A lower-calorie way to make Damper
Damper — wholemeal loaf with pumpkin soup and herb yoghurt
A minimally mixed wholemeal damper bakes with a dark crust and tender crumb beside pumpkin soup, about 445 calories per serving.
Cold milk and yoghurt are folded into flour only until shaggy, then the dough is shaped without kneading. A preheated covered pot traps initial steam. The loaf should sound hollow with a deeply browned crust and irregular tender crumb, not a dense overworked interior or raw flour centre.
What changes—and what stays
From with much butter, golden syrup and a large bread portion often 600–800 kcal to 445 calories
Use half wholemeal flour, yoghurt and measured oil, serving a moderate wedge with vegetable soup instead of butter and syrup. Toasted wheat, cultured yoghurt, rosemary, pumpkin, pepper and a crisp flour-dusted crust create rustic camp-oven flavour.
| Part | Conventional | Lighter | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core method | More added fat or a heavier proportion | Use half wholemeal flour, yoghurt and measured oil, serving a moderate wedge with vegetable soup instead of butter and syrup | Toasted wheat, cultured yoghurt, rosemary, pumpkin, pepper and a crisp flour-dusted crust create rustic camp-oven flavour. |
How the flavor stays
Toasted wheat, cultured yoghurt, rosemary, pumpkin, pepper and a crisp flour-dusted crust create rustic camp-oven flavour.
A cost rule that survives inflation
Flour, milk and seasonal pumpkin make eight filling soup-and-bread meals from inexpensive Australian pantry ingredients.
Ingredients for 8
Measure first; timing is part of how this recipe uses less fat.
- 500 gwholemeal flour
- 350 gself-raising flour
- 500 mllow-fat milk
- 250 gplain yoghurt
- 25 gcanola oil
- 1.5 kgpumpkin
- 500 gwhite beans
- 1.5 lvegetable stock
- 25 grosemary and parsley
Method
Each step includes heat, a visible cue, and a recovery.
Step 1 · follow the visible cue
Mix dry ingredients evenly
Whisk both flours, raising agent and rosemary until no dense pockets remain before liquid is added
Look for: The flour colour is even and the herb is dispersed without lumps of raising powder
Step 2 · follow the visible cue
Fold to a shaggy dough
Add cold milk, yoghurt and oil and fold only until no large dry flour pockets remain
Look for: The dough looks rough and shaggy with visible folds rather than smooth elastic gluten
Step 3 · follow the visible cue
Shape without kneading
Gather once, form a round with floured hands and score deep wedges across the top
Look for: The loaf is tall and rough with clear score lines and no smooth compressed surface
Step 4 · follow the visible cue
Bake in a preheated pot
Place in the hot covered pot, uncover to brown and cool before cutting into moderate wedges
Look for: The crust is dark and crisp around an open tender crumb with no raw flour line
Calories at the same serving size
200 kcal · 31% lower estimated
The estimate uses the listed ingredients divided into 8 servings. Brand labels, trimming, and the amount left in the pan can change the result.
Keep the leftovers in the same spirit
Cool Damper within two hours and refrigerate in a sealed container for up to three days. Reheat only the amount needed.
Cool Damper within two hours and refrigerate in a sealed container for up to three days. Reheat only the amount needed.
Frequently asked questions
Can Damper be prepared a day ahead?
Yes. Keep crisp, fresh and starchy components separate, then combine only during gentle reheating. Cool Damper within two hours and refrigerate in a sealed container for up to three days. Reheat only the amount needed.
What does the calorie figure for Damper include?
It covers one of the stated servings and only the listed ingredient quantities, not extra sides or sauces. Use half wholemeal flour, yoghurt and measured oil, serving a moderate wedge with vegetable soup instead of butter and syrup.
- wholemeal flour500 g
- self-raising flour350 g
- low-fat milk500 ml
- plain yoghurt250 g
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Recipe development and nutrition review: CaloNote Editorial
This editorial recipe uses ingredient-level nutrition estimates and reviewed cooking principles. It is not represented as physically test-cooked, and nutrition is approximate.
Published and last reviewed: August 25, 2026
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