A rustic, crusty soda bread baked over campfire coals, born of the Australian bush and needing only flour, water, and salt.
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
1Combine flour and salt in a bowl. Rub in butter if using.
2Make a well in the centre and add water gradually, mixing with a knife until a shaggy dough forms.
3Turn onto a floured surface and knead briefly — just enough to bring together, no more than 30 seconds.
4Shape into a round loaf about 20cm across and 5cm high. Score a cross on top with a knife.
5For 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.
6Serve 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."