Survival Bread – Hard Tack

It’s time to start surviving folks! These breads go way back into history- hard tack and hot water cornbread. We’re going to make them the traditional way but with just a tad of our own touch, with more moisture in hard tack, and some bacon and green chili in the cornbread.

Now, if you missed our episode on another survival bread, Pan de Campo, you can watch it here. And just like in that one, we’re going to have some history behind these breads, so be sure to check out the video below. Without further ado, let’s get to cooking.

Hard Tack

Tack is a British slang for food, and way back in the day this bread was cooked to be preserved for a long time. For the sailors crossing the seas, and soldiers fighting in the Civil War this is what they ate. 

Step 1:

Let’s get 2 cups of all-purpose flour and 2 teaspoons of salt.

Step 2:

We’re going to mix in some water. It may vary depending a bit, but it will be about 1 1/2 to 2 cups. Pour it in there, 1 cup at a time to see how much more we might need. Stir it together really well.

Step 3:

When it is incorporated, get you a little sprinkle of flour in there and start kneading it. We’re going to dry it out a little, but make sure it’s not so dry that it crumbles and cracks.

Step 4:

Be sure that you flour your surface, and knead it a minute. We need to dry it out just a tad more. It should be pliable, but not so dry that it’s cracking or sticking to your hands.

Step 5:

Now, let’s roll the dough our. Roll it out to about 1/8-inch thick. Then cut it into about 2 to 2 1/2-inch wide squares. 

Step 6:

You need to put some little holes in them for an even cooking (sort of like a saltine cracker). 

Step 7:

Place the dough in a greased Dutch oven or cookie sheet.

For outdoor cooking: We’ll set it on a tall trivet and load the coal heavy both on top and on the bottom. Make a circle around the Dutch oven, but not underneath. They’re not going to rise, so we’re going to cook it extra hot.

We may need to rotate it a couple of times, but the time of cooking outside it’s not going to be as long as inside. We’ll check them in about 20 minutes to see if we need to flip them.

Also, if you don’t have a trivet, you can set your Dutch oven on the ground and just lay the coal a little bit away from it, about 5” or so. Alternatively, you can get you one of them trivets, tall one or short one, or both, right here.

For indoor cooking: You’ll just need to bake these for about 45 minutes to an hour, flipping them over about halfway through until hard.

BONUS!

Now we did a little experimenting and for a slightly softer and more flavorful biscuit before cooking need in 4 teaspoons of olive oil. Cut into squares and then sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper. You could also add a little garlic salt or garlic powder. These will bake up with a slightly more moist center and great flavor to have with soups, salad or crumble to make croutons. 

Now folks, I have to tell you I was surprised with this recipe. Now, I’m sure it wasn’t too tasty after being out on a ship for months, but I was pleasantly surprised with the flavor and if you add in our extra ingredients you’ll think it’s fine dining!

Check out our video below for more history about this dish and a step by step tutorial. Enjoy!