of coarse to semi-fine flour made of crushed saltine crackers, may be used as toppings for various dishes; breading for fried or baked poultry, fish or red meats; or as a thickener for meatloaf, soups, stews, sauces, and chilis. As a home remedy, saltines are consumed by many people in order to ease nausea, diarrhea (see bland diet), and to settle an upset stomach. Saltine crackers have also been frequently included in military field rations (Meal, Ready-to-Eat, or MRE) in the United States. Baking process Saltines have been compared to hardtack, a simple unleavened cracker or biscuit made from flour, water, and sometimes salt. However, unlike hardtack, saltines include yeast as one of their ingredients. Soda crackers are a leavened bread that is allowed to rise for twenty to thirty hours. After the rise, alkaline soda is added to neutralize the excessive acidity produced by the action of the yeast. The dough is allowed to rest for three to four more hours, to relax the gluten, before being rolled in layers and then baked. Flat saltine crackers have perforations on their surfaces. During baking, the outer layer of the dough hardens first, restricting out-gassing of evolved gasses. The perforations connect the top surface to the bottom surface to prevent the cracker from pillowing as a result of these evolved gasses. See also Cream cracker Oyster cracker Genericized trademark Hardtack List of crackers Matzo Saltine cracker challenge Water biscuit References Crackers (food)