Pilot Crackers

A long-lasting bread that handles the rigors of backpacking.

 Susan Newquist, May 2001

"My husband and I used to take pilot bread backpacking, but now we can't find them anywhere. Do you know where to buy them?"

T.L., Seattle, Washington

Pilot bread goes by a variety of names--pilot biscuits, pilot crackers, ship bread, hardtack, hardbread--but all refer to a dense, unleavened bread that lasts a long while without spoiling and can handle the rigors of backpacking. Considered the first "cracker," most pilot breads are thin wafers but some are thicker, like biscuits. Either way, they taste decent plain, but are better with a swipe of peanut butter, honey, or other spread. Look for pilot bread in the cracker aisle of your local grocery store. If you can't find them there, you'll have to mail order them. Mountain House (800-547-4060; www.ofd.com/mh) sells a #10 can (70 crackers for $12.31. Richmoor (800-423-3170; www.richmoor.com) offers 16 biscuits for $2.75. Or you can make your own. (see Hardtack recipe below)

Recipes

Snack

Hardtack

Recipe Ingredients

• 1 1/2 Cups milk 
• 4 Cups flour 
• 4 Tablespoons butter 
• 3 Teaspoons brown sugar 
• 1 1/2 Teaspoons salt

Serves: 12

It was hard and it was hardy. Union soldiers supposedly marched toward the South in 1861 with hardtack leftover from the War of 1812. These crackers, wrote one Civil War correspondent, were "hard as bricks and indestructibly unappetizing." The newer version is surprisingly good, but still hard as a brick.

At Home: Mix the ingredients into a dough and roll out to a thickness of about 1/2 inch. Cut into squares. Prick the squares with a fork or knife. Place them on a lightly greased baking pan and bake at 400 degrees F for 20 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Yield: 24 2 x 2-inch bars.

Calories: 101
Carbohydrates: 15.9
Cholesterol: 2.8
Dietary Fiber : .5
Fiber: .6
Protein: 2.5
Saturated Fat: 1.2
Sodium: 141
Total Fat: 2.8