Hard biscuit
Hard biscuits are biscuits that are hard, difficult to break and, if stored appropriately, will last for years. They are made from a dough that is low in fat and sugar, which is rolled, cut out and intensely pinned (provided with small punctures) before baking to avoid the formation of bubbles. In terms of taste, hard biscuits are best compared to shortbread biscuits, see biscuit # biscuits from hard biscuit dough .
Because of their long shelf life, hard biscuits are classed as long-life baked goods . They have very low water content and are generally not prone to microbial spoilage . As inexpensive, easily storable and transportable baked goods, they are used by the armed forces of many countries for field catering , but are also suitable for hiking or other civil purposes.
history
Already in the Roman Empire there was a "Panis militaris", which served the soldiers as long-life food as food for the journey. Repeated baking (hence the term " rusk ") reduced the water content.
From the 17th to the mid-19th centuries, hard biscuits were preferably made from rye flour , while later the use of wheat flour became common.
Before the invention of the tin cans, hardtack or ship's biscuits were a main component of catering in the military, shipping and long journeys. For reasons of better shelf life, however, these hard biscuits contained neither sugar nor fat and were flat, hard bars or plate-sized slices that were only edible after immersion in liquid.
Long-life baked goods of this type were also used as ship's provisions and were called ship's rusks , maneuver rusks or hard bread . The association with today's forms of dry, but relatively loose and directly edible rusk is misleading.
Usage today
Modern hard biscuits contain fat and sugar and are packed in oxygen-tight packaging to increase their shelf life. They are used as special food for nutritional aid, to feed soldiers and as expedition food. In contrast to historical recipes, they are hard, but directly edible.
In the Bundeswehr , the hard biscuit is contained in one-man packs in packs of 125 g. It is rectangular, with the approximate dimensions of 4 cm × 5 cm × 0.5 cm. The light brown, undecorated and slightly sweet-tasting hard biscuits are made from wheat flour, sugar, approx. 12% partially hydrogenated vegetable fats, dextrose, salt and raising agents (sodium hydrogen carbonate, ammonium hydrogen carbonate, sodium metabisulphite) and have a long shelf life in their airtight packaging. Packages that have drawn air spoil quickly and the biscuits develop an unpleasant odor of rancid fat.
Hard biscuits are available in specialist shops for trekking supplies that have similar dimensions, consistency, color and taste to the Bundeswehr version. Other designs, for example in a round shape, are also available.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Udo Hanneforth: Production of fine baked goods. In: Wilfried Seibel (Ed.): Fine baked goods. 2nd Edition. Behr, Hamburg 2001, ISBN 3-86022-852-8 , p. 133 ff.
- ↑ Gottfried Spicher: Packaging and storage. In: Wilfried Seibel (Ed.): Fine baked goods. 2nd Edition. Behr, Hamburg 2001, ISBN 3-86022-852-8 , p. 190
- ↑ Donaukurier : Fett feathers the armor , March 30, 2008
- ^ Hardtack Is Easy to Make, Hard to Eat, Washington Post, December 12, 2004; Page PW08, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46037-2004Dec8.html