Damper

Australian Damper

Damper is a simple Australian bush bread, traditionally baked in the ashes of a campfire or a camp oven. This home-oven version gives a dense, soft loaf with a crisp crust, best broken open and shared warm with butter and golden syrup.

Prep

15 min

Cook

30 min

Total

45 min

Serves

6

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •450 g (3¾ cups) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• •4 tsp baking powder
• •1 tsp fine salt
• •50 g (3½ tbsp) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes; plus extra for greasing
• •180 ml (¾ cup) full-fat milk, or water, or a mix
• •60 ml (¼ cup) water, plus extra if needed

Steps

1. 1 Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) and grease a baking tray or round cake tin with butter.
2. 2 In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
3. 3 Add the cold butter cubes and rub them into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
4. 4 Pour in the milk and water. Mix with a knife or your hands until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms. Add a splash more water if the dough is dry, or a little flour if it is too sticky.
5. 5 Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently for 1–2 minutes, just until smooth. Do not overwork it, or the damper will be tough.
6. 6 Shape the dough into a round loaf about 15 cm (6 inches) across. Place it on the prepared tray or in the tin.
7. 7 Use a sharp knife to cut a shallow cross into the top of the loaf, about 1 cm (½ inch) deep.
8. 8 Bake for 25–30 minutes, until the damper is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on the base. If it browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil.
9. 9 Remove from the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes on a wire rack. Serve warm, broken into pieces, with butter, jam or golden syrup.