Firecake or Fire cake was a type of quick bread eaten by soldiers in the French and Indian and the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

s. They were made from a mixture of

flour Flour is a powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many culture ...

water Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a ...

and

salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantitie ...

and baked on a rock in the fire or in the

ash Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...

es.

Ingredients

The firecake dough was made by mixing flour, water and salt, roughly in the proportions 2.3 parts flour to 1 part water, forming a thick damp dough."How to make firecakes." ''George Washington's Mount Vernon.''
Retrieved June 21, 2021.
Retrieved June 21, 2021.

Baking

The dough was formed into thick flat cakes the size of a hand. The cakes were then put on a flat stone and the stone was placed upright near the fire, or put in the ashes. After baking the firecakes were charred on the outside and doughy inside. For storage they were baked until dry and hard.''Army Logistician'' 8 (1976) 1, p. 27.

Usage

Firecakes were used as a not very popular substitute when the commissary failed to issue

bread Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made f ...

to the soldiers. They were then issued flour and had to make the bread themselves.Risch, Erna (1981). ''Supplying Washington's Army.'' Center of Military History, p. 195.

References

{{food stub Quick breads Military food History of food and drink 18th-century history of the British Army American Revolutionary War French and Indian War