I wonder if hardtack was a staple for the poor souls living in 536 A.D., the year that Harvard University medieval scholar Michael McCormick nominated as the worst for folks on Earth.

1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 cups buttermilk 4 cups white flour (or 3 cups medium rye flour, 1 cup white flour and 1-1/2 teaspoons caraway seed) Cream butter, margarine and sugar until ...