How to Make Hardtack

Justin Patrick Moore's picture

Here is an interesting article on how to make hardtack. Might be a fun evening project, and a way to bolster the long term pantry. Or if you are going on a long hike...
https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/how-to-make-civil-war-era-hardtack/

ClareBroommaker's picture

We might be able to do this in a solar oven.

I wonder how different hardtack is when you use higher gluten versus lower gluten flour, and how that might affect the keeping quality. Seems like higher gluten would make harder hardtack, but that it would not keep as well.

This reminds me of my father-in-law's story about eating in an orphanage during he depression. He said that he always hoped to be given the hard crust end of the loaf because it was hard to eat and thus lasted longer. Food was always in shortage, but the hard crust made you feel like you got more than you really did. (Then I think of pampered children who have the soft outer crusts of bread cut off by indulgent parents. Geeze.)