Introduction: Hardtack

Hard tack is super easy to make and lasts for... like forever if you store it right. This is a recipe from the Civil war and was designed to make you feel less hungry. It has little to no nutritional value, but it makes you feel a little more full. You can put cheese on it, apple butter, pan fry it in butter, or just eat it dry. Just like you would assume, it is super hard so try not to break a tooth.

**To my knowledge, this image is not under copyright. If this is incorrect and you can find the copyright, please let me know.

Step 1: Start With the Ingredients

There are only three ingredients, so this is great when you're really broke. Start with two cups of flour, add a cup of water, and a teaspoon of salt.

Step 2: Mix

If you have an electric mixer, now might be the time to use it. I prefer to mix by hand so I can make sure all the lumps are gone. It will be extremely thick, so expect a stiffness more than twice the stiffness of bread dough (if that can be a rough metric).

Step 3: Roll, Cut, and Poke

This might be a good time to preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. If you are using stoneware instead of baking sheets, place them in the oven to preheat as well.

Rolling comes next. The dough should be rolled out to 3/8 of an inch or so. Any thicker and the pieces are more dough-y than I'd prefer, thinner and they become too crisp.

I generally only use my marble rolling pin for this, but I thought it might try a different method. I cleaned a large wine bottle and filled it with water for this project. The weight was a good bit less, but I was able to get the desired result. If you don't own a rolling pin, this might be a diy solution you might want to try.

After you roll the dough, cut the pieces about an inch square. The remaining dough can be rolled and cut again or left oddly sized.

Poke holes in the pieces at an even interval all over the surface of the cracker. The more and more closely you poke the holes, the more crisp it will become. The reverse yields more dough-y results. I used a spare chop stick to poke the holes, but you may use a toothpick or wooden skewer if you prefer.

Step 4: Place and Bake

After the pieces are cut and poked, place them on your baking sheet and bake. Set a timer for 10 minutes and flip. Bake for another 10 minutes.

After they are cooled, enjoy! Or whatever.