Having an emergency stockpile is important.
Whether you’re anticipating extreme weather events, natural disasters, or economic collapse, having a stockpile of food will bring you peace of mind and may keep your family protected.
You don’t have to rely on store-bought products, grains and seeds for your emergency food supply either – you can also store invaluable nutritious baked goods made at home.
Here are thirteen of the longest lasting baked goods to add to your stockpile.
13 Longest Lasting Baked Goods to Stock Up on Now
Remember – any baked goods that you want to last as long as possible should either be stored in the freezer (if possible) or in an airtight container in a cool, dark, dry place.
1. Hardtack
A civil war-era staple ration that was used to power thousands of troops, hardtack is an old-school survival food that is still used for emergency preparation to this day.
When it comes to baked goods that will last, hardtack should be the first on your stockpile.
Hardtack is made up of 3 simple ingredients – flour, salt, and water – that are formed into a dough and baked until firm. Because its composition is so simple, it can last for years at a time, and possibly indefinitely.
While the taste of hardtack may not be interesting, its value in an emergency situation certainly is.
Keep in mind that while it lasts a long time it is not nutrient dense.
Shelf life: hardtack has a shelf-life that lasts decades, depending on composition and storage conditions
2. Pemmican
Another classic survival food is pemmican, an energy-rich, calorie-dense food made of dried meat, berries, and animal fats, though there are plenty of variations on the recipe.
For centuries it was used by indigenous peoples across North America.
While pemmican is not baked in the conventional sense, modern pemmican makers will often dry out their meat and berries in the oven before forming the mixture.
Shelf life: between 3 to 5 years at room temperature, lasts decades when frozen
3. Matzo Bread
Matzo, or matzah, is an unleavened bread that is a staple part of the Jewish religious tradition. It’s also an amazing emergency food that has kept people full in times of need for thousands of years.
Like hardtack, it is a flour-based product that can last years at a time, making it an essential stockpile item. It can be purchased in packaged form, but is easy to make at home with flour, water, olive oil, and kosher salt.
Shelf life: 2 to 3 years
4. Fruit Cake / Fruit Bread
If the previous stockpile foods haven’t whetted your appetite, maybe these will. Fruitcake and fruit bread aren’t just eaten for survival – they still appear on tables in millions of households around the world.
Fruitcake has an unusually long shelf life compared to your average cake mixture.
It contains large amounts of sugar, fruit, and alcohol, all of which help to preserve it. Low moisture content also means less chance for toxic bacterias to reproduce.
Shelf life: While the USDA recommends storing fruitcake in the freezer for up to a year, many people will keep it for years at a time and consume it with no ill-effects.
5. Anzac Biscuits
Here’s another military tradition that will greatly benefit your emergency stockpile. Anzac biscuits were hardtack-style biscuits that were issued to Australian and New Zealand soldiers during the first world war.
Though the recipe has changed considerably over the years (and tastes a lot better than hardtack) they still have an excellent shelf life comparative to most sweet biscuits.
Modern Anzac biscuits include rolled oats, golden syrup, and desiccated coconut, though you can bake batches that are closer to the original recipe and will have a longer shelf life thanks to the Australian government.
Shelf life: Modern Anzac’s can be stored between 2 to 4 months if stored correctly, traditional Anzac’s for up to a year
6. Biscotti
Biscotti is a traditional Italian almond biscuit that is often paired with coffee and wine.
While these crunchy treats are delicious, they were also historically carried as a staple food by Italian sailors, soldiers, and travelers due to their long shelf-life.
Biscotti is baked twice, giving them an unusually low moisture content that helps to preserve them much longer than the average cookie. It is relatively easy to make at home, though the baking process may take a little practice.
Shelf life: modern biscotti will last at least 3 months when frozen
7. Granola
Making granola is an easy and rewarding process that will bulk up your emergency stockpile with one of the tastiest breakfast foods.
Granola is a crunchy mix of oats, nuts, seeds, dried fruits, and a natural sweetener (usually honey or maple syrup) that are tossed together and baked until crispy.
The end result is a delicious, nutritious, calorie bomb breakfast that you and your family can rely on in tough times.
Shelf life: 6-12 months
8. Ration Bars
Also known as ‘survival bars,’ ration bars are a type of bar designed to help people make it through emergency, survival, and disaster situations.
Ration bars offer compact, nutrient-rich, calorie-dense, shelf stable food that can last you months or even years at a time.
Ration bars are fairly easy to make and recipes can vary widely. They usually consist of a healthy balance of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.
Some common ingredients include oats, protein powder, honey, seeds, peanut butter, etc.
Shelf life: up to 1 year in the freezer
9. Granola Bars
If you love granola and don’t like the sound of ration bars, granola bars will be a perfect snack for your stockpile, since you already have the main ingredient.
Like granola they are shelf stable and packed with healthy fats and carbs, providing energy over long periods.
You can either start your granola recipe from scratch, or take a portion of the granola you have already stockpiled and add a little more honey/maple syrup and even some melted peanut butter.
Press the wet mixture tightly into a pan and bake until browned and crispy, and cut into bars once cooled.
Shelf life: homemade granola has a much shorter shelf life than store-bought, but can last for more than a year when frozen
10. Survival Crackers
Today we associate crackers with cheese boards and snackpacks, but for a long time they were anything but. Original crackers – small, hard pieces of flatbread – were a shelf-stable survival food. For some, they still are.
Survival crackers are much like their historic counterparts and are also very similar to hardtack. These crackers are made with cornmeal or bulgur flour, salt, and water. The mixture is rolled out thinly, poked with holes and baked through.
Shelf life: 2 to 5 years in ideal storage conditions
11. Pumpernickel Bread
Pumpernickel bread is a dark bread made of sourdough starter and ground rye, which can be soft or hard depending on the recipe you use. It has a rich, hearty flavor and is packed with nutrients.
While its shelf-life may not be as long as other breads on this list, it still lasts for an exceptionally long time when wrapped up and stored away from light and moisture.
And in my opinion it’s the best-tasting bread on this list, making it an invaluable stockpile addition.
Shelf life: 1 to 3 months in ideal storage conditions
12. Bannock
Another universal bread with roots in survival and subsistence living is bannock, a type of unleavened flatbread from Scotland that was later adopted by indigenous peoples in North America.
Traditionally, Scottish-style bannock was made with oats, wholewheat flour and buttermilk, more like a scone or biscuit than bread.
In North America, bannock is more like a crispy fry-bread. In both cases they are easy to make, calorie-dense, and have a stable shelf life.
Shelf life: it depends on your recipe, but with minimal oil bannock bread can last for months if stored properly
13. Peanut Brittle
It’s true, we might be stretching the definition of “baked” here, but peanut brittle is a pretty good (and delicious) homemade sweet that can be added to your emergency stockpile.
Peanut brittle is a hard candy made from peanuts, sugar, corn syrup, and water.
While it is not typically associated with emergency preparedness, it has a longer shelf life than most foods and is worth considering for your stockpile.
Make sure to keep away from any moisture to extend its shelf life as much as possible.
Shelf life: 4 to 6 months when stored properly
