Recipe

amha, Nov 9, 3:12am
Does anyone have a recipe for a Damper please? Made them when Guiding years ago...forgotten! I know it is fairly basic but want it to be correct. Thank you.

rosathemad, Nov 9, 3:23am
We just used scone dough - generally from the Edmonds cookbook but any will do. :-)

amha, Nov 9, 3:30am
Rosathemad...thank you. Amha

cookessentials, Nov 9, 4:12am
Damper

450g self-raising flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
90g butter
125mlmilk
125mlwater
extra flour

Sift flour and salt into bowl, rub in butter until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, fairly even in size.
Make a well in centre of dry ingredients, add combined water and milk all at once; mix lightly with sharp knife in cutting motion. Turn out on to lightly floured surface; knead lightly.
Knead dough into round, place on greased oven tray. Pat dough out to a 15cm circle. With sharp knife, cut two slits across dough like a cross, approximately 1cm deep. Brush top of dough with milk, sift a little extra flour over dough. Bake at 230C for 10 minutes or until golden brown, reduce heat to 180C, cook a further 15 minutes.

beaker59, Nov 9, 4:30am
We just used to use SR flour salt and water make a stif dough wrap around stick and hold over fire until charred on the outside but still raw in the middle, or til golden and nice then eat with butter. Still do it on the occasional hunting trip if staying in hut with open fire.

lala2, Nov 9, 5:19am
I have made this and it is very nice.
CARROT AND HERB DAMPER
2c self raising flour
45g butter, grated
1c grated carrot
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1/2c grated cheese
2 tbsp chopped fresh herbs
1 tspn salt
1/2 tspn pepper
3/4c milk

Preheat oven to 200C(180 fan forced). Greasea flat baking tray. Sift four into bowl and rub in butter. Add carrot, onion, cheese and herbs. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the top, pour in milk and mix till it comes together. Knead lightly for about 30sec. Form into a ball and place on tray, flatten to 3cm thick. Score top into wedges. Dust with flour and bake 30-35min or until hollow when tapped.

lala2, Nov 9, 5:50am
another one that we had with some soup, even the children said it was yummy and I had to agree. It is out of the july '10 Recipes+ magazine.
Spinach and Cheese Damper
!/2x250g frozen spinach, thawed
2c self raising flour
50g butter, chopped
1/2c grated tasty cheese
1/2c milk

preheat oven to 220C/200C fan forced. Grease baking tray. Squeeze excess liquid from spinach. Chop coarsley.
Sift flour into a bowl. Rub in butter. Stir in spinach and cheese, reserving 1 tbspn of the cheese. Make a well in centre. Whisk milk and 1/2c water in a medium jug. Pour into dry ingredients, reserving 1 Tbsp on the milk mixture. Mix to a soft sticky dough. Pour out onto a lightly floured surface, knead till smooth.(I found this almost impossible as it was so sticky). Divide into 8 portions and shape into a ball. Place on prepared tray and brush with reserved milk. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 12-15min.

lala2, Nov 9, 5:51am
thats ment to be 1/2 of a pack of 250g frozen spinach.

elliehen, Nov 9, 8:20am
ORIGINAL DAMPER BREAD
This is a traditional Australian bread that can be cooked in a Dutch oven, but is best baked on the hot coals of a fire.
Makes 1 large loaf: Prep time 10 mins: Cooking time 30 mins
4 cups /480g plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbs butter
1&1/2 cups/360ml milk or reconstituted powdered milk

Mix flour and salt in a large bowl.Rub in the butter till breadcrumb texture.Make a well in the centre and slowly pour in the milk, stirring to combine until you have a firm dough.
Place the dough on a floured baking mat and knead into a round shape.Place on a greased baking sheet or sheet of foil and, using a knife, make a criss-cross in the top of the dough.

Bake in a Dutch oven sitting on hot ashes of a campfire for about 30 minutes, until golden brown.Alternatively, you can place the dough on a griddle directly on top of the hot embers.Serve warm with butter and honey.

From: "The Ultimate Outdoor & Camping Cookbook" by Don and Pam Philpott, Cameron House 2005, ISBN 1 920743 22 7

There are also recipes for Trail Bread, Bannock, Indian Fry Bread - great recipes for the outdoors.

elliehen, Nov 9, 9:44pm
Add a few sultanas next time for gourmet damper ;)

cookessentials, Nov 9, 9:52pm
Dampers by Keith Garvey

Knew a bloke once called Damper Dan
Remember the bludger well I can
And his dampers
Bottomless moleskins hangin' slack
Tin of treacle, sticky and black,
Heap of flour in a dirty sack
For dampers

Always camped by a bore-drains flow
Whiskery and greasy and foul and low
Eatin' dampers
Never would buy a loaf of bread
'Too bloody dear' he always said
Cooked every day like lumps of lead
Heavy dampers

Down he'd sit with a toothless grin
Mixin' the dough in a gallon tin
For dampers
Over his bulgin' bottom lip
Nicotine and slobber would slip
Run down his pipe and slowly drip
In the damper (to top)

Bore-drain water and weevily flour
Welded into a mixture sour
For damper
Stick to yer ribs and clog yer pipes
Give the goes as well as the gripes
And he'd say, 'She's a lovely feed, by cripes
Bonzer damper'

Beef or mutton he wouldn't touch
Brownie or cake he didn't like much
Only damper
'Nothin' he'd say, 'like good clean flour
Never gets stale or mouldy or sour
Nothin' gives yer muscular power
Like damper'

Follered his funeral without regret
Went where there's plenty of heat, I'll bet
For dampers
And it's safe to bet the devil could tell
How he sits all day by the hearth of hell
With his sack of flour and his evil smell
Cookin' dampers.....Soddy bloody dampers

cookessentials, Nov 9, 9:54pm
Taken from
http://www.oldaussierecipes.com/breadsconesbuns.htm and a recipe to follow:
Aussie Damper

Normally made in a camp oven which is a cast pot and lid. The mix is placed inside, lid put on and entire covered in hot wood coals till baked. Camp oven sometimes placed in a hole dug in the ground and surrounded in hot wood coals till cooked.

Ingredients

2 cups self raising flour

8 oz milk (normally powdered)

1/2 tsp salt

Home Method

Mix flour and salt. Make well in the centre and add milk, mixing with a knife to form a moist dough. Turn into a greased 7" tin. Bake in a hot oven for 25 minutes, then turn onto wire cooling tray.

Variations can be the addition of either sultanas, dried fruit, herbs, sugar, 2oz butter, lemon, sugar, etc

cookessentials, Nov 9, 9:55pm
It is worth taking a note of the website, they have fantastic old Australian recipes if you are ever wanting them.

amha, Nov 13, 1:15am
Thank you all so much for the many great recipes for the common old Damper. Loved the Oz poem!!! Will print out some which look amazing. My daughter tried the Edmonds recipe ... was happy with it.
You are an incredible community out there!

amha, Nov 9, 3:12am
Does anyone have a recipe for a Damper please! Made them when Guiding years ago.forgotten! I know it is fairly basic but want it to be correct. Thank you.

amha, Nov 9, 3:30am
Rosathemad.thank you for Damper hint.

lala2, Nov 9, 5:50am
another one that we had with some soup, even the children said it was yummy and I had to agree. It is out of the july '10 Recipes+ magazine.
Spinach and Cheese Damper
!/2x250g frozen spinach, thawed
2c self raising flour
50g butter, chopped
1/2c grated tasty cheese
1/2c milk

preheat oven to 220C/200C fan forced. Grease baking tray. Squeeze excess liquid from spinach. Chop coarsley.
Sift flour into a bowl. Rub in butter. Stir in spinach and cheese, reserving 1 tbspn of the cheese. Make a well in centre. Whisk milk and 1/2c water in a medium jug. Pour into dry ingredients, reserving 1 Tbsp on the milk mixture. Mix to a soft sticky dough. Pour out onto a lightly floured surface, knead till smooth.(I found this almost impossible as it was so sticky). Divide into 8 portions and shape into a ball. Place on prepared tray and brush with reserved milk. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 12-15min.

cookessentials, Nov 9, 9:52pm
Dampers by Keith Garvey

Knew a bloke once called Damper Dan
Remember the bludger well I can
And his dampers
Bottomless moleskins hangin' slack
Tin of treacle, sticky and black,
Heap of flour in a dirty sack
For dampers

Always camped by a bore-drains flow
Whiskery and greasy and foul and low
Eatin' dampers
Never would buy a loaf of bread
'Too bloody dear' he always said
Cooked every day like lumps of lead
Heavy dampers

Down he'd sit with a toothless grin
Mixin' the dough in a gallon tin
For dampers
Over his bulgin' bottom lip
Nicotine and slobber would slip
Run down his pipe and slowly drip
In the damper (to top)

Bore-drain water and weevily flour
Welded into a mixture sour
For damper
Stick to yer ribs and clog yer pipes
Give the goes as well as the gripes
And he'd say, 'She's a lovely feed, by cripes
Bonzer damper'

Beef or mutton he wouldn't touch
Brownie or cake he didn't like much
Only damper
'Nothin' he'd say, 'like good clean flour
Never gets stale or mouldy or sour
Nothin' gives yer muscular power
Like damper'

Follered his funeral without regret
Went where there's plenty of heat, I'll bet
For dampers
And it's safe to bet the devil could tell
How he sits all day by the hearth of hell
With his sack of flour and his evil smell
Cookin' dampers.Soddy bloody dampers

amha, Nov 13, 1:15am
Thank you all so much for the many great recipes for the common old Damper. Loved the Oz poem! Will print out some which look amazing. My daughter tried the Edmonds recipe . was happy with it.
You are an incredible community out there!

bev00, Nov 13, 11:46am
dampers for the camping season