Cookbook:Drover's Damper

Cookbook | Ingredients | Recipes

| Australian Cuisine 

Drover's Damper is Australian bread, made by stockmen while taking care of or rounding up stock. It is meant to be made outside by a campfire. This is the "flash" version, made when butter and milk is available.

Ingredients

• 2 cups self-raising flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup milk
  

  Damper and camp oven used, Walcha, NSW

Procedure

1. Add salt to flour
2. Add sugar
3. Rub in butter.
4. Mix in milk to make a medium-soft dough.
5. Knead lightly on flat surface until smooth.
6. Pat into a round shape.
7. Place damper mixture on coals or hot ash.
8. Cook for maximum of 40 minutes.
9. Discard burnt outside and eat the inside.
10. Serve with butter, (golden syrup) or jam.

Variations

• This cookbook also has an "ordinary" damper recipe.
• You can do this using a hole near the fire in a greased camp oven or greased aluminium foil in a barbecue.
• If you aren't outdoors, just add mixture to greased bread tin, glaze with milk and cook in a hot oven, reducing heat until cooked (20 minutes).
• You can add dried fruit - then it's "Johnny Cake".
• As a variation, add grated cheese.
• Use beer instead of milk for "Beer Damper".

External Links

• Drovers Oral History Project National Library of Australia
• Australian Bush Damper Gerry & Mo Noterey from Australian Outdoors (Variation recipes with pictures!)
• Camp Ovens Discount Camping
• Australian Camp Oven Festival