Australian Damper

Serves: 6-8

250 g self-raising flour
½ teaspoon salt
25 g unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
175 ml milk

1. Sift the flour at least 2 -3 times. Mix the flour with the salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and rub it into the flour with the tips of your fingers, until it resembles fine crumbs.

2. Optional stage: Add 100 g grated cheese to the mixture before adding the milk and sprinkle with a little extra cheese before baking. Also add 2 tablespoons of chives or parsley. You can experiment with any flavours e.g olives and sundried tomatoes, chilli and coriander etc. (The one in the picture is curry powder, cubed boiled potatoes and sliced red peppers)

3. Stir in the milk with a butter knife) to make a soft dough.

4. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and shape into a soft, smooth ball. Try not to knead too much.

5. Set the ball of dough onto a tray or baking sheet and flatten gently to make a round about 17 cm across. Cut a deep cross in the dough and brush lightly with milk.

6. You can also roll it out to 1 inch or so thick and use a cookie cutter to cut out circles to form scones or biscuits. It will make 8 and a little extra bit for the dog!

7. Bake at 190°C for 30 minutes until golden.


* If  you want it to be sweet, add 2 tablespoons of sugar to the mixture with the milk. The milk can also be replaced with beer.