Hardtack Recipe

Hardtack Recipe
Hardtack was a staple issued to the Union soldiers as a daily ration during the Civil War. A biscuit made from flour and other simple ingredients. It was very similar to heavyweight soda cracker. It was square or rectangular in shape with holes. The hardtack crackers were packed into wooden crates and shipped to the camps by railroad or wagon. Sometimes the batch brought to the soldiers was already several months old. Far from bring fresh, it was often called sheet-iron or tooth dullers. Weevils infested these worm castles crates that were kept stacked outside of the tents until the rations were issued. Hardtack dipped in bacon grease or hardtack and a slice of salt pork made for a hearty meal to a hungry soldier. Salted pork fried in hardtack crumbles was called skillygallee, and it was a common meal.

Hardtack Recipe

2 cups of flour
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon of lard
Pinch of salt

Mix the ingredients together, knead the dough, and spread the dough out flat on a baking pan. Bake for 1/2 hour at 400 degrees. Remove from oven, cut dough into squares, and punch four rows of holes into the dough. Turn dough over, return to the oven and bake another 1/2 hour. Turn oven off and leave the door closed. Remove the hardtack when cooled