Hardtack Bread

Historical context

Humans have baked variations of hardtack for millennia to bypass the rapid spoilage of fresh bread. Almost every culture throughout history had its own version of hardtack, depending on what resources were available in its respective region. Hardtack is a simple, dry, unleavened bread made only from flour, water, and salt. Baked until completely devoid of moisture, it has a shelf life of decades if stored properly. To maximize its shelf life, it was important to keep the bread dry and make the dough from grains rich in gluten and low in natural fat and oil.

Being well suited (along with salted meats) for long voyages and military campaigns, it served as the ultimate survival ration for Roman legions, sailors during the Age of Exploration, and soldiers in the American Civil War. With insect infestation common in improperly stored provisions, soldiers would break up the hardtack and drop it into their morning coffee. This would not only soften the hardtack but the insects, mostly weevil larvae, would float to the top, and the soldiers could skim them off and eat the biscuits.

Hellfire stew was a standard American Civil War camp meal in which soldiers turned hardtack into crumbs by breaking it up with blows from their rifle butts, then boiled the crumbs in water with rendered animal fat until they broke down into a thick, savory porridge. Skillygalee was another classic dish made in a similar way, but it often included some form of cured meat for a more high-calorie meal.

- What this mod brings to the table -

Hardtack bread that won't spoil for a very long time when dried into its hardened state. It can be cut into biscuits to provide a bit more overall satiety (and fresh biscuits dry faster), or crushed into crumbs for cooking. The bread itself is not overpowered in any way. In fact, one could argue that it requires many extra steps for very little gain. Historically, hardtack was meant to be a cheap bread, but here it's actually more expensive (since it also requires salt). To compensate, I've made it provide at least a bit more satiety than the vanilla rye/spelt bread. In the end, though, hardtack is such an important part of history that I felt it deserved to be properly represented in Vintage Story.

This bread isn't here to bypass any of the game's mechanics. It's here to give you the opportunity to experience what it was like to prepare for and embark on a long journey, then sit down by the fire with your traveling companions to enjoy a humble bowl of gunky porridge made from nothing more than water, bread crumbs, and - if you're lucky - a lump of fat. Just like the explorers, sailors, and soldiers who made history!

Hardtack baking (instructions also included in the in-game handbook)

1) Dough grid recipe:

• • 1L of water in a suitable container. All from the supported mods will do.
  • 1 rye or spelt flour. Other grains can't be used because they either lack gluten or contain too much natural fat.
  • 1 salt.

   Note: The recipe is not shapeless to avoid conflicting with Expanded Foods recipes.

2) Preheat an oven and bake the bread just like regular bread. The hardtack is ready to be taken out of the oven when it reaches its "fresh" state.

3) Cut the loaf into biscuits with a knife while it's fresh. This is optional, but highly recommended to get more out of your bread (biscuits stack up to 128).

4) Let the fresh bread dry until it hardens. Once hardened, its shelf life is considerably prolonged, making it ideal for storage or taking along on your journey. However, it can't be eaten in this state.

5) Consumption - There are two routes you can go from here:

• • Soften the bread/biscuits – Mix them with water in the crafting grid or a barrel, or simply throw them into fresh water. This will turn them into their "softened" state, making them ready to eat (and providing hydration when using HydrateOrDiedrate).
  • Crush into crumbs for cooking – Grind in a quern or use a stone or a hammer in the crafting grid to produce hardtack crumbs. The crumbs are used as an ingredient in Hellfire Stew and Skillygalee.

 

Hellfire stew recipe:

• • 1 slot of water (1L per serving)
  • 1-3 slots of hardtack crumbs
  • 0-1 slots of fat or rendered fat (will raise the satiety considerably)

Skillygalee recipe:

• • 1 slot of water (1L per serving)
  • 1-2 slots of hardtack crumbs
  • 1-2 slots of any cured meat (cured meats from Butchering, Expanded Foods, and Primitive Survival included)
  • 0-1 slots of fat or rendered fat (will raise the satiety considerably)

- Compatibility -

• • A Culinary Artillery
  • Butchering
  • Drunkling's Stoneware Jugs
  • Expanded Foods
  • Hydrate Or Diedrate
  • Primitive Survival
  • Tankards and Goblets

- Planned features -

• • Make hardtack throwable like a stone (double damage)       ...no, just kidding