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Depression Cooking Teaches You To Cook Really, Really Cheaply

Seraphim

Seraphim

Admiral
Admiral
93 year old cook and great grandmother, Clara, recounts her childhood during the Great Depression as she prepares meals from the era. Learn how to make simple yet delicious dishes while listening to stories from the Great Depression.

http://www.youtube.com/user/DepressionCooking

Her memory of hard times food is solid, and just might inspire you to turn cheap grocery fare into family-feeding meals.

Check it out. :techman:
 
I raised three children while on welfare and I made meals similar to the lady in this video.

For example, I would make a thick soup out of lentils, barley. rice, carrots, celery and bacon bones etc. We would eat some of it as soon as it was ready and I would freeze the rest.

If I didn't have any bread I would make damper (Australian bush bread) to have with the soup. This soup would do us as a main meal.
 
Originally damper was made from flour and water with just salt added. It was cooked in the ashes of a camp fire.

Today beer can be added to make the bread rise, or else self-raising flour can be used. Milk or butter or sultanas can be added.

The following recipe comes fro this site

BUSH DAMPER

3 cups of self-raising flour
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water

Sift flour and salt into a bowl, rub in butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs.
Make a well in the centre, add the combined milk and water, mix lightly with a knife until dough leaves sides of bowl.
Gently knead on a lightly floured surface and then shape into a round, put on a greased oven tray. Pat into a round 15-16 cm (6-6 1/2 inch) diameter.
With sharp knife, cut two slits across dough like a cross, approximately 1cm (1/2in) deep.
Brush top of dough with milk.
Sift a little extra flour over dough.
Bake in a hot oven for 10 minutes, or until golden brown.
Reduce heat to moderate and bake another 20 minutes. Best eaten the day it is made.
Click to expand...

If I was out of milk or butter I could leave them out and add a little more water. It didn't taste as good but if it was being served with soup that didn't matter as we would dip the damper into the soup.
 
Last edited:
I do the same thing with soup, maybe once a week, only with Johnny Bread. I'm going to try this recipe.

What's a hot oven - 400F. What's moderate - 350F?

I'm finding that I cook out of old cookbooks more, like Fanny Farmer. Just basic ingredients I can keep in my cupboard.
 
bluedana said:
I do the same thing with soup, maybe once a week, only with Johnny Bread. I'm going to try this recipe.

What's a hot oven - 400F. What's moderate - 350F?

I'm finding that I cook out of old cookbooks more, like Fanny Farmer. Just basic ingredients I can keep in my cupboard.
Click to expand...

A moderate oven would be around 350-375F, a hot oven from around 425F.
 
Am I the only one that noticed she put the beef back in the lemon and oil mixture it had marinated in? I know the lemon will kill most of the bacteria given enough time but it didn't seem to me that was the case. . .
 
I noticed that as well. I think what it boils down to today is our further understanding about the sanitary cooking vs good old fashioned sturdy hearts and minds cooking of the past. She didn't die from it and so perhaps it might be that bad. Let me know how it works out for you.
 
Miss Chicken said:
Originally damper was made from flour and water with just salt added. It was cooking in the ashes of a camp fire.

Today beer can be added to make the bread rise, or else self-raising flour can be used. Milk or butter or sultanas can be added.

The following recipe comes fro this site

BUSH DAMPER

3 cups of self-raising flour
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water

Sift flour and salt into a bowl, rub in butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs.
Make a well in the centre, add the combined milk and water, mix lightly with a knife until dough leaves sides of bowl.
Gently knead on a lightly floured surface and then shape into a round, put on a greased oven tray. Pat into a round 15-16 cm (6-6 1/2 inch) diameter.
With sharp knife, cut two slits across dough like a cross, approximately 1cm (1/2in) deep.
Brush top of dough with milk.
Sift a little extra flour over dough.
Bake in a hot oven for 10 minutes, or until golden brown.
Reduce heat to moderate and bake another 20 minutes. Best eaten the day it is made.
Click to expand...
If I was out of milk or butter I could leave them out and add a little more water. It didn't taste as good but if it was being served with soup that didn't matter as we would dip the damper into the soup.
Click to expand...

Sounds kind of similar to bannock, just without any baking powder and with milk and butter added.
 
Miss Chicken said:
Originally damper was made from flour and water with just salt added. It was cooking in the ashes of a camp fire.

Today beer can be added to make the bread rise, or else self-raising flour can be used. Milk or butter or sultanas can be added.

The following recipe comes fro this site

BUSH DAMPER

3 cups of self-raising flour
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water

Sift flour and salt into a bowl, rub in butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs.
Make a well in the centre, add the combined milk and water, mix lightly with a knife until dough leaves sides of bowl.
Gently knead on a lightly floured surface and then shape into a round, put on a greased oven tray. Pat into a round 15-16 cm (6-6 1/2 inch) diameter.
With sharp knife, cut two slits across dough like a cross, approximately 1cm (1/2in) deep.
Brush top of dough with milk.
Sift a little extra flour over dough.
Bake in a hot oven for 10 minutes, or until golden brown.
Reduce heat to moderate and bake another 20 minutes. Best eaten the day it is made.
Click to expand...

If I was out of milk or butter I could leave them out and add a little more water. It didn't taste as good but if it was being served with soup that didn't matter as we would dip the damper into the soup.
Click to expand...

That looks like an easy recipe. I think I'll make some when I get home from work to surprise the wife!

I have a question for you though Miss Chicken. If you were using beer instead of self raising flour would you just substitute the 1/2 cup of water for beer?

Thanks for sharing the recipe!
 
I have never used beer but I think you just put a little bit of beer to help the damper to rise. You will still have to put water in.

Here is a video of beer damper being made (the traditional way) but the guy doesn't give exact measurements and he is making quite a large damper.
 
Last edited:
Miss Chicken said:
I have never used beer but I think you just put a little bit of beer to help the damper to rise. You will still have to put water in.

Here is a video of beer damper being made (the traditional way) but yje guy doesn't give exact measurements and he is making quite a large damper.
Click to expand...


Actually at 5:17 of the video the ingredients flash on the screen. Thanks for posting it!
 
^^^ So he did. Thanks for pointing it out.

I notice that he put baking powder in the damper.

If you are cooking it is the oven you wouldn't need to flatten it out like he did.
 
My Mom used to make us "eggs and tomatoes" which was--you guessed it--eggs and tomatoes.

She'd bring to a boil water and a can (or two, I don't know) tomatoes, then drop the eggs in to (I guess) poach them. Reduce things. Serve with bread.

I asked why her family ate that when she was growing up. She said that tomatoes and eggs were cheap and that it provided protein and iron. The bread gave some carbs.

Pretty simple, huh? With salt, it's pretty good.
 
Miss Chicken said:
Originally damper was made from flour and water with just salt added. It was cooked in the ashes of a camp fire.

Today beer can be added to make the bread rise, or else self-raising flour can be used. Milk or butter or sultanas can be added.

The following recipe comes fro this site

BUSH DAMPER

3 cups of self-raising flour
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water

Sift flour and salt into a bowl, rub in butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs.
Make a well in the centre, add the combined milk and water, mix lightly with a knife until dough leaves sides of bowl.
Gently knead on a lightly floured surface and then shape into a round, put on a greased oven tray. Pat into a round 15-16 cm (6-6 1/2 inch) diameter.
With sharp knife, cut two slits across dough like a cross, approximately 1cm (1/2in) deep.
Brush top of dough with milk.
Sift a little extra flour over dough.
Bake in a hot oven for 10 minutes, or until golden brown.
Reduce heat to moderate and bake another 20 minutes. Best eaten the day it is made.
Click to expand...
If I was out of milk or butter I could leave them out and add a little more water. It didn't taste as good but if it was being served with soup that didn't matter as we would dip the damper into the soup.
Click to expand...


Hey! Thanks very much for this.

For whatever reason, I've been doing some baking lately and this looks pretty basic - doesn't require any oddball ingredients.

I think I'll try it!
 
Did anyone end up making damper?

One of my friends is currently unemployed. I was shopping with her at the supermarket and I saw he buy some shortbread cookies despite the fact that she always complains about not having enough money. I asked her if she ever made her own shortbread, she said no baking them was to difficult!

Baking shortbread cookies takes about 10 menutes preparation time and there are really easy to make and homemade ones only cost about half of the price in stores.
 
^ I haven't made it yet. But I'm planning to. I need to buy the self-rising flour on my next trip to the store and I'll be making it immediately afterward. Maybe as early as tomorrow afternoon.

Question - do you need to use whole milk? I generally buy 2%. Will that work and not effect the taste?

You should post the recipe for the shortbread cookies! :)

There is no doubt about it - that damper will be ALOT cheaper than store-bought bread, which is now over $3.25 per loaf in my market.

I'd be curious about any baked goods you have discovered that are cheap and reasonably easy to make.
 
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