Cookbook:Damper (Australian Campfire Bread)

| Cuisine of Australia

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.

Ingredients

 * 1 large cup self-raising flour
 * 1 generous pinch salt
 * scant ¼ cup water (more and it will be as tough as an old boot)

Procedure

 * 1) Add salt to flour.
 * 2) Add water, then mix and form into a round loaf.
 * 3) Dig a 1 foot-deep hole near a fire, and fill it with 2 shovels of hot coals and ash.
 * 4) Add damper mixture to a greased camp oven (traditional cast iron round pot with lid).
 * 5) Cook in the hole for a maximum of 40 minutes. If undercooked it will be flat and rubbery.
 * 6) 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.
 * 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.
 * If you aren't outdoors, just add mixture to greased oven tray and bake in a moderate oven for 30–40 minutes.