Pages

Monday 23 August 2010

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!!!!

3 comments: