I like the idea of hardtack, it's easy to make, and can be made from dry goods, but when I tried making some I got something heavy, salty, and flavorless with the consistency of shoe leather, I'm pretty sure you could use the stuff for roof repairs, but not so much for eating.  What did I do wrong?  Got any good recipes?

from your description it sounds pretty much right.

 

They didn't call it "Sheet Iron" for nothing.

If it is the consistency of shoe leather you need to bake it again at 250 for another hour.  In May, I took some hardtack out of a storage container that was made and packed in 2007.  I fried a little salt pork and floated the broke up hardtack pieces in it.  It will soften.  I added some pinto beans, too.  Pretty tasty.

yep, sounds like you didnt bake it long enough. what you described is just about right for the flavor but it should have been hard, hence the name "hard tack". if you want some recipes check out some of the reenactment websites. those guys would probably have it posted if not or you cant find it let me know. a friend of mine does reenactments and im pretty sure i remember him saying he made some not long ago.

hard tack recipe.
I got this from a site a long time ago and can’t give proper credit.  It may have came from American Minuteman and the post claimed it was from a re-enactment web site that was adapted from instructions from the Dixie Gun Works.

2 C flour
1 C water
Put the flour in a mixing bowl, and mix in the water a little at a time until you've got a dough. You may use more or less water - you mix until it's a dough, NOT until you put in all the water.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Roll your out dough on floured surface about 1/4 inch thick.

Cut the dough into squares.

Use a fork to prick holes in the tops of the squares.

Place squares on a cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes
Turn down to 250 and continue to bake another 30 minutes
then down to 200 and watch for another 30 minutes
Flip them over until baked hard and still white or just begins to turn color.

Secret finish: The next day, give your hardtack a second baking at a lower temperature, about 225 degrees for 30-45 minutes. Reason: the second baking finishes
drying it out.  Store in an air tight  container.

So you are saying if you wish to consume it you need to put your dentures back in.

you need to use someone elses dentures just to be safe.

Hard tack should ring like a ceramic tile when you tap on it.

In the recipe in the graphic above, Bisquick has vegetable oil in it. It will NOT keep forever if you use that.

Here's something I try evey now and then add  some cinnamon, a little sugar ,but prefer a little honey instead  of the sugar. Its a nice treat. Don't know how long it keeps.

Here's my recipe for a more modern, more nutritious version for my backcountry trips. It doesn't taste particularly good, which is a virtue because you don't eat it all at once.




"Modern" Hardtack:


Whole Wheat Flour - 2 cups

Wheat Germ - 1/2 cup

Corn meal - 2 cups

Rolled Oats - 1/2 cup

Sugar - 1 tablespoon

Salt - 1 tablespoon

Water - (approx.) 1 3/4 cups

Mix dry ingredients thoroughly. Add water and knead until moistened but not sticky. Roll 1/4" thick. Cut into 3-inch squares or rounds. Place on ungreased cookie sheets. Score with a knife to facilitate breaking later. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Can be stored indefinitely in an airtight container.

Going to try that last recipe this weekend.

Everyone saying cook in oven, but in a REAL SHTF situation, no baking.....can it be cooked in open fire? Dutch oven or cast iron pan?

You gotta remember the hardtack made in late 18th and earlier 19th centuries was made with ground whole wheat.



If you make it from white flour it will be next to worthless as a nutritious foodstuff. Made with whole wheat, you can practically live on it.