Damper

Name: Damper
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Australian
Ingredients: 3 cups self-raising flour; 1 tsp salt; 1 tbsp butter or oil (optional); 1 cup water or milk; Extra flour for dusting

Damper (DAM-puh)

Bush Bread

⏱ Prep Time 10 min

📈 Difficulty Easy

👥 Servings

🔥 Calories 219 kcal

A rustic, crusty soda bread baked over campfire coals, born of the Australian bush and needing only flour, water, and salt.

Nutrition & Info

Protein 6.0g

Carbs 42.0g

Fat 3.0g

Protein Carbs Fat

Dietary

vegetarian nut-free

Allergen Warnings

⚠ gluten

Equipment Needed

camp oven or baking tray mixing bowl campfire or oven

Presentation Guide

Vessel: camp oven or wooden board

Garnishes: butter, golden syrup

Accompaniments: billy tea, stew

Ingredients

3 cups self-raising flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp butter or oil (optional)
1 cup water or milk
Extra flour for dusting

Instructions

1
Combine flour and salt in a bowl. Rub in butter if using.
2
Make a well in the centre and add water gradually, mixing with a knife until a shaggy dough forms.
3
Turn onto a floured surface and knead briefly — just enough to bring together, no more than 30 seconds.
4
Shape into a round loaf about 20cm across and 5cm high. Score a cross on top with a knife.
5
For camp oven: place on coals, cover with lid, heap coals on top. Bake 30-40 min. For conventional oven: bake at 200°C for 25-30 min until hollow when tapped.
6
Serve warm, torn into chunks, with golden syrup or butter.

💡

Did You Know?

Stockmen would wrap damper dough around a stick and cook it over the campfire, calling the result a "Johnny cake" or "stick bread."

Chef's Notes

Equipment Tips

camp oven or baking tray
mixing bowl
campfire or oven

Garnishing

butter, golden syrup

Accompaniments

billy tea, stew

The Story Behind Damper

Damper was the daily bread of Australian stockmen, drovers, and swagmen from the 1820s onward. Made with the simplest pantry staples — flour, salt, and water — it was cooked in the ashes of a campfire using a cast-iron camp oven. The bread sustained bushworkers across thousands of kilometres of outback and remains a cherished tradition at Australian campfires.

🕐 Traditionally enjoyed any meal, especially camping 📜 Origins: 1820s colonial era

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