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Fairy bread
Buttered white bread covered in hundreds and thousands and cut into triangles, the classic Australian kids' party plate
No children's birthday party in Australia, and in New Zealand too, is complete without a plate of fairy bread, a tradition going back about a hundred years. Soft white bread is spread with butter and pressed face-down into a pile of hundreds and thousands, the tiny round coloured sprinkles, then cut into triangles. It's sweet, crunchy, buttery and gloriously bright, and children love making it as much as eating it. Many sprinkles are coloured with insect-based carmine (E120) or glazed with shellac (E904); for a vegetarian plate, choose a brand that uses neither. Chef's tip: use soft, spreadable butter right to the edges; it's the glue that holds every sprinkle.
- Total time
- 10 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Leave 2 ⅛ oz soft butter or margarine at room temperature until very soft and spreadable. A common mistake is using butter straight from the fridge: it tears the soft bread and the sprinkles won't stick.
Step 2: Spread each slice of 6 slices soft white sandwich bread evenly with butter, right to the crusts.
3 minStep 3: Tip 2 ⅞ oz hundreds and thousands (nonpareils) onto a plate. Press each slice butter-side down into them, then lift and check; sprinkle over more to fill any gaps and press gently with your palm.
4 minStep 4: Cut each slice into 4 triangles, corner to corner. Leave the crusts on or trim them, the way your family likes it.
2 minStep 5: Pile onto a plate and serve within an hour or two, before the bread dries out. Cover with a damp tea towel if making ahead.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 170 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 25 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does fairy bread take?
- About 10 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
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