Hardtack is a cracker or biscuit made from only flour , water, and sometimes salt. The name comes from tack, a slang term for food used by British sailors. The food is also known by other names, including pilot bread, ship’s biscuit, and sea biscuit.
Unlike many other baked goods, hardtack contains no leavening agent. Leavening agents, such as yeast and baking powder , introduce bubbles of gas into dough, resulting in lighter baked goods. Because it lacks a leavening agent, hardtack is dense and hard. If kept properly, hardtack lasts an extremely long time. A piece of hardtack displayed in a maritime museum in Denmark dates from around 1852.
Hardtack is inexpensive, stable (long-lasting), and easy to transport. In conditions where fresh food is unavailable, the protein and vitamin B in hardtack’s wheat flour can keep people alive for a time. Because of these qualities, hardtack and similar baked goods have long been used. Christopher Columbus , for example, took unleavened breads on sea voyages in the late 1400’s and early 1500’s. Hardtack was given to troops with food rations during the American Civil War (1861-1865). Gold miners ate hardtack during the Alaskan gold rush of the 1890’s. Hardtack is still prepared and eaten today in Alaska and among survivalists and people who reenact (recreate) history.
A standard recipe for hardtack calls for mixing six parts flour to one part water. The dough is rolled thin and cut into squares. The squares are then poked with holes to help moisture in the dough to evaporate in the oven. Hardtack should be baked for a long time at a relatively low temperature, so it dries thoroughly but does not burn. Because hardtack is extremely hard, people with sensitive teeth or braces should be careful eating it.
