Damper Baked in a Camp Oven

Name: Damper Baked in a Camp Oven
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Australian
Ingredients: 450 g self-raising flour; 30 g Plain flour; 1 tsp Fine sea salt; 1 tsp caster sugar; 50 g Unsalted butter; 180 ml full-cream milk; 120 ml lukewarm water; 1 tbsp golden syrup; 1 tbsp Vegetable oil

A classic Australian bush bread with a crisp crust and soft, steaming crumb, baked over glowing coals in a cast-iron camp oven.

🇦🇺Australia· Western Australia

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 35 min
Total: 50 min
Servings: 6
Difficulty: Easy
Calories: 360 kcal

Ingredients

0 of 9 gathered

Servings

450 g self-raising flour — plus extra for dusting
30 g Plain flour — for lining the camp oven base
1 tsp Fine sea salt — crushed
1 tsp caster sugar — to balance flavour
50 g Unsalted butter — chilled and cut into small cubes
180 ml full-cream milk — cold
120 ml lukewarm water — clean drinking water
1 tbsp golden syrup — traditional sweetener
1 tbsp Vegetable oil — for greasing the pot

Equipment

•Cast-iron camp oven
•Campfire shovel
•Large mixing bowl
•Flour sifter
•Butter knife

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 360 kcal
fat: 9 g
carbs: 62 g
fibre: 3 g
protein: 8 g
calories: 360 kcal

Instructions

1
Prepare a bed of hot campfire coals, letting open flames die down completely.
2
Lightly brush the inside of the camp oven with vegetable oil and dust with plain flour.
3
Sift the self-raising flour, salt, and sugar into a large mixing bowl.
4
Rub the chilled butter cubes into the flour using your fingertips until fine crumbs form.
5
Whisk the milk, water, and golden syrup together in a small jug until combined.
6
Make a well in the centre of the dry flour mixture.
7
Pour in most of the liquid and mix quickly using a flat butter knife.
8
Turn the soft dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently shape into a round.
9
Cut a shallow cross across the top of the loaf with a sharp knife.
10
Place the dough into the camp oven and fit the heavy lid tightly.
11
Set the camp oven over a few coals and shovel hot coals onto the lid.
12
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until golden brown and hollow-sounding when tapped.

Chef's tips

Keep handling to a minimum because overworking the dough makes the damper dense and heavy. Place only a few coals underneath the camp oven and load more onto the lid to prevent burning the base.

Ingredient substitutions

full-cream milk → powdered milk reconstituted with water or equal parts plain water for traditional camp rations
unsalted butter → dripping, lard, or vegetable shortening

Storage

Store leftover damper wrapped in a clean tea towel inside an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Reheating

Warm thick slices on a barbecue hotplate or toast over campfire embers until crisp and heated through.

Common mistakes to avoid

•Placing too many coals beneath the pot, which chars the bottom before the centre bakes.
•Kneading the dough heavily like yeast bread, resulting in a tough and rubbery loaf.
•Lifting the camp oven lid repeatedly during baking, which lets out essential trapped heat and steam.

Serving suggestions

Serve warm, sliced thick and slathered with salted butter and golden syrup.Enjoy alongside a hot bowl of camp stew and a mug of black billy tea.Drizzle with raw Australian bush honey while the crust is still piping hot.