Name: Australian Damper-Style Sesame Bread
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Australian
Ingredients: 400 g Banshi wheat flour; 3 teaspoons baking powder; 1 teaspoon fine salt; 3 tablespoons cold-pressed sesame oil; 250 ml milk or water; 3 tablespoons roasted sesame seeds, for the crust; 1 a baking tray; 1 a sharp knife, for scoring

Before you cook

Damper is a soda bread relative with no proving time, which makes it forgiving and quick. The trade-off is a denser crumb than a yeasted loaf.

Score it deeply, well into the dough, not just across the surface. A shallow score does nothing to help the centre cook through in time.

Method

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
Rub the oil through the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs.
Add the milk gradually, stopping once the dough just comes together.
Handle the dough as little as possible from this point onward.
Shape it into a round on a baking tray, flattening it gently.
Score a deep cross well into the loaf, most of the way through.
Brush the surface with a little milk or water to help the seeds stick.
Press the roasted sesame seeds firmly over the top of the loaf.
Bake at 200C for thirty-five minutes until deeply golden and hollow-sounding.
Cool on a rack for at least fifteen minutes before slicing.

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