Australian Bread

Hi everyone

While browsing through one of my cook books the other day, I came across a recipe which I had not used for many, many years.  It was a favourite when camping.  And I have been making my own bread lately, so I thought I would give it a whirl last night to go with the soup I had cooking.  So I reduced the recipe to make a small loaf just for two.

This is only about 1/4 size of a normal loaf.

Crusty crust and bready style inside

We loved adding sultanas and using for a dessert like scones

Yummy with lots of butter or jam, honey, etc, etc etc

We use to make this in a heavy cast-iron camp oven (huge lidded cast iron pot)

Put in the coals of a fire

And eaten warm in about 1/2 hour

Damper was traditionally made with only flour and water (ingredients readily available to swaggies and settlers out bush) and cooked directly in the coals of a campfire.  More info can be found here

Damper recipes are endless

Add what you like

Make it a sweet, savoury or just plain

Here is a basic recipe

DAMPER

4 cups self-raising flour

1 tsp salt

100g butter, cubed

2 cups milk

Mix flour and salt together

Rub the butter through with your fingertips

Add almost all the milk and mix to soft dough, adding rest of the milk if required

At this stage add any options you would like

Knead lightly on floured board and shape into round form

Bake in a hot oven for 25-30 minutes

Yummo eaten warm

Another use for damper is a bowl for a warm dip

The damper top is cut off about 1/3 of the way down

Inside scooped/cut out, retain and cut into dippy size pieces

Mix dip (spinach/cream cheese is one of my favourites) and place in damper bowl

Heat the damper bowl and the pieces cut out in oven till warm

Break pieces off the side of damper and use to dip

No cleaning up as bowl and dip get eaten!!!!