Recipe: Wattleseed damper with golden syrup butter

Nornie Bero is a Torres Strait Islander chef passionate about making native Australian ingredients part of everyday cooking.

From the Komet Tribe of the Meriam people, she grew up on Mer Island, where fishing, gardening and preparing family meals shaped her love of food.

Nornie’s cookbook, Native Ingredients Every Day, explores ten key ingredients, including wattleseed and pepperberry, with practical advice for home cooks.

Through recipes and stories of culture and Country, Bero invites Australians to discover the flavours and traditions that inspire her.

Here is Nornie’s much-loved wattleseed damper.

Ingredients

3 cups of self-raising flour

2 tbsp softened butter

1 tbsp wattleseed, finely ground

1 1/2 cups water

Golden syrup

Method

1. Place flour in a medium bowl and mix in the butter, rubbing the flour and butter between your hands until you form a sandy texture. Don’t leave any butter in chunks.
2. Mix in the wattleseed then add water 1 cup at a time to get a nice sticky dough.
3. Place extra flour on your bench top and knead well to combine dough making sure to keep your hands floured to avoid sticky hands.
4. Preheat your oven to 200°C.
5. Knead into a bread loaf and place on a floured baking tray, bake for 35 mins until browned and cooked through.
6. Alternatively, you can wrap the damper in a bamboo leaf softened over a flame, then again in aluminium foil.
7. To make the golden syrup butter, combine equal parts butter and golden syrup.
8. Serve damper warm with golden syrup butter.

Hardie Grant publishes Native Ingredients Every Day It retails for $45.00