Fairy Bread Is the Magical Snack Australians Can't Get Enough Of (2024)

Australian Food
Desserts for Kids
Snacks for Kids
Australian Desserts

Kids of all ages love this colorful, whimsical birthday party treat!

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 02/22/24

What is Fairy Bread?

Fairy bread, which can be traced back to Australia and New Zealand, 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 triangles.

What is the History of Fairy Bread?

Fairy bread dates all the way back to the 1920s in Australia, where the recipe was first mentioned inThe Hobart Mercurynewspaper. 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.

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.

How Do I Make Fairy Bread?

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. What you really need is fluffy, white sandwich bread, with a tight crumb; avoid sourdough or artisan loaves with a larger crumb or too much flavor—you want the butter and sprinkles to shine!

While this recipe calls for salted butter, many will saythat margarineis often used instead of any high-quality butter and that there is a magical ratio to the 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.

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 (or you) prefer.

Tips for Making the Best Fairy Bread

·Limit the mess—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.

·Cut with care—Slices of fairy bread are typically cut into two to four triangles, but to make it even more kid party–friendly, use cookie cutters to cut your buttered and sprinkled bread into fun shapes, such as hearts or stars.

Ingredients

8 slices white bread
1/4 cup softened salted butter
1/4 cup multicolored sprinkles

Steps to Make It

Gather the ingredients.
Use 1/4 cup softened salted butter to lightly butter one side of 8 slices white bread.
Use 1/4 cup multicolored sprinkles to coat the entire buttered side of each slice of bread.
Cut each slice on an angle to form triangles.

Feeling adventurous? Try this!

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."

Can I Make Fairy Bread Ahead?

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.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
124	Calories
4g	Fat
19g	Carbs
3g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories	124
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 4g	5%
Saturated Fat 1g	6%
Cholesterol 4mg	1%
Sodium 164mg	7%
Total Carbohydrate 19g	7%
Dietary Fiber 1g	3%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 0mg	0%
Calcium 45mg	3%
Iron 1mg	6%
Potassium 40mg	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.)

Recipe Tags:

sprinkles
unicorn
snack
australian

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