Hard Tack: Survival Food or Jaw Breaker

Hard Tack Survival Food or Jaw Breaker, you decide

It has many names, I feel sorry for our sailors and soldiers who lived off these…

I had tried to make this a few times in my life

I never got it perfect, nor tasty

so yesterday I decided to research it further and give it another try

most articles and videos suggested 1/2″ to 3/4″ thick pieces instead of the 1/4″ I had been trying

most articles seemed to suggest a 4:1 ratio of flour to water

salt will help to bring our some flavor

so that is where I began

in my stand mixer I added 4 cups of white flour and a cup of water

added in a couple pinches salt for good measure, it other batches I added honey and cinnamon

make sure to never grease the sheet pan or add anything to the mixture that can go rancid

air on the side of a dry dough, one that does not stick to your fingers

roll it out about 1/2″ thick

out of this, I cut it into 3″ squares with my knife, I then added holes with an end of a pen, chopsticks would work too

I then added 6 squares to an un-greased 1/4 sheet pan

bake for 1/2 hour on each side @375* (degrees), pieces should be totally hard

if they are soft please continue cooking

after cooking is done, let these cool off

seal in either ziploc bags or food sealer bags as needed

I tried a piece of one last night with hot coffee

it took maybe 10 minutes of soaking before I was able to consume it

it wasn’t bad, but I would hate to survive off these

make some up and decide for yourself, just don’t break a jaw

#hardtack