I would love to be a ‘Pinterest Mummy’. You know the ones who have three kinds of fresh gluten free bread on the go every morning, make their own yoghurt from scratch and only feed their kids organic everything. Yeah…not happening.
In reality, I’m a busy Mum with a tweenage whirlwind who rarely slows down. Normally, if at the end of the day, I can say ‘She ate, started off the day in clean clothing, did some schoolwork and we read a book (or 15)’ then it’s a win for me. Macaroni Eiffel Towers and making my own hand scrub from scratch will have to wait!
Occasionally, there is time in the day to bake. When that ever so rare opportunity presents itself, Australian favourite Damper is on the ‘to do’ list. Miss PPP LOVES helping to make it, it’s child-friendly and great fun – most importantly it’s QUICK, so attention spans aren’t put to the test.
Damper is an Australian bread once favoured by drovers (cattlemen) and now a camping and kid friendly favourite. It’s ridiculously easy to make, almost idiot proof (my Dad burns it outside and leaves it raw inside…he is the ‘almost’ I refer to) and it’s beyond delicious when served hot, slathered in butter and accompanying a hearty Winter soup.
Prep is about ten mins, cooking time is 20-30 minutes depending on your oven.
Damper Bread
INGREDIENTS
250 g self-raising flour
1/2 tsp salt
25 g unsalted butter chilled cubed
175 mls milk
METHOD
Preheat your oven to 190C
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.
Stir in the milk with a round blade knife (butter knife) to make a soft, but not sticky dough.
Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and shape into a soft, smooth ball.
Set the ball of dough onto a tray or baking sheet and flatten gently to make a round about 17cm across. Cut a deep cross in the dough and brush lightly with milk.
Bake at 190C for 30 minutes until golden.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
