Taste of Australia (Part 4): Damper

Training: Mountain Biking 15km

First - I just want to say a big "Happy Birthday" to my wonderful husband!!! 

We have plans to properly celebrate his birthday on Saturday, combined with a housewarming for our new place, but this evening we decided to kick off the celebrations with a mountain bike ride after work.

It has been a while since I have been on my mountain bike (hmm or any bike actually), so the trails were both challenging and a little nerve racking at times. It was also 30C + when we headed out, making for a hot and sweaty mountain ride.

While we had initially thought of going out for dinner, I think we were both a little weary after the hot ride, and decided to stay in. Thus, the next instalment of Taste of Australia was set to also became a birthday dinner!

Have you missed the other Taste of Australia topics? Check them out below:

• Part 1: Kangaroo and Macadamia Salad
• Part 2: Vegemite scrolls
• Part 3: Layered Lamington Cake

And part 4.....Aussie Damper!

Damper is an Australian bread, traditionally prepared by swagmen, drovers and stockmen who had limited provisions when working away from home for long periods of time. It generally consists of wheat flour, water, salt and sometimes milk,  and is traditionally baked in the coals of a campfire. It was eaten with pieces of fried dried meat, sometimes spread with golden syrup, but always with billy tea.

I have fond memories of camping with my family when I was little, often in dense bush areas where there was no power. We would make our own version of damper by shaping the dough onto the end of a stick and 'baking' across the campfire coals.

The result? Slightly charred on the outside, a little gooey in the middle, filled with smoky campfire flavours and drizzled with butter or golden syrup. Ah yes, those days were a lot of fun!

Not having a campfire (or my dad!) handy, I opted to use the oven to make our damper tonight. I also couldn't resist making a few changes to the original recipe to make it allergy friendly for me ;)

I decided to make two varieties – original…

And herb and parmesan.

Flour was sifted…

Butter was rubbed in..

And the dough was kneaded and shaped into a disc.

Baked for 20 minutes, or until the damper sounded hollow when tapped.

Served fresh out of the oven.

Warm doughy bread…

Crusty on the outside…

Soft on the inside…

I decided to serve a few slices of the herb and parmesan damper alongside dinner,

With a little dab of butter.

And I couldn’t resist sampling a piece of the original damper for dessert…

drizzled in golden syrup.

‘twas  delicious indeed!

Spelt Damper (makes 1)

• 1.5 cups spelt flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 40g chilled butter, cubed
• 1/2 cup milk or water

1. Preheat oven to 200C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl.
3. Rub in the butter using your fingers, until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
4. Make a well in the centre and add milk or water. Use a knife to bring the mixture together.
5. Knead for a minute, then shape into a disc and place on the prepared tray.
6. Make a cross in the top using a knife, then dust with flour. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown and the damper sounds hollow when you tap the bottom.
7. Serve warm with butter, golden syrup or jam.

Herb and Parmesan Damper: Add 1/4 cup chopped chives, 1/4 cup chopped parsley and 1/2 cup grated parmesan to the mixture before adding the liquid in step 4.

What about you? Have you tried damper?

Stay tuned for the final post in my Taste of Australia series tomorrow. It is set to be a 'sweet' one. Any guesses what the inspiration may be???

Happy Baking :)