Damper (Australian Campfire Bread)
Damper is Australian bushman's bread, made while camping or "waltzing matilda" (carrying a swag around looking for work). It is meant to be made outside by a campfire.
- Prep
- 23 min
- Cook
- 55 min
- Total
- 1 hr 18 min
- Servings
- As written in source
- Difficulty
- Medium
Timings are approximate — worked out from the method, not measured in a test kitchen.
Ingredients
Quantities are retained as written by the source and do not scale automatically. Tap an ingredient to check it off as you go.
Cooking instructions
Procedure
Add salt to flour.
Procedure
Add water, then mix and form into a round loaf.
Procedure
Dig a 1 foot-deep hole near a fire, and fill it with 2 shovels of hot coals and ash.
Procedure
Add damper mixture to a greased camp oven (traditional cast iron round pot with lid).
Procedure
Cook in the hole for a maximum of 40 minutes. If undercooked it will be flat and rubbery.
Procedure
Your first try may be inedible. Keep trying, you'll soon be an expert.
Notes, tips, and variations
This cookbook also has a Drover's damper recipe.
Notes, tips, and variations
You can do this in a barbecue grill with the mixture in greased metal foil as well. During cooking, damper increases in volume by ⅓ to ½, so allow room for expansion.
Notes, tips, and variations
If you aren't outdoors, just add mixture to greased oven tray and bake in a moderate oven for 30–40 minutes.
Photo: N.Goodwin · CC BY 3.0 · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0 · Photo source and licence
Wikibooks contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ · Adapted; quantities retained as written. · Original source
Read it through first
Skim all 9 steps before you start — it is the difference between cooking and firefighting.
Scale it
Use the quantities listed in the original recipe. Adjust them manually if making a different batch size.
Storage
Cool completely, then keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
Reheating
Reheat gently with a splash of water in a covered pan, rather than blasting it, so nothing dries out.
Nutrition information is not available for this recipe yet.
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