Recipe for Damper from Crikey Adventure Tours

Being a good old Aussie site, what better recipe to add than DAMPER. It is the traditional bread baked in the coals of an open fire, or in the camp oven. It is just as easily made in the ordinary oven of your stove.

Damper was the mainstay of the early settlers in Australia. They used water, bi-carbonate of soda and course flour - occasionally they would also add flour milled from wild seeds or nuts to make their flour last longer. Aborigines have been cooking this for many tens of thousands of years. When the white settlers introduced flour they readily took to this instead of collecting and milling the wild seeds. They wild seeds was much more nutritious but also very back breaking laborious work.

INGREDIENTS:Serves 2.

• 1 Cup Self Raising Flour
• 1/4 Cup Milk or Water (or combination)
• Pinch of Salt.

METHOD:

• Mix all ingredients into a firm dough. (Don't over work the dough, it should be as airy as possible).
• Shape and lightly dust the outside with flour.
• Cover with foil and bake in your oven at 180 degrees Celsius for about 30-40 minutes or until the loaf rises and makes a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom.

• Place the dough into a greased camp oven and cover with the lid. Cook on medium-hot coals with more hot coals on the lid. If there is wind blowing, build a windbreak or replace the coals regularly and pile up extra hot coals on the windward side as this will cool off and make the baking un-even. Perhaps turn the camp oven regularly to distribute the heat around the oven. Check after 25 minutes.

Excellent served with butter, jam, honey, golden syrup etc.

There are many variations to this basic recipe and maybe others may wish to contribute some.

For a savoury taste add onions, campsicum (peppers), grated cheese, bacon etc.

For sweet damper add honey, sultanas, nuts, jam, sugar etc.

Have a look at where Our Tours go in Western Australia where we often make damper.