Cooking damper on the goldfields.

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Hi,does anyone cook damper on the goldfields using a cast iron utensil and died out camp fire? Can you please leave me some tips for the best results and recipe.We will be living on the goldfields all winter and need to be self sufficient and have some semblance of home life for the misses. Shooting and stewing rabbits would be a possibility except my wife hates cruelty to animals. :eek:
 
Hi, old Timer,

Damper from the camp fire, substituting a cast iron pot with Aluminium foil !

A simple recipe for 4.

250 gms (2cups) of self-raising flour.
1/2 teaspoon salt
10g butter, not cold but soft for kneading. (margarine is a 2nd best substitute).
1/2 cup (125 ml) milk.
1/4 cup (125 ml) cold water.

Mix S R flour and salt into a mixing bowl.
Hand knead the butter into the mix gradually until blended.

Create a well in the mix, add in milk, fold it in with a spatula, spoon or by hand.
Use the water gradually til damper mix is coming together in a ball - but not too wet, not too sticky.
Dust all round with fine layer of flour, set aside.

Use 2 layers of aluminium foil, the upper foil is lightly oiled or greased and both are long enough to be able to lift the left and right ends to meet at the top (not tight onto the mix) retaining 50 ml for overlap.
Place damper mix in the middle of the foil, lift, fold and pinch the overlap closed but loosely.

Scrape the dying fire apart leaving a 50 ml layer of hot coals as the base.
Place damper on this base and shovel or scrape the coals back over to 100 ml depth.

Wait 20 minutes, clear the top coals, open the foil to check the brownness of the damper, insert and remove a long thin steel rod, tent peg or screwdriver, to see it comes out clean of dough mix - it's cooked!

Another check is to remove the HOT damper with a tea towel or cloth, open the foil and rap the damper on the base with your knuckles.
If it sounds hollow it is cooked!

If underdone, repeat the hot coals cooking process.... lesser time of course...

Don't blame the author for burnt offerings, practice makes perfect!

Along with the rabbit stew, that'll fill you up!

Wilko.
 
A m8 used a 600ml of lemonade to aprox 3/4 of a bag instead of water, rested it on an enamel plate that fitted perfect into the camp oven, and placed a bit of flat shale under the plate, so as to stop direct heat. Just hot air contact realy. And you could eat the whole lot, no burnt base etc. Was awsum. ;)
 
Ha, saves burning your fingers taking the lid off the camp oven. Is there a difference between shale and slate? And no, dont take it from the creek. Scamper damper :D
 
Try using soda water instead of lemonade as the lemonade would most probably make the damper a little sweet.The soda water will make the damper light and fluffy.
 
7.62marksman said:
Wishfull said:
Maybe there should be a bush camping recipe section on forum ?
You could start one mate ]:D

I can cook spuds and they taste okay the more beer you have with them.
Roast spuds, mashed spuds, chips, foil cooked spuds on a camp fire and oven cooked in jacket spuds. Thin sliced oil cooked chips.
And stuffnstuff :Y:
 
Wishfull said:
7.62marksman said:
Wishfull said:
Maybe there should be a bush camping recipe section on forum ?
You could start one mate ]:D

I can cook spuds and they taste okay the more beer you have with them.
Roast spuds, mashed spuds, chips, foil cooked spuds on a camp fire and oven cooked in jacket spuds. Thin sliced oil cooked chips.
And stuffnstuff :Y:
Mmmmmmm spuds.Chuck a heap of butter or margarine in a frypan and add some thinly sliced potato and cook on medium heat,don't burn the butter.Cook until potato is soft.Mmmmmmm buttery spuds.Probably not real good for the arteries but who cares.
 

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