Fairy bread: it’s been the staple of Australian birthday parties for decades. And with only three ingredients required to make every kid’s party dream come true, you’d think it impossible to mess up. But you’d be wrong.
For my daughter’s recent birthday, I gave her the choice of anything she wanted for afternoon tea. Naturally she chose fairy bread.
Winning, I thought. So much easier to make than cupcakes.
How not to make fairy bread
We didn’t have white bread, so I had to use wholemeal. And we were running really low on butter, but it didn’t matter because I found peanut butter and Nutella in the pantry. This must be her lucky day, I thought.This will taste far better than just butter.
I wasn’t born in Australia, so I missed out on the early years of Dolly Varden cakes and the simple pleasure of hundreds and thousands on buttery bread. I also missed out on the lesson that you don’t mess with a culinary institution.
The verdict on bad fairy bread
When I served up the ‘fairy bread’ it was met with horrified looks all round.
“This is NOT fairy bread,” said my daughter. “What IS this, Mum?
“This is like nutty sprinkle bread,” said her sister. “But why are the sprinkles not the little round ones?”
Disappointed, they both gave it a taste, but their verdicts were a big thumbs down. Apparently the combo of wholemeal bread plus the Nutella and peanut butter overpowered the taste of the hundreds and thousands. And, as I’ve now learned, fairy bread is ALL about the crunch of the topping and the softness of the white bread.
So, what’s the best way to make fairy bread? Check out our tips for the best-ever fairy bread below.
How to make the best fairy bread: 4 golden rules
The bread. It has to be the soft white sliced sandwich bread. No seeds, grains, or bits children may find offensive. And definitely not sourdough (it pays to know your crowd).
The spread. Butter or margarine. Not peanut butter, chocolate spread or jam or any other kind of spread.
The topping. It turns out sprinkles and hundreds and thousands are not interchangeable. If you’re making traditional fairy bread you need the round kind for those unmistakable little explosions of rainbow sugariness when you first bite into it.
The shape. Triangles, not squares. It’s tempting to go fancy and cut the bread out with cookie cutters but there’s really no need. Plus, it’s a waste of good bread.
Ingredients:
- 10 slices fresh white sandwich bread
- 100g butter, at room temperature (we like to use salted butter to offset the sweetness of the topping)
- 185g (3/4 cup) hundreds and thousands
Method:
- Step 1: Spread the bread slices evenly with butter. Cut into triangles.
- Step 2: Place the hundreds and thousands on a plate. Press the bread, buttered-side down, into the hundreds and thousands to coat. Serve.
Does fairy bread taste good?
Ask most children and the answer would be a big fat yes! (And a lot of adults still like it, too.) The contrast in textures between the topping and the bread is another thing kids love, as well as the slight saltiness of the butter paired with the sweetness of the hundreds and thousands.
Do you cut the crusts off fairy bread?
Traditionally, no. If you’re following the classic recipe, keep the crusts on. It’ll save time and mess in the long run (and fairy bread is supposed to be the ultimate quick party food after all).
Who invented fairy bread?
The first printed mention of fairy bread was in Tasmanian newspaper The Mercury in 1929. The dish was being served at a children’s party at a hospital in Hobart (although the name of the first person to create it still remains a mystery).
Crazy twists on fairy bread
