I have received an email from a lady who used to be the damper cook at the Jondaryan Woolshed.

She asked me why I use self raising flour and baking powder together in my damper recipe.  Baking powder is actually what is put in plain flour to make it self raising.

I learned to cook that way many years ago and it is what I have always done and I have seen many recipes the same.

Now it has me a bit curious.

What are your thoughts on it.


Derek

Looked in my recipe books and they all have SR flour and baking powder and I figure why change something if it works however I remember one time forgetting to put the baking powder in my mix and the resulting damper was good, just didn't rise as much !

pd

I have only ever used SR flour and never added any baking posder to it.

I knead my damper.. also not good.
My damper recipes are very different.
Maybe that is why the texture is not consistant, or cooked through at times.
Somtimes it is ti die for, others it is for the dog.
On Sunday I want to have a crack at your method Derek.

TBF

One normally wouldn't use baking powder when making something with SR flour. Well in this house anyway.
I have an Edmonds cookbook from N.Z and there is no recipes in there calling for SR flour, they are all plain flour & baking powder.

Maybe they don't use SR over there.

All the best
Skip [smiley=batman.gif]

I guess the best test is if your happy with the end results.  I have cooked scones since 11 years old in Domestic Science School.[smiley=chef.gif].  We never used extra Baking Powder.  I know these days there are lots of technical/chemical reasons given as to why things work but thats a bit much for my Seniors brain.

The lightest scones/damper I have ever made were using the tupperware recipe which uses cream and lemonade and has very little mixing.  I like this as you dont have to rub the butter into the flour and get all messy.

The best bread I make uses powdered milk and although eatable without it the texture is far better when I use it.

I  havent got around to making this recipe that Furphy put in previously but I would think it would be hard to beat and does have the extra baking powder in it.  In the very old days they maybe didnt have self raising flour and therefore always added baking powder to flour.  Also if the flour was in extreme weather conditions or had been in storage for long periods perhaps the raising agent didnt always work as well.  

Regarding the kneading I was always taught light for scones and heavy for bread.  I have used the CWA Scone mix in a packet and found that handy to use and it does recommend kneading which is the opposite to which I was taught so I didnt and they came out fine.  

The end result is all that matters and hot damper/scones with plenty of jam and cream is usually popular.  

I am still at a loss at what is the difference between scones and damper except the shape.


Furphyslinger wrote on Mar 27^th, 2008 at 4:28pm:

Hi all have been using camp ovens since i WAS ABOUT 16 generally as a drover after I left school and was given this recipe by an old bloke who would have been in his 80s in the early 1960's so rather than see the recipe disappear I thought that I would share it with you. This damper is the best I have ever eaten and provides a great plain damper to replace bread and as in all damper mix's you can add whatever extra fillings you wish but is great on its own: 4 cups or (2 sifters) self raising flour silfters were used to eliminate weevils 3 tablespoons Sunshine milk powder 2 teaspoons baking powder good pinch salt tepid (warm) water to mix to a dough mix dry ingrediants in a dish or bowl then make a hollow in the centre of the mix and slowly add the water while mixing knead into a ball until the dough feels slightly rubbery then place in the centre of a hot camp oven and bake for 30 min in a hot camp oven. Remove and enjoy hot or cold I have always found this damper to be very popular and there is never any left over. aatry it out remember the old timers only used powdered milk not having a fridge Furphy