- Joined
- Oct 25, 2004
- Messages
- 3,178
Made up two batches today. Awesome stuff. Props to Sarge for the suggestion.
Both batches utilized about three cups of whole grain flour and enough water to make a very thick dough. Batch #1 also featured a dash of salt and sugar. There was no perceptable difference in taste between the two and I'll omit the salt and sugar in the future. I rolled them out to about 1/2" thickness, cut rounds out with a mason jar cap, and pierced them numerous times with a fork. I baked them at 350F for about an hour, then throttled back to 300 for another hour or two for final drying. I didn't bother with flipping them. There was no warping and they stack well. I plan on searching down a slightly smaller cutting instrument and storing them in Pringles cans.
Fresh from the oven they're very hard. After cooling for a few hours they're rocks. They really don't taste that bad though. For once, I'm glad that I used the whole grain flour; bleached flour would be utterly tasteless. These at least have a pleasant, nutty whole grain flavor to them.
As I understand it this minimalist recipe is intended primarily for preservation purposes. My hardtack doesn't have to last for years -- months or even weeks would be just fine. Thus, the next batch will feature some additional ingrediants for a (hopefully) better flavor and added nutrition. I'm thinking of oats, blackstrap molasses, and possibly diced walnuts and/or flaxseed.
My initial interest in producing some hardtack is work-related. On shift, I can't always break for a meal, don't always have access to a refrigerator, and sometimes can't even use a microwave oven. The idea of a food item that won't go bad, doesn't need cooking, and provides at least some nutrition is appealing to me. My plan is to eat hardtack regularly over the next week while experimenting with "field expedient" methods of making them more palatable.
The first experiment was already conducted: peanut butter and jelly. This one's a winner. I'm thinking about hardtack au jus (with beef boullion broth) for tomorrow's dinner. The beauty of these is that they have such a neutral flavor, just about anything seems to go well with them and they can be eaten as breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even dessert. John the room mate will be taking a few with him on next weekend's archery hunt; he explained that if he doesn't get hungry enough to eat them, he can probably use them as thrown weapons or bear decoys. I told him to save at least one for use as a hammer, should the need for one arise and suitable rocks aren't available.
Those oldtimers knew a thing or two about grub, apparently. Just, uh, watch the teeth. Nibbling with my molars through the corner of my mouth works best for me. I wouldn't attack one of these with incisors.
Both batches utilized about three cups of whole grain flour and enough water to make a very thick dough. Batch #1 also featured a dash of salt and sugar. There was no perceptable difference in taste between the two and I'll omit the salt and sugar in the future. I rolled them out to about 1/2" thickness, cut rounds out with a mason jar cap, and pierced them numerous times with a fork. I baked them at 350F for about an hour, then throttled back to 300 for another hour or two for final drying. I didn't bother with flipping them. There was no warping and they stack well. I plan on searching down a slightly smaller cutting instrument and storing them in Pringles cans.
Fresh from the oven they're very hard. After cooling for a few hours they're rocks. They really don't taste that bad though. For once, I'm glad that I used the whole grain flour; bleached flour would be utterly tasteless. These at least have a pleasant, nutty whole grain flavor to them.
As I understand it this minimalist recipe is intended primarily for preservation purposes. My hardtack doesn't have to last for years -- months or even weeks would be just fine. Thus, the next batch will feature some additional ingrediants for a (hopefully) better flavor and added nutrition. I'm thinking of oats, blackstrap molasses, and possibly diced walnuts and/or flaxseed.
My initial interest in producing some hardtack is work-related. On shift, I can't always break for a meal, don't always have access to a refrigerator, and sometimes can't even use a microwave oven. The idea of a food item that won't go bad, doesn't need cooking, and provides at least some nutrition is appealing to me. My plan is to eat hardtack regularly over the next week while experimenting with "field expedient" methods of making them more palatable.
The first experiment was already conducted: peanut butter and jelly. This one's a winner. I'm thinking about hardtack au jus (with beef boullion broth) for tomorrow's dinner. The beauty of these is that they have such a neutral flavor, just about anything seems to go well with them and they can be eaten as breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even dessert. John the room mate will be taking a few with him on next weekend's archery hunt; he explained that if he doesn't get hungry enough to eat them, he can probably use them as thrown weapons or bear decoys. I told him to save at least one for use as a hammer, should the need for one arise and suitable rocks aren't available.
Those oldtimers knew a thing or two about grub, apparently. Just, uh, watch the teeth. Nibbling with my molars through the corner of my mouth works best for me. I wouldn't attack one of these with incisors.
Maybe if you wrapped them in clay before firing them the second time and then dipped them in water when they came out of the oven you could get a quenching line.
