Fairy Bread

Name: Fairy Bread
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 1 serving (but easily multiplied)
Cuisine: australian
Ingredients: 1 slice white sandwich bread; Butter, softened, or margarine; Hundreds and thousands, or round colored sprinkles

By Ali Slagle

Updated Feb. 27, 2025

Total Time: 10 minutes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Rating: 4(173)
Comments: Read comments

If you go to a children’s birthday party in Australia or New Zealand, you are very likely to find fairy bread: triangles of untoasted white bread covered with margarine or butter and “hundreds and thousands” (you can use round rainbow sprinkles stateside). Fairy bread is a much-loved treat with fairly murky origins; one variation is hagelslag, a Dutch treat that uses chocolate sprinkles instead of rainbow-colored rounds. After one bite of fairy bread, it is clear why the combination of soft bread, creamy butter and crunchy, sugary sprinkles is beloved by so many — and may be soon by you, too.

Featured in: It’s Little Treat O’Clock

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Ingredients

Yield:1 serving (but easily multiplied)

1slice white sandwich bread
Butter, softened, or margarine
Hundreds and thousands, or round colored sprinkles

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Spread the slice of bread edge-to-edge with butter (about ½ tablespoon, depending on the size of your bread). Transfer to a lipped plate, then sprinkle with enough sprinkles to cover the entire surface of bread. Spread the sprinkles to fill in empty holes, then tilt the bread so that extra sprinkles roll off (you can press those into the butter). Cut in half on the diagonal before eating.

Ratings

4 out of 5

173 user ratings

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Comments

Kikeena4 months ago

It's easier and more effective to put the 100's and 1000's in the plate. Then press the buttered bread butter side down into them. Less mess, easier and more consistent coverage. I also prefer to cut the crusts off. As an Aussie, I still love fairy bread, 60 year later.

petals3564 months ago

Oooo Ale! Don’t be cheeky..this Delicacy can be found in many exclusive restaurants around the South Island!! Fresh White Bread,thinly spread NZ Butter and 100s&1000s sprinkled over the top! A bunch of Cheerios and Sawce and…. Boom Shake the Room!!!! A Party!!!

Little girl grown big4 months ago

Maybe good for young children, but for a slightly more sophisticated palate, we prefer the tried and true cinnamon-toast: toast bread slices, then slather on with butter/margarine or even schmaltz, followed by a sifted sprinkling or complete covering (depending on taste) of cinnamon and white/brown sugar (either combined or sequentially. Or, if you prefer a more caramelized version, spread on the creamy fat first, then the cinnamon and sugar, and then toast. Twists: pinch of salt, maple syrup

Jeff3 months ago

‘Cooking’ brought to you by an m elevated glycemic index…

MG San Diego3 months ago

I was raised by an Australian mother (vegemite YUM!!) on a budget and this was part of my childhood. I had no idea it was a staple Down Under.

Jojojojojojojojojo3 months ago

Hahahaha! I gave my 8-year-old a QUARTER of a slice after he side-eyed the half I initially placed in front of him. Well. The limits of his sprinkle love has been reached. This was a sprinkle too far. He rated it 1 out of 5 stars! Insanity. It was fine!

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