a...

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[Loyalist Dave]

No as I posted the whole wheat pastry flour/bran recipe, and have biscuits that are three years old and edible, I'll wait until I run out.

I recently bought a large set of round cutters, to do all sorts of different things when baking, but one of which that will work for hardtack. In the past I've made mine rather small. I'm told they should be about 4 ounces, and a soldier would get like four a day. A steel coffee can that has from 12-16 ounces of ground coffee might be the right diameter for those not wanting to splurge on the fancy, store bought cutter set.

LD

 

[BillinOregon]

Thanks Dave. I'll be trying your recipe here shortly. I may have to go to the "big city" (Abilene) to find whole wheat pastry flour and wheat bran without ordering it. I have one of those rolling perforators for pizza crusts that ought to be the nuts for putting the holes in the hardtack dough.

 

[The Crisco Kid]

Here's one way to do it. I haven't tried it. I seem to get by on Sailor Boy pilot bread.

 

[BillinOregon]

These Townsend videos have gotten better with each passing year. I for one greatly appreciate the effort they put into them, and the videography and editing are first-rate.

 

[William Sublette]

Ive been listening to some civil war audio books lately, and just last week I was thinking I should make some hard tac just to see what it was like.

 

[Kansas Jake]

I made some using a variation of LD’s recipe above. I also made some using just whole wheat flour. I added a bit of salt which made them passable.

 

[appalichian hunter]

Ive been listening to some civil war audio books lately, and just last week I was thinking I should make some hard tac just to see what it was like.

Got an old pair of boots laying around, save yourself the trouble and chew on the sole of those.

 

[springfield art]

Here's one way to do it. I haven't tried it. I seem to get by on Sailor Boy pilot bread.

Don't forget to add the little weevils for authenticity!

 

[springfield art]

Got an old pair of boots laying around, save yourself the trouble and chew on the sole of those.

Some of the "hard core" CW enactors carry and use authentic hardtack. Sure to be some on this site!

 

[appalichian hunter]

Been there done that, believe me stick with the boot sole.

 

[Hawk54]

Some of the "hard core" CW enactors carry and use authentic hardtack. Sure to be some on this site!

Our CW unit made hardtack by the case and carried it at reenactments. Good stuff cooked in the frying pan with cooking bacon. I have eaten a lot of hardtack.

 

[tenngun]

Broke a molar on ships bread.
I like ships bread. While it is bland I do like the nutty wheat flavor, especially in a camp stew or broke up and used as a coating for fried meat.
However since breaking a tooth I go with a lighter pilot bread. It’s a little out of time, not coming in to use until after the 1790s, and only last well about a year, mine never gets that old. Serves like ships bread but my teeth are safe(er)

 

[appalichian hunter]

Our CW unit made hardtack by the case and carried it at reenactments. Good stuff cooked in the frying pan with cooking bacon. I have eaten a lot of hardtack.

Soak it in milk before you fry it, much better.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I made some using a variation of LD’s recipe above. I also made some using just whole wheat flour. I added a bit of salt which made them passable.

They get better after a 72 hour, hard fast

LD

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Some of the "hard core" CW enactors carry and use authentic hardtack. Sure to be some on this site!

I was once an ACW reenactor. Didn't switch to the flintlock era until 1994. Never found ACW reenactors prior too, or after, who didn't make their hardtack with flour from hard red wheat.

LD

 

[Brokentaileddog]

Got an old pair of boots laying around, save yourself the trouble and chew on the sole of those.

 

[Brokentaileddog]

 

[BruceHuxford]

I have a recipe stored away for hard tack, I actually like it with some coffee out hunting

 

[Loyalist Dave]

It's also not bad in Lobscouse or Skillagalee. Which are pretty much the same, 'cept the former is done as a stew and with a few 'taters, and the latter is done in a skillet with fat.

LD