DAMPER is somewhere between a bread and a scone – the texture is moist, buttery and short. It is not a yeast-leavened bread; it gains its height and texture from baking powder. It is hearty, simple and sustaining.
The tricks to success with this bread is to handle the dough minimally, score it deeply to help it cook evenly and make sure it enters a fully heated oven.
Here is the Sentient Baker’s foolproof formula that can be adapted to any fruit and fat combination you can dream up; pear and stilton, olive and feta, apple and cheddar.
INGREDIENTS
500g strong white flour, 60g cold butter, cubed, 200g of roasted pumpkin or squash (cut into small cubes), 100g grated hard cheese (I used Cornish Yarg but cheddar is fine), 1/2 tsp pepper, 40g baking powder, 350ml milk
METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 210C/ Gas mark 7 and line a baking sheet with parchment.
2. Measure flour and baking powder into a large bowl and combine.
3. Add the pepper and rub in the butter until the texture is similar to breadcrumbs.
4. Pour in the milk and mix with a ‘clawed’ hand until it is barely incorporated. Do not over work.
5. Add the cooked squash and cheese and gently mix by hand until the mix forms a soft, slightly crumbly, dough.
6. Turn the dough onto a floured counter top and roughly bring together in a round disc roughly two inches thick.
7. Transfer to the baking sheet and use a knife to deeply score the disc into six sections. This will help it to cook evenly.
8. Dust the loaf with a little flour.
9. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Cover the top of it with tinfoil if it starts to brown a bit too quickly
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