The damper is a traditional australian bread dating back to the days of the British colonizers. During the early settlements in Australia, settlers needed a simple and versatile bread to survive in the harsh conditions of the back country and that's how the Damper was born, a fluffy flatbread that was cooked directly on the embers of a campfire.
This bread is typical of rural Australia, especially in the Outback, the vast and wild desert region of the country. In these areas, where life can be hard and amenities are limited, the Damper has long been a source of hearty comfort food for herders and travelers.
The traditional recipe includes flour, butter, salt, water and yeast or baking powder, although nowadays there are also recipes that add cheese, aromatic herbs or raisins.
The magic of the Damper lies in the way it is cooked, since once the dough has been prepared, it is molded into a kind of round bread and placed directly on the hot embers of a campfire or in a camp oven. The intense heat causes the bread to bake to perfection, creating a crispy crust on the outside and a soft, fluffy crumb on the inside.
