Hardtack/Pilot Bread

 

Here's my favourite recipe for hardtack. It has better flavour (at least it seems to me) than the traditional kind.

4 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar (or 1/4 cup honey)
2 tbsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup powdered milk


Mix the dry ingredients in the above recipe in a large mixing bowl. I generally use a larger bowl than required because I prefer to knead the dough in the bowl rather than on a counter top.

If you're using honey, add with the water. Add warm water slowly until you get a stiff dough.
If you end up with too sticky a dough, just add more flour.
Knead the dough for five minutes until it is smooth and elastic.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest for half an hour.


Lightly flour a cookie sheet and roll the dough out on it to a thickness of 1/2 to 3/4 inch. Use a large two pronged fork and poke holes into the dough to help steam escape while it's cooking. Then score the dough into squares to make it easier to break apart after it's cooked and dried. I use a pizza cutter.


Cook for an hour in a 350 degree oven then turn the oven down to 200 to dry the hardtack. Takes about 2 hours.
It doesn't look all that appealing but it tastes surprisingly good. And it lasts forever.
Sometimes, if I'm going to be using the hardtack in the near future I'll add dried cranberries or blueberries. It doesn't keep as long with the dried fruit added.


A good source of carbs when in the bush. Just make sure you soften it before you try and eat it! tongue.gif
It's good in stew.

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