Lemon myrtle chocolate damper

Damper doesn't have to be sweet, and Mark's chocolate lemon myrtle version makes a great breakfast spread with a little butter fresh out of the coals or oven.

Lemon myrtle chocolate damper Credit: On Country Kitchen

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 450 g self-raising flour, plus extra for kneading
• 1 tbsp icing sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 50 g cold unsalted butter, chopped
• 125 ml (½ cup) warm milk
• 250 ml (1 cup) warm water, plus extra for brushing
• 50 g lemon myrtle chocolate (half broken, half grated)
• 1 tsp dried lemon myrtle
• 1 tsp caster sugar

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180˚C.

1. Sift the flour, icing sugar and salt onto a work surface. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Make a well in the centre, then add the warm milk and water and incorporate with your fingertips until the dough comes together (warm liquid is easier to work into flour and the result is smoother and lighter).

2. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and shape into a rectangle about 1 cm-thick. Sprinkle with the grated and broken chocolate, then roll up into a log starting from one long side.

3. Place onto a baking paper-lined baking tray and brush all over with milk. Dust with the lemon myrtle and caster sugar, then bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden.

Catch Mark Olive in the second season of On Country Kitchen, Wednesdays 7:30 on NITV from 23 October to 18 December, or on SBS On Demand.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.