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Australia, Camping

Campfire Damper

Australia's classic bush bread: a simple dough of flour, baking powder, butter and milk, baked in a cast-iron camp oven buried in the coals until crusty outside and fluffy inside.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time37 min
DifficultyEasy
About servingsDamper was the bread of 19th-century Australian stockmen and travellers; Aboriginal peoples were grinding seeds and grains and baking breads in the coals long before that. The camp oven and coals are extremely hot: always use a lid lifter or heatproof gloves, and drown the coals completely with water before you leave.

Method

  1. Build a generous wood fire in a fire ring and let it burn for 45 to 60 minutes, until the flames die down and you have a thick bed of glowing coals. Keep water nearby, away from tents and branches. Meanwhile, lightly grease the inside of your camp oven (cast-iron Dutch oven) and dust it with a little flour.

  2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt well. Mixing them at home in a zip bag saves time.

    Add in this stepPlain (all-purpose) flour 200 gBaking powder 2½ tspSalt ½ tsp

  3. Add the cold butter in small pieces and rub it into the flour with your fingertips for about 2 minutes, until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Work quickly so the butter doesn't melt.

    Add in this stepCold butter 30 g

  4. Make a well in the centre and pour in the milk. Mix with a butter knife, using a cutting motion, until you have a soft, slightly sticky dough with no dry flour left. Stop as soon as it comes together; overworked damper turns tough.

    Add in this stepMilk (or water) 140 ml

  5. Turn the dough onto a floured board or a clean sheet of foil and fold it over gently just 5 or 6 times, then shape it into a round about 4 to 5 cm high. Cut a cross about 1 cm deep in the top with a knife and dust with the rest of the flour.

    Add in this stepFlour, for dusting 1 tbsp

  6. Put the dough in a 20 cm camp oven and put the lid on. Shovel aside some coals to make a shallow bed, set the oven on it and pile more coals on the lid than underneath (about one third below, two thirds on top). Bake over charcoal (medium heat) for , giving the oven a half turn halfway through with gloves on. Don't bury the oven deep in the coals or the bottom will burn.

    charcoal (medium heat)

  7. Brush the ash off the lid and open it carefully with a lid lifter or thick gloves. The damper is done when it is golden, sounds hollow when tapped underneath and a skewer pushed into the centre comes out clean. Lift it out, wrap it in a clean tea towel and leave for so the crust softens slightly.

  8. Tear or cut it while warm, spread with butter and pour over plenty of golden syrup.

    Add in this stepButter, to serve to tasteGolden syrup (or honey) to taste

Cook's tip

Coals that are too hot burn the crust before the middle cooks: you should be able to hold your hand 20 cm above them for about 5 seconds. If it's still doughy, put the lid back on and bake 5 minutes more at a time. A handful of sultanas, chopped herbs or grated cheese can go in with the milk.

Cooking it at camp

At home, bake it on a lined tray in an oven preheated to 200 °C for 25 to 30 minutes, or in a lidded cast-iron pot at the same temperature. It's done when golden and hollow-sounding.