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\ud83d\uded2 Browse our full range of camping cookware here >><\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Your Campfire<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The cooking process involves consistently replacing hot coals or heat beads, so ensure your campfire has an abundance!<\/p>\n\n\n
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$\"A$ <\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
The cooking process involves consistently replacing hot coals. Credit: David Leslie<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Need to learn how to get a campfire started? Check out our beginners guide here >><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Method:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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In a bowl, add two cups of self-raising flour (approximately half a cup per person) and a pinch of salt.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Slowly add water and mix until ingredients start to combine and form a dough. This is the most important step, as you don\u2019t want to knead the dough; it needs to be left as is. Using your hands, cup the dough and slowly work it until a round damper shape is achieved.
Tip: <\/strong>If the dough sticks to your hands every time you pick it up, it is too moist – add more flour.
$\"Mixing$ <\/li>\n\n\n\n
Add optional extras of choice.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Sprinkle the base of the camp oven with flour \u2013 or, cover a trivet with foil and lightly flour it. Place the damper on top, and the lid on the camp oven. Ensure there is a gap of at least 5cm between the damper and the walls of the oven all the way around.
$\"A$ <\/li>\n\n\n\n
Scatter about half a shovel of coals loosely on the ground next to the fire; a loose scattering is all that\u2019s needed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Place the camp oven on the scattered coals, and scoop a full shovel of coals on top. You can also use heat beads; around 10 on the bottom, and 14 on the top (using a 9-Quart oven).
Tip:<\/strong> Never cook the damper in the fire, as it will easily burn.
$\"Camp$ <\/li>\n\n\n\n
Check the damper after 15 minutes, and every 10 minutes afterwards. It should need approximately 20\u201325 minutes of cooking time, depending on its size. Replace with fresh coals or heat beads on top each time.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Once golden and crusty on the outside, push a long knife through the middle. If the damper is cooked through, the knife will be clean when removed.
Tip:<\/strong> Another way to know that your damper is ready is if it sounds hollow when tapped.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Serve with your favourites spreads!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n $\"Damper$ <\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Once golden and crusty on the outside, your damper is ready! Image credits: Mick Viller<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How do I get the perfect damper crust?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
As long as you control your heat well enough, you shouldn\u2019t have a problem achieving a crusty damper. However, camp ovens tend to retain moisture; when they do, it can be hard to achieve crispy vegetables, perfect crackling, or crunchy damper. The best way to release moisture is to crack the lid by placing a piece of wire (or similar), to allow the steam to escape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Should I preheat my camp oven?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Some say you should, some say you shouldn\u2019t. Mick Viller the Camp Oven Cook<\/a> choses not to preheat his camp oven. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n<\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>\ud83c\udfa7 For more on camp ovens, Ben and Lauren chat with <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/XC8rbjMfRhA?si=chldO1m8x17QLgYn\">Kingbrown (Ron Wilson) and Mick Viller on the Snowys Camping Show >><\/a><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What are the best spreads?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s easy! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On a plain damper, you can\u2019t go past a good smothering of butter or margarine, and maple syrup. That said, experiment with your favourite spreads! Why not vegemite, hummus, jam, or honey? Try what you enjoy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How big should my campfire be?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Generally, it’s not the fire you’re cooking with – it’s the coals. If using coals: shovel them onto the ground beneath your camp oven, and add some more on top. Heat beads or briquettes are an alternative to coals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You could even cook your damper on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/ozpig\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ozpig<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">For how long does damper keep?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Damper turns stale quite quickly. As it\u2019s quick and cheap to make, prepare a loaf as you need it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How versatile is damper?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you master the plain damper, don\u2019t be shy to experiment with other ingredients! Try adding bacon, cheese, and BBQ sauce for a savoury damper – or for sweet, you could add sultanas, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Damper for dinner is one way – but follow through at breakfast time with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/dairy-and-egg-free-pancakes-the-perfect-camping-recipe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the perfect camping pancake recipe<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Google-image-2019.jpg\" alt=\"A loaf of damper on a chopping board with sprigs of rosemary. \" class=\"wp-image-53715\" title=\"Prepare a damper loaf as you need it\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Google-image-2019.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Google-image-2019-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Google-image-2019-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Google-image-2019-10x8.jpg 10w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><em>As it\u2019s quick and cheap to make, prepare a damper loaf as you need it. Credit: Mick Viller<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What amazing flavour combinations have you created with your damper? <\/strong><\/p>\n<div class='watch-action'><div class='watch-position align-left'><div class='action-like'><a class='lbg-style1 like-9366 jlk' href='javascript:void(0)' data-task='like' data-post_id='9366' data-nonce='c047bc9d97' rel='nofollow'><img class='wti-pixel' src='https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/wti-like-post\/images\/pixel.gif' title='Liked it' \/><span class='lc-9366 lc'>291<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div> <div class='status-9366 status align-left'><\/div><\/div><div class='wti-clear'><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For the humble Aussie camper, there\u2019s nothing like warm, campfire-cooked damper on a winter camping trip. This camp oven damper recipe guarantees a crunchy crust and a deliciously fluffy centre every time!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":53727,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1594,1589],"tags":[123,321,184,352,268],"class_list":["post-9366","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to-cooking","category-how-to","tag-cooking","tag-cooking-tips","tag-food","tag-meals","tag-recipes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9366","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/41"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9366"}],"version-history":[{"count":35,"href":"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9366\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66245,"href":"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9366\/revisions\/66245"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53727"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9366"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9366"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9366"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

Optional Ingredients:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Your Campfire<\/h2>\n\n\n\nThe cooking process involves consistently replacing hot coals or heat beads, so ensure your campfire has an abundance!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nThe cooking process involves consistently replacing hot coals. Credit: David Leslie<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n