8 Survival bread recipes for preppers

In a survival situation, bread can keep up your energy because of the carbohydrates it provides. It also makes a good survival food because it can be paired with virtually any ingredient, including meat, cheese and jam, to make a quick and easy meal.

But instead of buying processed bread that contains additives and preservatives that are bad for your health, make your own from scratch.

Here are eight easy survival bread recipes that you can make at home: (h/t to PreppersSurvive.com)

1. Australian damper

Australian damper is a coarse, unleavened bread first made by settlers in their campfire ovens.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
• 1 cup milk or water
• 5 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon butter

Preparation:

1. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.
2. Add milk and butter. Mix well until a dough forms.
3. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface. Wrap it in a double layer of greased foil.
4. Place the covered dough in the coals of a campfire. If using an oven, bake it for 30 minutes at 350 F.

2. Bannock

Bannock is a dense flatbread that originated from Scotland in the mid-16th century. The bread eventually found its way into Canada and North America, where it was picked up by Native Americans.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Water
• Lard

Preparation:

1. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add lard, then slowly add water until the mixture looks like putty.
2. Grease a cast iron pan and let it warm on the stove. Pour the batter into the pan. You shouldn’t hear any hiss or sizzle. If that’s the case, your pan is too hot and you need to let it cool.
3. The batter will start to look like bread after a few minutes. Flip it using a spatula. Keep flipping until the bread forms a brown crust.

3. Hardtack

Hardtack is a simple shelf-stable cracker that can be eaten on its own or paired with spreads and cured meats. It’s available in most grocery stores, but you can also easily make it at home.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups flour
• 2 cups water
• 4 teaspoons salt

Preparation:

• Preheat the oven to 375 F.
• Mix the flour and water in a bowl until a dough forms.
• Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll it until it’s half an inch thick.
• Cut the dough into three-inch squares. Poke three rows of four holes on the surface of each square.
• Place the squares on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes. Flip and bake again for 30 minutes.

4. Soda bread

Instead of yeast, this Irish bread relies on baking soda to make it rise. It was traditionally cooked in an iron pot over an open flame. Here’s how to make it:

Ingredients:

• 3 3/4 cups flour
• 2 cups cold buttermilk
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 430 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Slowly add buttermilk. Mix until thick.
3. Gently knead the dough on a lightly floured surface no more than eight times. Shape it into a ball.
4. Place the dough on the baking sheet. Cut a cross on the surface using a serrated knife.
5. Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 390 F and continue baking for 20 minutes.

5. Sponge cake

Sponge cake is a light cake made with egg whites, flour and sugar. It dates back to the Renaissance.

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs, separated
• 1 cup sugar, separated
• 1 cup cake flour

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two nine-inch cake pans with parchment paper.
2. Mix the egg whites and 1/2 cup sugar in a bowl. Beat until very stiff.
3. Mix the egg yolks and remaining sugar in another bowl. Beat until very thick.
4. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the egg white mixture. Add the flour in batches and mix well.
5. Pour the batter into the cake pans. Bake for 30 minutes.

6. Survival bar

Survival bars are a great addition to your survival rations because they are high in calories and nutrients. They also have a long shelf life. (Related: Prepper recipes: How to make survival energy bars.)

Here’s how to make survival bars with oats and chia seeds:

Ingredients:

• 6 scoops protein powder
• 6 cups steel-cut oats
• 1 cup raw honey
• 1 cup coconut oil
• 10 tablespoons organic peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons hemp flour
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds

Preparation:

1. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.
2. Mix the wet ingredients in another bowl. Quickly heat over the stove to melt the peanut butter.
3. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture. Mix well until it is hard and crumbly.
4. Spread the mixture evenly onto a baking sheet. Freeze for 12 hours.
5. Slice the frozen mixture into bars. Vacuum-seel the bars individually and store them in a cool, dark place.

7. Tamale

Tamale is a steamed bundle of dough wrapped in a corn husk. It originated in Mesoamerica from as early as 8,000 to 5,000 B.C., when warriors and hunters would pack them for sustenance on their long journeys.

Here’s how to make tamales:

Ingredients:

• 20 dried corn husks
• 1 1/2 cups masa harina (corn flour)
• 1 cup stock
• 6 tablespoons lard
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Preparation:

1. Soak the corn husks in hot water. Set aside.
2. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Slowly add the stock until a shaggy dough forms.
3. Place the lard and butter in another bowl. Mix for 2 minutes using a hand mixer on medium-high speed.
4. Add half of the shaggy dough to the lard and butter mixture and mix well. Add the remaining dough and mix again until a smoother dough forms.
5. Drain the corn husks and pat dry.
6. Place 2 to 3 tablespoons of the dough on the lower-left portion of each corn husk. Spread evenly.
7. Place 2 to 3 tablespoons of your preferred filling on the center of each corn husk. You can use vegetables, meats and cheeses.
8. Fold the dough onto and seal the edges. The resulting product should look like a cocoon. Roll the corn husk around the cocoon. Fold the bottom portion of the corn husk upwards. Repeat this process using the remaining corn husks.
9. Place the tamales in the steamer vertically with the folded bottom portion facing down. Cover them with more corn husks to keep water from dripping into the open ends. Steam for 60 to 75 minutes.

8. Trench cake

Trench cake is a fruit cake that came about as a result of World War I. People in the United Kingdom would send the cake to their loved ones who were fighting in the trenches, hence the cake’s name.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/3 cup and 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/3 cup and 1 tablespoon raisins or other dried fruits
• 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• Spices

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a cake pan.
2. Mix the flour and cocoa powder in a bowl. Add butter and mix well.
3. Add the baking soda, vinegar, milk, sugar and raisins. Add your desired spices.
4. Pour the batter into the cake pan. Bake for 1 hour.

By baking your own bread, you have control over the ingredients that go into your bread. Plus, learning how to make bread from scratch means you can have freshly baked bread even when SHTF.

Go to NaturalNewsRecipes.com for more survival recipes.

Sources include:

PreppersSurvive.com

AnOffGridLife.com

RecipeTinEats.com

UrbanSurvivalSite.com