Janey (I) wrote:


> 1. Looking for hard tack
>
> If you want original hard tack, some are for sale on ebay.
>
> If you're giving it to kids in a history program I'd try something like those
> puffy Saltines from the supermarket.
>
> Janey


Then Henry wrote:

No, No, No, No, No!!!!

We're supposed to be as historically honest as possible.  Passing off
saltines as hardtack is like showing off a Jeep and telling the public it's
a Model T.  It's wrong.


Henry, Henry, Henry,

While I appreciate your commitment to authenticity, it would be entirely wasted on the little ones who come for our summer program. They have enough trouble understanding what ten years ago is, let alone a hundred and fifty.

I promise that if we ever have the occasion to give out hard tack to anyone over 12 I will use your recipe. But you have opened a can of worms here. Where do I get the historic flour? Do I grind it from grain myself or do I locate a flour mill? What kind of oven is authentic enough for me to bake it in?

Oh, Henry! Look what you have started.

Janey


There are ways to make historically authentic hardtack (also called sea
biscuits, navy bread, pilot bread) which are completely and safely edible
AND give the look, feel, and texture of the originals.  Ask most living
history reenactors, as we all know and teach these things.  Here's a recipe
from the Civil War era.  It is taken from the 1862 US Army book of recipes.

5 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 - 1 1/4 cups water

Preheat oven to 450 degrees (of course, back then, the oven was
considered preheated when the heat felt right).

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 cookie
sheet.  Roll the dough out flat, with a thickness of about 1/2 inch.

Using a knife, divide the dough into 3X3 squares, using a 10-penny
nail, put a 3X3 matrix of holes into the surface of the dough, all the
way through, at even intervals.  (You can also buy a tin hardtack cookie
cutter which cuts the squares to the right size and punches the holes at the
proper intervals.)

Bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes, till lightly browned.
Take out and let cool.  After 24 hours the hardtack will be slightly
soft.  Thereafter, it hardens, making your dentist your best friend.

The Union Mechanic Baking Company of Baltimore was the primary contractor of
hardtack for both the Federal Army and Navy during the Civil War.  There are
several companies which create a credible edible replica the UMBC's product.

Cheers,
HBC

***************************************
Henry B. Crawford
Curator of History
Museum of Texas Tech University
Box 43191
Lubbock, TX  79409-3191
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806/742-2442  FAX 742-1136
Website: http://www.museum.ttu.edu
***  Living History . . . Because It's There  ***


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