Fairy Bread: The Most Whimsical Way To Use Up Sprinkles

Ask an Australian or New Zealander what their favorite birthday treat was when they were a child, and odds are high that they might tell you about fairy bread. This dessert is an honest, sweet treat that's carted out to children (and even to adults) by the platter on most birthdays. For such a whimsically-named treat that obviously has the love and respect of so many Aussies and Kiwis, fairy bread only has three simple ingredients: Bread, butter, and sprinkles. (Or, as sprinkles are called in Australia and New Zealand, "hundreds and thousands.")

Making fairy bread is as simple as taking a slice of buttered bread and giving it a generous pour of sprinkles across the top. It's sweet and indulgent, and the sight of all the multi-colored sprinkles over a canvas of white bread does inspire a festive vibe. That's the exact reason fairy bread is a favorite birthday treat in the first place!

No one knows exactly when fairy bread became a thing, or who the genius was that first came up with the recipe. The earliest known mention of the treat came from an April 1929 issue of the Hobart Mercury newspaper, mentioning how the children at the Consumptive Sanitorium (a tuberculosis hospital) would celebrate parties: "With fairy bread and butter and 100's and 1,000's, and cakes, tarts, and home-made cakes..."

You may have noticed, however, that the words "fairy bread" and "butter and 100's and 1000's" were mentioned separately. Well, it turns out that fairy bread was originally separate from the colorful toppings it now comes with today. Back in the day, "fairy bread" was a type of yeastless cake made only with eggs, baking powder, and cream of tartar. The inclusion of butter and sprinkles (and their later incorporation into the fairy bread recipe proper) happened later.

The point of fairy bread is maximum indulgence for minimum cost. So, you don't necessarily have to spring for pricey whole wheat or multigrain loaves. However, there's more to it than just cost: Whole wheat or multigrain bread will tend to have a strong flavor, which will overpower the taste of the butter and the sprinkles, which are the stars of the show. That's why cheap, plain white bread is the classic choice here: It doesn't leave many crumbs, and its mild, close-to-non-existent flavor makes it a great vessel for the butter and sprinkles.

When it comes to butter, opt for spreadable butter for ease of application. Block butter works too, but spreading it on the bread is going to be more troublesome. You can use both plain and salted butter, but the latter is sometimes preferred since it lends an extra touch of flavor to the treat. If you prefer not to use butter, you can swap it with margarine.

And for the finishing touch, you'll need sprinkles. Look for the tiny round ones known as "hundreds and thousands" for the classic Aussie fairy bread experience. If you can't find them, donut sprinkles (or homemade sprinkles) will do the job just fine — of course, it won't look the same, but the color and the taste will still give you a similar experience!