Civil War Hard Tack: 11th OVC Style

[@szymonolszewski9840]

Can confirm, they work. Made them some time ago according to this recipe. Year later tried to brake one against the table. Hard tack was fine, table - not so much. :(

[@dougpowell2508]

That's funny

[@Sarah-hc3wn]

my son made me make this, so happy I found this, my son joma watches your chanel all the time and say yall are his heros!!!

[@jlhcreations9001]

Steve1989 ate one from 1863

[@stevebrule6046]

nice.

[@TheHikingLion]

Steve1989 is a fucking Boss. Watching him smoke a cigarette from the Korean War might have been one the funniest things I've ever seen. " Part of me wants to keep this cigarette butt, wait that's silly I'm not going to keep it". Stares at the ground for a second, " Yeah I'm definitely keeping this..." - Steve1989

[@yotan85]

@@TheHikingLion steve's 1899 Boers' war ration was my favorite video hahaha

[@daleval2182]

Smells a bit like cardboard, with a hint of mothballs, but that cival war tack really excited Steve, he said so rare had to eat it up WTF Steve? 😜.

[@swatchaplain]

Yes there are tons of hard tack videos on youtube, but this one is the best by far! Thank you.

[@rocistone7507]

The broken or "pinched in" bubbles you will see on photos of the original hardtack biscuits are indeed from gas bubbles inside the dough layers. This happened when the biscuits were cooled too quickly. But the demand for Hardtack was such that production time had to be cut as much as possible. This overly rapid cooling (and placement in wooden casks or cases) also permitted insect infestation (weevils) which when skimmed off after floating the biscuits in coffee "Left no discernable flavour."

[@11thovc]

Thanks Roci Stone!

[@The_Heartless_Empath]

You can leave them in the oven to cool slowly as the oven cools. Folks also used to bake them 2 and sometimes 3 times after cooling to make sure they were completely dry. This added considerably to the shelf life. Great video.

[@citylotgardening6171]

Would they rebake them for the same temp and time

[@The_Heartless_Empath]

@@citylotgardening6171 lower temp. I would keep an eye on them to be sure they don't start browning. As long as they don't start to turn brown you can rebake as many times as you like. After they cool you can vacuum seal them and they will keep indefinitely. I saw a video with Andrew Zimmern where he shared a piece of hard tack that had been passed down through his family from the Civil War. Still perfectly edible.

[@raulcabrera7433]

I like how you chose to get a haircut during the 4 hours. lol

[@ScotchIrishHoundsman]

Raul Cabrera beat me to it... by 3 years...

[@kpkndusa]

@@ScotchIrishHoundsman Me by 3 weeks.

[@jadalhabbal8449]

Beat me to it by 5 months....

[@gfh9786]

Looks like great formula. Will try it this week as need to give a living history talk. I take heart in the serious work placed into this video. Great Job!

[@elmerkilred159]

Flour in 1860 was not whole/all wheat. It had other fillers like barley. (The practice is continued to this day with certain flours to achieve different baking effects). Hard Tack came from several different manufacturers. One of the ones that I have recently read about is Johnathan Pierce of St. Louis, Missouri. He made enough money to launch several other businesses, but if you Google "Cracker Castle," you can see how lucrative it was for being a Miller, or Baker at the outset of the Civil War. You created a very nice civilian friendly hard tack in your video. However, since the demand for flour and hard tack was an immediate need at the outset of war, it is highly likely that the flour that was used in the 1860s necessitated the addition of other fillers that were more common in early Victorian times. Additions like chalk, sawdust, lime... may have been added just to meet production needs. Insects, insect eggs, mouse, and rat poop, were a pretty common involuntary ingredient in hard tack. One of the other differences between contemporary A/P flour with that of the 1860s was that technology wasn't as advanced with the stone grinding process, so flour particles were actually much larger. This attributed to a much harder more dense texture Most hard tack had to be soaked in hot coffee or coffee substitute to be palatable, where "critters" would wiggle out of it.

[@Rspenesmit]

I met a lady on FB that once we got to talking about the Civil War, sent me a copy of a letter passed down in her Family from a relative in the Civil War, he wrote his wife saying that he liked the Fried Hardtack biscuits they ate, he went on to say some would dip them in coffee and eat them other ways, but most like him fried them in bacon fat, which in my research found that most well supplied units had plenty of bacon, therefore plenty of bacon fat. so I tried it out myself, and it's definitely the best way to eat tack, fry it a little and the outside is still a bit hard but more crispy and the inside mostly softer a lot more so. I also began adding oregano which adds a lot of flavor but does not affect longevity.

[@captainpanda5533]

If I wanted to source some of the wheat flour with filler that you talked about, what should I look for? Does it have a name where I could buy some online or at the supermarket, or should I blend flours together?

[@Rspenesmit]

I have a copy of a letter from a Civil War solider at Gettysburg that he sent to his Wife & passed down in his Family, he had mentioned what they were eating, Potatoes, onions, beans, salt pork bacon & the hard tack, he said they would fry it in bacon grease which they had & that it would make the outside crispy & the inside soft & also soften the crispy outside, I am long time cook for a Civil ware re-enactment group & I always provide a little grease to the Soldiers in my unit for this purpose or do it myself when serving them. He said after most learned this method of cooking them they all began doing it.

[@b1laxson]

mmmhmmm bonus protien

[@bdcochran01]

An excellent presentation. I have delivered a presentation, in French, on the rations of the French Army at the time of Napoleon, including how to make hardtack. I have about 50 pounds stored in the garage - used King Arthur flour, French sea salt. Use a mixer like you and a gas oven.

[@jackpinesavage1628]

Made my first four hardtack biscuits last night, using your recipe. Thanks!

[@11thovc]

Glad it came in useful! Thanks for watching!

[@NoOne-sc1ox]

Wow that hardtack turned out gorgeous. Looks delicious.

[@Brad933]

"That hardtack is delicious" said No One ever! hahaha... wait a minute...

[@Monchi990]

OMG....I've been looking for this recipe for ages! Thanks so much and great explaining.

[@bdcochran01]

Thank you very much. I do make hardtack. Your explanation was fine - hitting upon everything that I had observed in making hardtack. If people follow your suggestions, the learning curve will be easier. Someone asked about flour. Yes, I do bake bread and it is not unusual for me to buy 20 pounds at a time. King Arthur makes the best flour on the market. I hand date the acquisition time and review the expiration dates about once a month. If flour (whole wheat, bread flour, enriched only) is coming up for expiration, it goes into hard tack. I like the idea of the cutter and ordered one. My product is put in plastic bags inside clean clear plastic Snapware large storage containers and put in a cool dark part of the garage along with the homemade wine.

[@rudynorvelle2870]

I have made Hardtack before, but this is a much better way. I will have to try it now. Thanks for the great video.

[@Suzudvde1]

Thanks for the video, great attention to detail. Best hardtack vid I've seen.

[@Zaku186]

Great video man. im about to try this myself just to have some food for long term prepping.

[@jeanniebeans2715]

Very interesting. For the "blisters" on top of your hardtack, you might try beating the dough with a mallet. There is an old recipe called "Beaten Biscuits" that might help you achieve this. If you built up your gluten, and don't add too much flour, you can beat the dough until it blisters.

[@greywolfe3207]

The information was so interesting and delivered so well I subscribed. Great video!

[@11thovc]

Thanks for Watching! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@jadahoob99]

Nice! I saved your video for future reference as I intend to try my first batch in the next week or so (already bought the flour). One enjoyably takeaway from watching your video was that the slower cooking time is more than adequate to get out the clippers and buzz my hair neat (which I may do)! 🤣 THANKS AGAIN! They look great!

[@vance7354]

Just made my First batch, but I flavored mine, after much research i concluded that as long as you use already dried spices it doesnt effect shelf life, so mine was made with Garlic Powder, Salt and Pepper. I wasnt however going for period authentic. I also used a combo of Red Winter Wheat Flour and Oat Flour along with a bit of all purpose flour. Got them in the oven now, but I am only going to bake them at 250 for 2 hours then I am going to move them to my Food dehydrator at Max temp of 151 over night. Hopefully it works out well.

[@SLACKPLAN9]

I have a Fall Creek hardtack cutter. I like it.

[@yoitired]

Got a haircut while waiting for his hardtack to bake lol, awesome.

[@11thovc]

What else is there to do while its cooking!

[@deanndubois7690]

Lol. That was Hella funny

[@applesauceman3555]

looks like you got a haircut over the oven wait period lol

[@arfyego0682]

i saw it too wth

[@doshutokeshi3877]

Excellent video and thanks for the tips! Might obliged!

[@Tincan21ify]

Proportions depend on humidity. In New Mexico the flour has a lower water content, so it requires a little more water. In the end it all gets baked away.

[@peterott9162]

I've watched many different videos on making hard tack/ships biscuit and let me just say that your method 6cooking seems to produce the most period authentic hard tack. This is a recipe that I will definitely use.

[@foxsquirrel3038]

Learned some new tricks. 👍 Thank you sir!

[@chrishastings2665]

making some via your recipe for Hale farm next week. thanks for the video. I'm with the 30th OVI

[@mo-reesespieces9066]

Love your attention to detail. Great Video. By any chance has anyone done a video that shows how to properly prepare the hard tack for consumption? Seen dozens of videos but looks like everyone of them the person says, maybe I needed to cook it longer or maybe I should have soaked it longer, and looked like they were going to break their teeth when biting down on the hard tack. I would like to see someone show exactly how long to soak, or boil, and then take the hard tack out, as a whole and bend it to show that it is no longer going to break your teeth when you bit down on it. Peace, Reese

[@11thovc]

Reese, Thanks for watching! Unfortunately, there is not a single formula that one could give you. Our unit eats the hard tack as is. It WILL break your teeth if you're not careful as one of our troopers did this year during our Sprill Drill. But there is a reason soldiers 150 years ago called them "Tooth Breakers". We have cooked them and soaked them every way that is documented in diaries and the ever invaluable book called "Hardtack & Coffee". No matter how long you soak them, it never seems to penetrate the bread fully. We have to remember that the goal of the bread was storage and longevity, not so much the comfort of the soldier. We personally have learned to eat the hard bread by holding it in our hand and breaking it over our knee into about 10 different pieces in which we chew on for the day. This past campaign we went on we lived off of hardtack and raw white rice for about a week. While it was miserable, there are definitely some calories packed in that hard bread. One way you can get around this issue is to make it thinner and bake is shorter. But from our experience just sitting out in the dry air makes them turn hard quickly anyway. In short.....we eat them as is with no prep, just break them into small pieces and work them in your mouth one at a time.

[@deanndubois7690]

Soak till its soft. In soup or coffee. Or desert like strawberries and cream. Learn to make pocket soup and pimmington and the hardtack. Just add to boiled water and have a nice hardy soup. 🍞🍗😊

[@Old_8_gauge]

Good videos! I am the a disabled veteran of a more recent war. The local reenactors wouldn't let me play, + arthritis, etc. keeps me from reenacting. Enjoy your videos though. I, BTW am a descendant of Big Andy Boggs, master armourer of the Army of Northern Virginia.

[@hellequingentlemanbastard9497]

And with a little bit of Shoe-polish they make great fire starters when it's wet.

[@charleydraper8656]

I made some hard tack yesterday, having some with my coffee this morning......

[@samikruse01]

It may help to use the paddle in the beginning to incorporate then switch to the dough hook.

[@billofrightsamend4]

My direct ancestor was in the Cavalry in the Civil War also. We use to make this dough to make Christmas ornaments in the 3rd grade. They had to soften it somehow because this would break your teeth.

[@mikeburch2998]

I heard they would cook hard tack with bacon grease. Try that. It actually sounds ok if it was soft enough. I bet anything was great when you're hungry.

[@11thovc]

Mike, we have cooked hard tack in bacon grease. Generally, it doesn't penetrate the hardtack. It does add good flavor.

[@RallyRoundTheFlag]

Those seriously look delicious!

[@daleval2182]

Lol, tasty, depends how you eat it, but useful for preps, in the old days the soldiers, would dip in a soup or field stew, when they could have a fire, and bag a rabbit or squirrel, lol

[@jackthunderbolt4307]

would the cavalry have shared their hardtack with their mount? and if so how did the poor horses fare afterwards?

[@RedMoonsEcho]

What kind of flour did you use?

[@WindersRanger]

Still have some in my haversack thats at least 15-18 years old. I tried a piece the other day and aside from tasting a bit like the haversack itself its still edible.

[@timcotton7494]

I like the square cutter.... where do you get such a thing? I use a can but they come out round....

[@DenverLoveless]

I'm almost positive that the crispy bubbly look of the original hardtack is from oil / lard. I believe "Maybe" a small amount of baking soda as well. But I'm sure about the oil. From the looks of it I'd say it was coated with a fair amount of it in order to create that kind of texture.

[@11thovc]

DenverLoveless, that is a great idea! We will have to try that next time! We still have a few thousand pieces to get through so it might be a while!

[@anthonygoode37]

DenverLoveless

[@anthonygoode37]

DenverLoveless

[@DenverLoveless]

anthonygoode37 ??

[@williamsnow3706]

TheOkWoodsman i

[@dfanman1]

Hello did you flip the Hardtack over in the oven at the 2 hour mark?

[@dominic5386]

My batch came out with a crystalline, glass-like interior crumb, is this normal?

[@richardglady3009]

Great video. Thank you.

[@wyldemanironworx7099]

Thanx man. Someone else said it already. Best video.

[@citylotgardening6171]

If you rebake them for longer storage would you use the same temp and time

[@lifetimesofjcm8582]

Also can u link me where u got that cutter?

[@jason60chev]

How did they originally bake millions and millions of these things? Have you researched the original bakeries?

[@MommaRed1862]

“How to make it more authentic” -standing next to modern baking equipment LOL

[@olympia007macklin]

U said u make 1000s of them...what do u use them 4..? Is it just a way 2 preserve flour...?

[@stephm5430]

Awesome video thank you :)

[@hatsheput63]

are you using AP flour? the bubble look to the other MAY be because cake flour was used. Cake flour will rise a bit....

[@11thovc]

hatsheput63, thanks for that insight, we will try that in our next batch! Thanks for watching.

[@Vigilante-k4q]

Even the weevils break their teeth

[@realetreasures6443]

My guess is that the small air bubbles is because the original hardtack was probably left out for a while before baking while the hotter oven was used for other foods before being ready for the hardtack and the wild yeast in the air of the baking room got into the mix.

[@Besalu]

I mean where did you buy the square cutter? I would like to get one. Thank you.

[@11thovc]

This one we got from "Fall Creek Sutler" but there are others you can get, just search for Hardtack cutter. LIke: C. Haynes and Company on Facebook. But be sure that they have it in stock before you order it.

[@Besalu]

@@11thovc Do you know the website of Fall Creek Sutler? I like that one.

[@hcolumbia4520]

And they say that girls are the ones who like to bake, dress up and play pretend! Haha, no harm meant. Thank you for these videos, I've been trying to research and find cavalry tack for my dad to use on trail rides (since he's in the military he's obsessed with this kinda stuff). :)

[@hcolumbia4520]

I won't be buying most of the tack, such as the saddle because we have stocky quarter horses, but where do you find the breastplate with the brass heart concho?

[@geraldpayne4633]

Hello my friend. Where can I purchase the cutter you are using? Great Video!!!

[@termodog7951]

Since canning jars are so hard to find....can these be stored in food saver bags vacuume sealed?

[@Bigfoot-fy1pf]

Hey did you get the hardtack cutter?

[@814kristen]

My be a stupid question but if you use a convection oven is it still 250 degrees?

[@11thovc]

No idea, we don't have a convection oven so you will have to play around with the temps and times. Just keep in mind you want to bake it really slow. Sorry for not being much help there!

[@814kristen]

Your video was a bunch of help! I ended up just using the reg oven at 250 and it turned out great! Thanks!

[@11thovc]

Thanks! Glad it helped

[@dennisdieterich5572]

still 250 degrees but a much more uniform 250 degrees. that is the key.

[@xXVoodooDaddyXx]

Would adding some sweetner like honey or cinnimon to this cause problems? I get the authenticity part but would that cause them to become more brittle or what? This is the first video I have seen on the subject so I have no idea about it.

[@11thovc]

Robert, sorry for the slow reply but i have not tried any additional ingredients due to our need purely for authenticity purposes. Since we don't use this recipe outside of reenactments or historical interpretation, we have no need to add in-authentic ingredients. Let us know how it turns out!

[@danr1920]

Whole wheat or white flour?

[@virtualityvictoria8216]

white flour lasts the longest w/hardtack

[@mickeyholding7970]

Anson mills in Columbia South Carolina has the correct period flour to make the hardtack. That's what I'm using to make my first batch.

[@stevendee2831]

cool vid.

[@Strasburg57812]

Sir, what model Kitchenaid mixer is that? I’m looking for one to get but don’t want to pay an arm and a leg for the commercial grade mixer. Thanks!!

[@lifetimesofjcm8582]

ah crap, I thought u said two cups water. guess I'll be cooking my batch skittle longer

[@The_Gallowglass]

I don't care what anyone says. A nice salty hardtack tastes like a pretzel to me. Boil it up and then fry it in bacon grease and it's pretty legit. Crumble it up into stew or dip in broth.

[@loratalbot2872]

I couldn't find the cutter, please give a link the cutter

[@jerrygouge9615]

I make it same way, with same cutter. On occasion I add some dry dill and dry minced onion for a touch of flavor. Farby, I know.

[@iamostafa]

Hi, from where I can order such cutting tool?? Looks so practical

[@JamesSmith-mv1nu]

Note just spread a little bit of flour the more you put flour the harder it gets it should be sticky a little

[@christopherort2889]

Where did you get the cutter from?

[@dalevodden1359]

I did not notice if you poked holes in the hardtack hope you did

[@Reaperman4711]

I'm watching this video while cooking my first batch ever. A shame I didn't get to your video before putting them in. Luckily I think I dropped the temperature and staggered the pans in time, but the first batch is still probably going to be way too thick. Oh well, if I like them enough to do a second batch, I'll do it more your way.

[@ScottAvellino1]

Did you flip the hardtack at the 2 hour mark? Would that help the baking process?

[@DirtyFrigginHarry]

Holy shit you're like the America's Test Kitchen of hardtack

[@lastofthefinest]

Pretty cool

[@carlabarlow1409]

Looks good

[@jamessm4401]

Heard hard tack doesn't taste real good. Could you mix some sugar or other spices in for taste?

[@11thovc]

James, Hard Tack actually doesn't taste to bad. It is a bread but just hard. You could put whatever you want in it but our goal for our unit (The 11th Ohio Cavalry) is to make it as historically accurate as possible. Therefore, putting anything else in it would not be an option.

[@jamessm4401]

11th Ohio Volunteer Cavalry I see. Thank you.

[@manuelkong10]

Great vid, thanks

[@tedski6318]

Wouldn't an authentic recipe be made with whole wheat flour. Instead of white processed flour ?

[@11thovc]

Ted Ski, Yes the flour we use today is definitely not what they used back then. Great point.

[@eveny119]

I thought the same, white flour has hardly any nutrients as well.

[@dwwolf4636]

Period as in civil war ? If we stray to ship's bisket, one can find references to bisket's made for the meanest to the richest budget. From wholemeal with an extra helping of germ sifted from fine flour , to captain's bisket made with white flour.

[@Strasburg57812]

Sir what style kitchen aid mixer is that?

[@11thovc]

It is the "Artisan" model. I create a "poo-ton" of hardtack (more than 1,000 pieces per year) and would recommend getting a higher grade. I have burned out the motor in this model more than once.

[@lifetimesofjcm8582]

so u cook those variants at 200 what? for 5 hours?

[@SOEINEGAUDI]

i heard in another video 250 over 4h (and flipping them from one side to another after the first 2h)

[@jamesedwards1588]

How many calories in one piece? How may pieces rationed per day?

[@11thovc]

James, Calories vary but our friends over at the Civil War Digital Digest have a great video on the standard rations a soldier was issued. See Below: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gpi5pWmnjdhqpKs

[@jamesedwards1588]

@@11thovc Thanks

[@gustavgnoettgen]

A lot of these tiles made it through the whole 20th century. Imagine that! The Titanic, the roaring 20's, the nazis, the sovjet union, the cold war, Frank Sinatra, even the fricking Backstreetboys, all Mad Max movies, f.r.i.e.n.d.s., all of Oprah, David Bowie... Outlived by food that looks like it did on day one.

[@stainspecialist]

Is it possible to put garlic powder in the recipe for flavor? Or would that make it more likely to spoil somehow?

[@11thovc]

Stainspecialist, Unfortunately, that is outside the scope of our historical page. I am sure you can add a variety of other seasonings and flavors but since our goal is to create 1860's hardtack as accurately as possible, adding anything else would be outside our primary mission. Thanks for watching!

[@jordanwesley1700]

Appreciate the video!

[@glenwarren404]

Can it be made from wheat flower

[@markcobb6561]

keep your machine running and turn the bowl.t his will keep it from getting to thick , to quick. go slow for better control and you won't burn up your machine.

[@SteveAubrey1762]

I have a similar cutter and didn't know how to keep it from sticking inside. Now I do! Thanks for the video!

[@11thovc]

Thanks for watching!

[@onetwo4190]

would you ever make a form of hard tack thats made with dried meat and berrys... i found the journal of my great(X5) grandfather who was a part of the revolutionary war and he was a hunter before he enlisted and his wife made a hard tack for himwhen he was out... lol he complained to his wife before he left that the hard tack was so bad that he chipped a tooth, so she made a batch for him to take. it was good for months... would you be interested in trying to re make a similar recipe? as far as i could gather the whole recipe is water, flour, salt, dried and pounded berrys, dried and pounded meat, and bear fat...

[@11thovc]

David, thanks for your comments! You are right, there are dozens of documented ways to make "hard bread" that keeps long. However, since our scope is strictly focused on Federal Cavalry life from 1861-1866 we try to cover the normal/usual/general items found by the common soldier in that time. I have read of some men using their flower issue to mix water and local berries into a field cooked bread...I will try to find where I saw that. Thanks for watching!

[@11thovc]

David, if you haven't already, check out Jas. Townsend & Sons' youtube channel. They primarily focus on food of the 18th Century. Very good as many of their videos could easily apply to the mid 1800's.

[@onetwo4190]

i will do that... would you be willing to try it out tho? or at least make a video on it please... im in college, and the only thing i can cook with is a coffee pot for hotdogs and rammen or elce i would make it myself... if anything you could try it out with your buddys on top of just the standard. im gonna be binge watching you and jas. and townsend tomorrow morning(its tough living like a bachelor.)

[@Zelmel]

Seeing that there are berries, dried and pounded meat, and fat, I think you may be looking for some pemmican rather than hard tack/hard biscuit. I'd also second the Jas. Townsend & Son channel, which has done a series of videos on pemmican as well as a video on hard tack and many other 18th century foods.

[@markcobb6561]

what your talking is another ew open for pemmican. doesn't last as long but is pretty tasty. sprinkle with coffee and let set. ready to it.

[@lotusflower37]

I was looking for a real hardtack recipe, made the old way. Can you share a video on how to do that, without modern conveniences?

[@11thovc]

Christine, that is a great question! That will require more research on our end as we are ignorant in the exact facilities and types of ovens that the contractors baked this recipe in the millions! I guess we will get researching! If you come across anything please let me know. Thanks for watching!

[@lotusflower37]

Thank you! I will keep looking too.

[@ryangaunt6843]

Smart man, using the back side of the butter knife not to ruin the granite counter top.

[@Besalu]

HOW DO I FIND THE CUTTER?

[@melkiecapella2998]

How many calories in one?

[@MadamKsTarot]

Your oven isnt oreheated after you left it open

[@ruthshelton1924]

For higher protein hard tack Water- Start with a cup (you might need alittle more) Salt- 2 teaspoons Whole wheat flour- 3 cups Amarantn- a quarter cup Whole grain Quinoa - Half a cup Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees Put flour on your board & roll out to half an inch thickness. Cut into 2 or 3 inch squares. Poke the squares with holes on both sides. Put some flour on the cookie sheet- put your squares on the cookie sheet. Put them in the oven at 375 degrees & cook for 30 mins. -then take them out -turn them over & cook for 30 mins. And you are done. ( The whole wheat flour is 110 Cal. Amarant is 190 Cal. Whole grain Quinoa is 180 Cal.) Enjoy!

[@coreyblake1761]

Can you explain how many times we should breathe during this process also?

[@ndsmudlogger4061]

No shit! 😂

[@christopher5855]

Ok couple of thoughts make that several thoughts ... first i'd weigh my flour and water to achieve a 2 to 1 ratio or 50% hydration .... so for instance 500 grams flour to 250 grams water. Granted back in the day they did not have digital scales but they did have scales... second i'd work in batches mix/kneed up your first batch of dough and let rest on the counter for 15 min , or enough time to mix the second batch this relaxes the first batch and makes the dense dough easier to work with. pull the second batch out to rest and start your third batch. Take the first batch and roll it out and then letter fold it into thirds a couple times then roll it out back and forth making 1/4 turns to keep in a circular or square shape and don't use too much flour then cut, repeat for the following batches preheat the oven to 450, once you get your tak on sheet pans and oven is preheated spray, yes spray your tak with a misting of water, this will make the bubbles on the surface bake 10-15 min and turn down the temp to 200 ish and bake for a couple hours ... once done and not browned let them cool on a rack to room temp and then bake a second time at 200 or your ovens lowest setting till they are as dry as you want them ... from what I understand hardtak was cooked twice once to cook them and the second time to dry them. This would make since because brick ovens are traditionally heated once in the morning to a high temp in order to cook bread then as they cool they are used to cook items that can cook at lower temps. In my opinion it would make since to then at the end of the day put the hardtak back in to further dry the tooth buster so it keeps longer.

[@peterlamont647]

Why 50%??? It would be a soup not a dough. Oh wait I get it. 25% ratio. That's what he did though only by _volume._ Usually though, you want like 5 cups of flour to 1.5 cups of water. At least that is my bread recipe. Makes a nice dough.Home kitchen aids are worthless for making bread though. You are far better off with a cheap bread maker or doing it by hand. A bread maker is geared properly to handle the thick dough and most of a dough setting. You can just fire and forget on those. I agree on the rest though...you could even put them into a dehydrator for the second run, or in your car on a hot day. I have seen people use the "car method" as a cost free & supervision free dehydrator lol.