How To Make Hardtack Bread
Hardtack Bread isn't a sort of bread many people are familiar with nowadays. But after the SHTF it is a type of bread that you should be aware of because it has properties that make it a great choice in survival situations. Besides it being healthy and nutritious it also requires no refrigeration. Preservability can be crucial in avoiding periods of near starvation. For this reason hardtack bread was once a staple of pioneers exploring the Wild West.
Hardtack bread is made from just three ingredients, flour, cornmeal and honey. All things you can grow then manufacture yourself.
The key to the long term preservability of hardtack bread is the amount of honey. As you may know honey is maybe the only food that can be stored for hundreds of years and then eaten as if it were brand new. The more honey you use the longer the bread should last without refrigeration and also the harder the bread will be.
Hardtack Bread is best after dipping into a liquid to soften it up for eating. This can be a gravy, coffee or even just water if need be.
To make the hard tack bread you will need 2 parts flour to 1 part cornmeal and 3 parts honey. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a tin in preparation for the batter. If you have no butter or grease then you will just have to make do with it sticking and simply cut it away from the tin.
Now in a bowl mix the flour and cornmeal. Then take the honey and heat it until it becomes thin liquid but do not let it boil. Now mix the honey with the flour and cornmeal. Mix it quickly. As the honey cools the job will become increasingly difficult.
The batter should be thin enough so that a wooden spoon will not stay upright in the batter. If the batter is too thick then add a little bit of water to thin it out. Only add just enough water to thin the batter just enough.
Now bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes. Pay more attention to the color of the bread than the time. With practice you will know when the hardtack bread is done. If you poke a toothpick into the bread and it comes out clean then that indicates that the bread is finished cooking.
As the bread cools it will begin to harden. This will take a day or two. Until then you can eat the bread like normal bread but once the hardtack bread has hardened it is best to soften the bread with some liquid before eating.
Hardtack bread is made from just three ingredients, flour, cornmeal and honey. All things you can grow then manufacture yourself.
The key to the long term preservability of hardtack bread is the amount of honey. As you may know honey is maybe the only food that can be stored for hundreds of years and then eaten as if it were brand new. The more honey you use the longer the bread should last without refrigeration and also the harder the bread will be.
Hardtack Bread is best after dipping into a liquid to soften it up for eating. This can be a gravy, coffee or even just water if need be.
Grease a tin in preparation for the batter. If you have no butter or grease then you will just have to make do with it sticking and simply cut it away from the tin.
Now in a bowl mix the flour and cornmeal. Then take the honey and heat it until it becomes thin liquid but do not let it boil. Now mix the honey with the flour and cornmeal. Mix it quickly. As the honey cools the job will become increasingly difficult.
The batter should be thin enough so that a wooden spoon will not stay upright in the batter. If the batter is too thick then add a little bit of water to thin it out. Only add just enough water to thin the batter just enough.
Now bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes. Pay more attention to the color of the bread than the time. With practice you will know when the hardtack bread is done. If you poke a toothpick into the bread and it comes out clean then that indicates that the bread is finished cooking.
As the bread cools it will begin to harden. This will take a day or two. Until then you can eat the bread like normal bread but once the hardtack bread has hardened it is best to soften the bread with some liquid before eating.
