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hardtack biscuits
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Basic Hardtack Recipe

Equipment

  • 1 bowl
  • 1 fork
  • 1 Rolling Pin
  • 1 knife
  • 1 spatula
  • 1 cooling rack

Ingredients

  • 5 cups flour that's 600 grams
  • ½ cups water
  • 3 teaspoons salt

Instructions

  • Start with two cups of flour in a bowl, to which you add the salt.
    adding salt over dough
  • Next, slowly add the water.
    adding water to flour and salt
  • Mix well. Your goal is to make it into a consistent dough that you can roll out and cut. If it gets too watery, add more flour.
    mixing ingredients into a dough
  • On a floured table, roll out your dough with a floured rolling pin until it is about ¼ inch thick.
    rolling out the dough
  • Cut it into whatever shapes and sizes you like - typically 3x3 inch (7x7 centimeter) squares. It's important that all the pieces be roughly the same size so they cook at the same rate.
    cutting the dough into squares
  • Preheat the oven to 375 °F (190 °C).
  • Place the biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet, and make sure they are evenly spaced.
  • Next, dock the biscuits. This means poking holes in the dough so it will dry properly and will not rise. Folks usually cut 16 holes in a 3 inch by 3 inch square, but I poked more holes so they cook faster. Use your fork to keep them evenly spaced and sized.
    poking holes in the dough
  • Cook them for 20 to 30 minutes at 375 °F (190 °C).
  • Flip them over with a spatula, then cook them for another 20 to 30 minutes.
  • Remove the biscuits from the baking sheet, and place them on a cooling rack until they reach room temperature. Store in an airtight container.
    hardtack on cooling rack

Notes

  • There is no point in kneading the dough since we are not making bread.
  • Think about storage and purpose when you cut the pieces. You will want larger pieces if you might use it as a plate for other food. If you're packing it into a small space in a pack, you will likely want smaller pieces.
  • You can use a ruler to cut a straight edge, or you can use cookie cutters, a jar, or a glass to cut various shapes.
  • You can use a fork, a nail, chopsticks, or a knife to poke evenly spaced holes all the way through the dough.