"Loki" > wrote in message
...
> On Sat, 22 Oct 2005 16:03:06 GMT, The Joneses >
> wrote:
>
>>Julie Bove wrote:
>>
>>> "The Joneses" > wrote in message
>>> ...
>>> > I think this is something near what we do. ... In thinking about
>>> > saving/preserving food for disasters, I've googled up a few recipes
>>> > for hardtack crackers. ... My goal is to make a long storing thick
>>> > cracker
>>> > that tastes good. I will vacuum seal them. ...
>>> > Any thoughts?
>>>
>>> I've never actually tried hardtack, but from what I've read about it, it
>>> was
>>> not tasty at all. The very things that kept it from spoiling are the
>>> very
>>> things that meant it had no taste. I don't know that much about vacuum
>>> sealing. Would that keep the crackers crisp?
>>
>>The old bums never *tried* to make it tasty. Yeah, I think it would stay
>>crispy
>>because of no moisture laden air. What with new technology of freeze
>>drying, a
>>cracker with dried powdered herbs, onions, & garlic might be tasty. Or
>>dried
>>cocoa and cinnamon, with a bit of extra (vanilla?) sugar. I wanted a
>>cracker
>>with more to it than a saltine, more like ceramic tile (gg). OTH, the new
>>flavored pretzels might just solve my idea for me...
>>Edrena
>
> When we were in high school, one of our group decided to try some
> Civil War re-enactment. He got the clothes and we tried our best to
> provide authentic hardtack. We found an old recipe from that era and
> made it according to the directions.
>
> It was awful. Beyond awful. It was so hard you had to soak it in
> liquid to make it edible.
>
> That's what it was too. We'd evidently made it correctly.
>
> You don't want authentic hardtack, that's for sure.
>
> Loki

Here's something I found on the internet:
HARDTACK

Probably the one, first, and most requested recipie, is for hardtack (also
known as 'tack, ironplate biscuits, army bread, and other colorful names).
From the 1862 US Army book of recipes, is one that is guaranteed to keep
your dentist happy with bridge and upper plate work, and not to satisfy your
culinary hunger. But these actually work and stay fresh for eons.

* 5 Cups Flour (unbleached)
* 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
* 1 Tablespoon Salt
* 1-1 1/4 cups Water
* Preheated Oven to 450

In a bowl, combine the ingredients to form a stiff, but not dry dough. The
dough should be pliable, but not stick a lot to your hands.

Take this mound of dough, and flatten it out onto a greased cookee sheet
(the ones with a small lip around the edge...like a real shallow pan...),
and roll the dough into a flat sheet aprx. 1/2 inch thick.

Using a breadknife, divide the dough into 3x3 squares. taking a 10-penny
nail, put a 3x3 matrix of holes into the surface of the dough, all the way
thru, at even intervals (Village tinsmithing works sells a cutter that does
all of this...works great!).

Bake in the oven for aprx 20 Min., till lightly browned. Take out and let
cool.

Do this the day before your go on the field, and your will have enough tack
to fill your haversack. It will be somewhat soft on Saturday morning, but,
by Sunday, you should soak it in your coffee before eating, else you will
have a hard time chewing.
>