Fairy Bread

By
Kristina Vanni
Kristina Vanni
Kristina Vanni
An internationally recognized culinary authority, Kristina Vanni is well-known for her recipe development, food photography, and experience as a TV show host.
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Updated on 04/8/21
Fairy Bread

The Spruce / Kristina Vanni
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 5 mins
Servings: 8 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
162 Calories
8g Fat
19g Carbs
3g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 162
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8g 11%
Saturated Fat 4g 20%
Cholesterol 15mg 5%
Sodium 198mg 9%
Total Carbohydrate 19g 7%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 46mg 4%
Iron 1mg 6%
Potassium 41mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

The origin of this easy and whimsical three-ingredient recipe can be traced back to Australia and New Zealand. It is simply sliced white bread spread with butter and covered with multi-colored round "hundreds and thousands," the Australian term for sprinkles. It is then typically cut into two triangles.

If you ask any Aussie, they will tell you that for an authentic Australian fairy bread experience, inexpensive grocery store sliced white bread is the only way to go. Many will also say margarine is often used instead of any high-quality butter and that there is a magical ratio to butter and sprinkles on the bread. The butter needs to be spread on thick enough to allow the sprinkles to adhere, but not so much that it overpowers the flavor.

Fairy bread dates all the way back to the 1920s in Australia where the recipe was first mentioned in The Hobart Mercury newspaper. The article describes children consuming fairy bread at a party. Since that time fairy bread has been particular to children's birthday parties in both Australia and New Zealand. To this day, for many Australians, fairy bread is as synonymous with children's birthday parties as balloons and games and continues to be a favorite nostalgic treat.

Ingredients

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Fairy Bread ingredients
    The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

  2. Lightly butter one side of each slice of bread.

    Butter one side of the bread
    The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

  3. Coat the entire buttered side of each slice with sprinkles.

    Top with a layer of sprinkles
    The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

  4. Cut each slice on an angle to form triangles.

    Slice the Fairy Bread
    The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

Fun Fact

The exact origin of fairy bread is not known, but some say it may come from the poem "Fairy Bread" by Robert Louis Stevenson in his anthology A Child's Garden of Verses published in 1885. The poem is as follows:

Come up here, O dusty feet!

Here is fairy bread to eat.

Here in my retiring room,

Children, you may dine

On the golden smell of broom

And the shade of pine;

And when you have eaten well,

Fairy stories hear and tell.

Recipe Variation

  • For a variation on fairy bread, try topping buttered bread with chocolate sprinkles instead. This treat is popular in the Netherlands, where it is called "hagelslag," which quaintly translates to "hailstorm."

Tip

  • When adding small, round, multi-colored sprinkles to fairy bread, they have a tendency to roll all around on the countertop and even make a mess on the kitchen floor. To prevent them from escaping and rolling everywhere, be sure to place the buttered bread slices inside a rimmed baking pan before topping with the sprinkles.


Does Fairy Bread Have Crust?

Crusts on fairy bread are a matter of personal preference. Some children have memories of the crusts kept attached to each triangle, while others claim crustless fairy bread is the way to go. Feel free to make it whichever way your kids prefer.

How Do You Keep Fairy Bread Fresh?

Fairy bread is best made fresh, just before eating. However, if you'd like to prepare a snack ahead of time, assemble the fairy bread up to a few hours ahead of time and wrap tightly in plastic wrap.