HMS Invincible 1744 | Ships Biscuit Recipe

It's not quite Nigella, or British Bake Off worthy but, we do have a recipe for an authentic Ship's Biscuit!

Ship’s biscuit originated in the 16th century and later made in bulk at the victualling yards. The example in the photograph was preserved by one of 13 seamen who survived 6 days on a raft in 1940.

The recipe did not vary greatly over the years, and the key difference would be the flour. It would be difficult to produce a historically authentic biscuit from modern refined flour.

Traditional 17th century recipes tend to be written in the style of ‘take a great store of... [insert ingredient]’, so we've adapted it to a quantity that won't serve a ship!

Fancy having a go? We're not sure we can recommend it, and if you do, watch your teeth! 😂

📝The Recipe📝

🍞 To produce a similar plain ships biscuit, a coarse stone-ground wholemeal flour should be used.
💦 Add water to 1lb wholemeal flour and 1/4oz salt to make a stiff dough.
🔥 Separate in to 5 or 7 biscuits. Bake in a hot oven approx. 420 degrees F or 220 C for 30 minutes.
🍪The biscuits should then be left undisturbed in a warm dry atmosphere to harden and dry out.

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