How to Eat Hardtack

Hardtack is a dry, baked, simple dough traditionally made only from water, flour, and salt. Hardtack was once the favored food of sailors on long expeditions and soldiers during the Civil War, as it can sit for months without spoiling. Now, however, hardtack is viewed as a novelty dish or as a survival food. It can still be prepared using historical methods, yielding more of a snack than a filling meal.

Ingredients

5 cups (1,200 mL) of whole wheat flour
2 cups (470 mL) of water
1 teaspoon (4.9 mL) of salt

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Making Hardtack

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Setting the oven at least 10-15 minutes before you put the hardtack in to bake will allow you to make hardtack as quickly as possible.^{[1]XResearch source}
2
Combine flour, salt, and water in a large mixing bowl. Add 5 cups (1,200 mL) of whole wheat flour, 2 cups (470 mL) of water, and 1 teaspoon (4.9 mL) of table salt.^{[2]XResearch source}
- Whole wheat flour will flavor your hardtack. If you don’t have whole wheat flour, though, white flour will suffice.
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3
Knead the ingredients by hand until thoroughly mixed. Use both hands to work the water into the dry ingredients. Keep kneading until the flour and salt are fully worked into dough.^{[3]XResearch source}
- Once kneaded, the dough should have a dry, slightly crumbly consistency.
4
Roll out the dough until it’s ¹⁄₂ inch (1.3 cm) thick. Place the dough on your counter or on a flour-covered rolling board. Evenly roll the dough with a rolling pin.^{[4]XResearch source}
- If you’d prefer slightly thicker biscuits, try rolling the dough to ³⁄₈ inch (0.95 cm) thick.^{[5]XResearch source}
5
Cut uniform 3 in (7.6 cm) hardtack biscuits from the dough. Use a pair of kitchen shears to cut square biscuits from the rolled-out dough. Each biscuit should be roughly 3 inches (7.6 cm) by 3 inches (7.6 cm).^{[6]XResearch source} They don’t need to be exact, so make your best estimate.
- If you prefer that your hardtack not be in squares, you could cut out the dough using a cookie cutter.
Once you’ve cut the hardtack pieces out, set them onto a cookie sheet. The hardtack won’t expand much in the oven, so you can set the pieces about ¹⁄₂ in (1.3 cm) apart from one another.
7
Cook the dough for 30 minutes on each side. Slide the cookie sheet into the oven and set a timer for 30 minutes.^{[7]XResearch source} Once the first 30 minutes have passed, flip the pieces of hardtack over and bake them for another 30 minutes.
- Use an oven mitt when pulling the cookie sheet out of the oven. To keep your fingers from getting burned, use a metal spatula to flip the hardtack over.
8
Cool and dry the hardtack for 4 days after baking. After the full 60 minutes have passed, use an oven mitt to pull the hardtack out of the oven. Place them on a cooling rack until fully cooled. Leave the hardtack on the cooling rack to dry.^{[8]XResearch source}
- The drying process will take at least 4 days. Set the cooling rack of hardtack in an out-of-the-way location so that it won’t be bumped while the hardtack dries.
9
Store the hardtack in an airtight container. Once the hardtack has cooled, you’re ready to store it. Since none of the ingredients in hardtack can spoil, hardtack can keep for 20 years. The hardtack will keep as long as it’s stored in an airtight container in a dry environment.^{[9]XResearch source}
- If the stored hardtack becomes mushy or softens, throw it out.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Cooking and Eating Hardtack

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1
Soak the hardtack in water for 2 hours until it becomes spongy. If you’re eating genuine hardtack, and would like to consume it in a historically authentic method, you’ll need to soak the hardtack for 1 or 2 hours. Submerge as many pieces of hardtack as you like in a bowl filled with tap water, and let it soak.^{[10]XResearch source}
- Keep an eye on the hardtack as it soaks. Pull it out of the water once it’s softened to the touch, but before it’s started to dissolve.
- For a more flavorful hardtack, soak it in a large mug full of hot coffee.^{[11]XResearch source}
2
Gnaw on a chunk of hardtack for 20-30 minutes if you’d rather not soak it. Dry hardtack is not meant to be eaten quickly. Nibble and gnaw at the edges and corners of the hardtack, then eat the small bits that break off in your mouth.^{[12]XResearch source}
- Think of the hardtack as if it were a bread version of beef jerky. Work through the food slowly and don’t bite off too much at once, or you’ll be chewing 1 bite for 15 minutes.
3
Fry a few pieces of hardtack in bacon grease for added flavor. Hardtack needs to be both flavored and softened before being eaten. Frying the hardtack in bacon grease can both flavor and soften it.^{[13]XResearch source} Add about 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of bacon grease to a skillet, and heat it on medium-high until it starts to sizzle. Then drop in 3 or 4 pieces of hardtack.
- Cook the hardtack for about 5 minutes on each side, or until the hardtack has absorbed enough grease to be slightly spongy.
4
Top the hardtack with jam and cheese in you prefer not to fry it. Since hardtack is essentially a thick, hard water cracker, it can be eaten in the same way that many water crackers are eaten.^{[14]XResearch source} Top the hardtack with a creamy cheese like brie or gouda, and add your favorite fruit jam or jelly.
- Bite into the hardtack gingerly at first. Despite its soft toppings, the hardtack itself will be tough to gnaw through.
- If you’d rather have the hardtack break apart easily in your mouth, soak it in water for 5 minutes before adding the jam and cheese.
5
Crumble hardtack with butter and brown sugar for a dessert-like option. For a sweet take on eating hardtack, use your hands to break up 1 or 2 pieces of hardtack over a large bowl. Aim for chunks about 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide. Add about 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of melted butter and 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of brown sugar to the bowl. Stir the ingredients together until the brown sugar has melted.^{[15]XResearch source}
- If you have whiskey on hand, add about 2 ounces (57 g) to the hardtack and sugar mixture. Then, use your spoon to stir all of the ingredients together.
- The end result should be a thick, chunky “pudding."

Community Q&A

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Question
Is there a way to make the hard tack a plain square without the bubble?
Ann Hupe
Community Answer
There are a few ways that, when all used together, will come close to what you want to do. First, use a high-protein, whole-wheat flour, or add vital wheat gluten to your dough. Then, knead the dough 10-15 minutes by hand or better, use a mixer with a dough setting (at the risk of blowing out the motor). By activating the gluten, you will end up with a very tough dough that will not rise, as there is no yeast in this recipe. Second, when the dough is rolled out, dock it by taking a fork and poking holes. This is an old technique used to prevent the development of huge bubbles in pizza dough. Third, lower the oven temperature and cook very slowly.
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Tip

If you don’t have any bacon grease on hand and would like to fry your hardtack, you can cook it in butter instead.

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Warnings

If you have fillings or crowns in your teeth or have gums that bleed easily, be careful when eating uncooked hardtack. It may be hard enough to break off your fillings or crowns.
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