Damper is the name given in Australia to a wheat bread cooked while camping in the bush.  This version is like a biscuit or scone.  Curtis Stone demonstrated this dish on a Rachael Ray show some years ago.  I came upon this while looking for a bread to bake for breakfast on a layover day while canoeing in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in northern Minnesota.  Quantities below are for 4 servings.  It takes about 10 minutes for preparation and another 25-30 minutes for baking.  Curtis’s original instructions have been adapted to American use.

187 g. all-purpose flour

1-1/2 tsp. baking powder

7/8 tsp. salt

½ tsp. baking soda

50 g. (3-1/2 Tbs.) chilled salted butter

60 g. grated cheddar cheese

1 spring onion, thinly slices

125 ml. buttermilk + 1 Tbs. to brush on the tops

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking pan with some baking parchment.

In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.  Grate (or finely cut) the cold butter and put it on top of the flour mixture.  Add the grated cheese and spring onion.  Mix with your hands until the butter and cheese is incorporated into the flour into small pieces.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the buttermilk.  Mix together with a spoon to form a dough.  Put the dough on a lightly floured surface and lightly knead it and shape it into a rough square.  With a bench knife, cut the dough square into 4 pieces.  Put the pieces on the prepared pan near each other.  Brush the top of each piece with the Tbs. of buttermilk.

Bake for 35-30 minutes until cooked through and golden on the top.