Onion damper bread with marinated feta
- Published: 11 Sep 20
- Updated: 25 Mar 24
A bread recipe you can cook over open fire – yes please. Damper is an Australian campfire bread, but it’s just as good cooked on a garden barbie. Tear off and enjoy with the marinated feta here for a delicious lunch or starter.
If you want a cheesy bread recipe to cook indoors, try our cheesy sage and garlic bread.
- Serves 4
- Hands on time 35 min, plus cooling
Ingredients
- 400g feta, cut into large chunks
- A few fresh thyme and rosemary sprigs, bashed
- 1 garlic clove, sliced
- Thinly pared zest 1 lemon
- 1/4 tsp pink peppercorns, lightly
crushed - Olive oil to cover the cheese
- Clear honey and smoked paprika to serve (optional)
For the onion damper bread
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small red onion, finely chopped
- 1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
- 300g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 tsp salt
- 20g butter, diced
- 200ml buttermilk
You’ll also need
- Chopping board; rolling pin; wooden skewers or thick rosemary stalks wrapped in foil
Method
- Put the feta chunks in a container with a leak-proof lid, interspersing the herb sprigs, garlic and lemon zest. Add the peppercorns, cover with olive oil and seal. Keep chilled until ready to use (see Make Ahead).
- Prepare the damper bread: heat the oil in a small frying pan, then fry the onion, rosemary and some salt and pepper over a low heat for 10 minutes until slightly softened and lightly golden. Leave to cool, then set aside in a container.
- Put the flour and salt in a bowl and rub in the butter until evenly combined. Put in a container.
- When ready to cook, stir the onion mixture into the flour, then gradually work in the buttermilk to form a slightly sticky dough. Take of the dough and with lightly floured hands, on a board, roll out to form a 20-22cm log. Repeat to make 8 logs, then wind each piece in a tight spiral around a skewer.
- Cook the bread over the fire for about 15 minutes, turning regularly, until lightly charred on all sides. You may need to lower or raise the bread so it cooks but doesn’t burn. The bread is ready when it sounds hollow when tapped. Cool for 5 minutes, then remove from the sticks. (Or cook on the stove in a griddle pan, turning regularly until browned and sounding hollow when tapped.)
- Serve the bread while it’s still warm with the marinated feta, some honey to drizzle over and smoked paprika to dust, if you want to.
- Recipe from September 2020 Issue
Nutrition
- Calories
- 676kcals
- Fat
- 36.7g (18.3g saturated)
- Protein
- 24.3g
- Carbohydrates
- 60.7g (4.3g sugars)
- Fibre
- 3g
- Salt
- 5.1g
delicious. tips
Prepare to the end of step 3 the day before you plan to eat if you like. Marinate the feta up to 3 days ahead in the fridge.
Damper is a classic Australian campfire bread cooked on sticks as here or in a lidded metal pot in the coals.
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