Arnott’s Anzac Biscuits
Slightly more palatable Anzac hardtack (clack clack) made by Arnott’s Biscuits Limited
City/Region: Australia | New Zealand
Time Period: 20th Century
These Anzac biscuits were part of the rations for the soldiers at Gallipoli, though they were often used as postcards or canvas for painting rather than as food. The severe rationing of water at Anzac Cove made the diet of hardtack (clack clack), dehydrated and/or salted food even more difficult to bear.
This recipe is the original one made by Arnott’s Biscuits Limited, and was posted by the Australian War Memorial. I wasn’t originally going to make it, but I couldn’t resist.
As hardtack, these biscuits are quite a bit harder than is ideal to eat. The flavor is a big improvement over plain hardtack with the addition of a little bit of powdered milk, sugar, and leavener. Though at the end of the day, it’s still hardtack.
Ingredients:
- 1 2/3 cups (200 g) self-raising flour*
- 3 1/3 cups (500 g) whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
- 3 tablespoons (20 g) powdered milk
- Scant 1 cup (220 ml) water
- A pinch of salt
*If you don’t have self-raising flour, add 2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder to regular flour.
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix the flours together. Mix in the sugar and powdered milk.
- Stir the salt into the water until it dissolves. Pour the water into the dry ingredients and work the dough until it comes together. It’s easier to use your hands for this. You may need to add more water to get it to form a dough, but only add a tiny bit at a time and don’t add any more than you need to. Knead the dough for a few minutes until it’s somewhat smooth. Cover and let it rest for 30 minutes.
- After resting, roll the dough out to 1/3” thick. Cut into 3 1/2” squares. Dock the biscuits, poking the holes all the way down. I used a chopstick for this. There’s a dispute on whether the holes should be 5x5, 6x6, or 7x7, so pick what feels right to you. I did 7x7. Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake on the bottom shelf of the oven for 40 minutes. After the 40 minutes, turn the oven off and let them cool inside of the oven.
- Allow them to harden up for at least a few days, but preferably a few months.
- Serve them forth plain (be careful not to break a tooth), or crush them up and mix them into other foods or soften with tea or water.