Pilot Bread Anyone?

Does anyone else know about Pilot Bread?



I love this stuff! I keep several boxes around at all times. I've even made impromptu "pizzas" with sauce, pepperoni, and cheese in my toaster oven! They also taste great with peanut butter, and never seen to go bad.



I've seen them sold in cans online, but I've only seen them for sale in boxes like the picture above.

Apparently, it's basically "hardtack"

Here's some ways to make hardtack, it seems like a very stable way to preserve carbohydrates.

I found this video about including Pilot Bread in survival kits:

It's a time-proven shelf-stable food, and it goes well with soups, stews, and spreads. It's also great with Nutella as a "desert" or treat!

how long does it keep? perfect for the preppers thanks for sharing

Originally posted by Johnny76
how long does it keep? perfect for the preppers thanks for sharing

edit on 29-3-2013 by Johnny76 because: (no reason given)

this image from wikipedia, claims that it is the oldest known hardtack. From the 1850's. oO



Put that in your macdonalds propaganda video and eat it!!! Oo

As long as they don't get wet, I've eaten 2-3 year old pilot bread!

I actually vacum seal some with other dehydrated soup materials for a quick meal when camping! It's really good actually with top ramen

Because it's not salted, it can be a medium and carrier for all sorts of flavors. It goes great with Pho broth and a little Siracha!

As I said before, I've made pizzas with them and eaten them with Nutella and powdered sugar as a desert. They are very versatile and last forever!

The survival part of the history of this bread...

It was a great source for meal worms to grow and therefore became an important source of protein for travelers...especially sailors.

Not difficult to make but best to store as a dry base (just add water) as well as a finished base (when no water is readily available). Almost like bannock.

Peace.

I'm not sure about worms, I suppose in a hot, humid environment that may become a problem...

It's called many names -- sailor boys, Eskimo cookies, hockey pucks and qa-qu-lik-daqs (something "like bread).

In the Arctic it's called "'qaqqulaaq" (Inupiaq for "sailor boy"), on Little Diomede they are sometimes called Diomede Donuts (since people there "eat them like cops eat donuts"). "Postmodern Eskimo" blogger Patti Oksoktaruk Lillie, from White Mountain, calls it "Native biscotti."

It is, of course, the Sailor Boy Pilot Bread Cracker. And perhaps no other humble saltine has inspired such fervor.

Link

And for Sci-Fi fans..

Pilot Bread has also been prominently featured in episodes of two television shows, Stargate SG-1 and MacGyver.

Link

Forgot how to embed videos, but here is a vid on how to make wild cattail flour in a pinch. You could make cattail hardtack m.youtube.com...#/watch?v=53-sly0bQRc&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D53-sly0bQRc

reply to post by gunshooter


Thanks for the idea! I've never seen what we call cat tail that thick around here. Yarrow does grow, and I wonder if it could be used instead?

reply to post by winofiend


What we call "beef jerky" and hardtack is what the sailors that colonized the Americas ate!

Then again, they did suffer from scurvy. I suppose you'd have to find some source of vitamin C some place. Berries would be a good source of ascorbic acid (blueberries, rose hips, raspberries)

Make your own hardtack, smoke/dry your own meat/fish to make jerky, and jar/can your own berry jelly. Not the healthiest diet, but it does provide vitamins, protein, and carbohydrates!

Interesting stuff and would compliment my Yoder's canned bacon very nicely. campingsurvival.com...
I had my doubts about canned bacon so I bought two tins. One to sample and one to stock. I was impressed and ordered 4 more.

Add a little canned cheese and you're ready to rock and roll.

I will certainly give pilot bread a try.....

Canned pilot bread can last 30 years or more in the right storage IE: Dark, 50 degrees
When i was in the army in the 80s our (C rats) came with cans of hard tack crackers from the 60's and they were fresh, although not very tasty

Excellent choice though for sustainable foods

reply to post by jibeho


Someone with your avatar should never have canned bacon..

Hard tack...oh boy...but hey, in a pinch, not a bad idea.

reply to post by MystikMushroom


Vitamin C is readily available - if you know where to get it. Spruce and Pine trees are lousy with Vitamin C if you steep the needles or small twigs. The tea isn't half bad - and I don't like tea.

More interesting tree info.

This link is to a Canadian pamphlet; I live in the Rockies, so it applies to many trees around me. May not apply to your area.

Very interesting. I'm going to watch the video. SNF

Pretty cool stuff. I didnt know that pilot bread was so heavily used in Alaska.