Fairy Bread
Buttered white bread with hundreds and thousands. The iconic Australian party food that's defined childhood celebrations since the 1920s.
The Story Behind This Recipe
My mother's party staple from the 1980s - Jennifer Walsh
Ask any Australian born before 2000 what was served at their childhood birthday parties, and the answer is universal: Fairy Bread. These simple triangles of white bread, spread with butter, and covered in hundreds and thousands (sprinkles) are as Australian as it gets. No elaborate cupcake towers, no themed dessert tables - just honest, joyful, colorful Fairy Bread that made every kid's eyes light up.
My mother made Fairy Bread for every one of my birthday parties from 1985 to 1995. The night before the party, she'd buy fresh white bread from the bakery, keep the butter at room temperature for easy spreading, and count out exactly how many slices we'd need (always make extras - someone will eat three). On party day, she'd set up a production line on the kitchen counter: bread slices, butter knife, hundreds and thousands in a shallow dish, and a large serving platter ready.
The technique, Mum taught me, was simple but crucial: spread soft butter generously to the very edges (no gaps!), press the buttered side firmly into the hundreds and thousands, shake off the excess, and cut into triangles. "Always triangles," she'd say. "Fairy Bread cut into squares is just wrong." The hundreds and thousands needed to be plentiful - a proper coating, not a sparse sprinkling. "We're not being stingy," she'd laugh. "This is a party!"
Fairy Bread appeared in Australian cookbooks as early as the 1920s, though its exact origins are unclear. The name possibly comes from a Robert Louis Stevenson poem in "A Child's Garden of Verses" (1885) about fairy bread. By the 1950s, it was a staple at every Australian children's party, alongside party pies, sausage rolls, chips, and red cordial. It represented post-war optimism - simple, colorful, affordable joy for children.
What makes Fairy Bread remarkable is its absolute simplicity and the fierce nostalgia it evokes. It's not sophisticated, it's not nutritious, it's not trendy - it's pure childhood happiness on a plate. Adults who haven't had it in decades will still smile at the sight of those colorful triangles. "That taste - butter, soft bread, the crunch of hundreds and thousands - that's childhood," my mother says. "That's birthday parties in backyards, pass-the-parcel, and musical chairs."
When my daughter turned five last year, I made Fairy Bread for her party. The kids, used to elaborate themed cakes and Pinterest-worthy desserts, were initially skeptical. "It's just bread?" one asked. But after the first bite, they swarmed the platter like seagulls. By party's end, three plates of Fairy Bread were empty, while fancy cupcakes sat largely untouched. "Mum," my daughter said, sticky-fingered and grinning, "can we have this at EVERY party?" Some traditions, it seems, are timeless.
"Every recipe tells a story, and every story brings us closer to the heart of home."
Adjust Servings
Scaled Ingredients:
💡 Tip: Cooking times may need adjustment when scaling. Larger batches may take longer, smaller batches may cook faster.
Ingredients
Pro Tips
- • Use FRESH white bread - stale bread doesn't work, fancy bread is wrong.
- • Butter must be room temperature - cold butter tears the bread.
- • Spread butter to the very edges - no gaps or the hundreds and thousands fall off.
- • Press firmly into the hundreds and thousands for good coverage.
- • Always cut into triangles - this is the Australian way!
- • Use rainbow hundreds and thousands, not chocolate sprinkles.
- • Make extras - kids (and adults) always eat more than expected.
Storage
Best eaten fresh on the day of making. If needed, store covered in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours - but they're never quite as good as fresh. Not suitable for freezing.
Instructions
- 1
Take the butter out of the fridge 30 minutes before making to soften to room temperature. Cold butter tears the bread and doesn't spread properly. It should be soft enough to spread easily but not melted.
30 minutes - 2
Lay out your slices of white bread on a clean work surface. Use fresh bread - stale bread doesn't work well. The bread should be soft and slightly squishy, perfect for absorbing butter and holding hundreds and thousands.
- 3
Pour the hundreds and thousands into a shallow dish or plate - you need enough surface area to press the bread into. Don't use a bowl; a flat dish works much better for even coating.
- 4
Using a butter knife, spread soft butter generously on one side of each bread slice. This is crucial: spread all the way to the edges with no gaps. The butter is what makes the hundreds and thousands stick. Be generous - this isn't diet food!
- 5
Working with one slice at a time, press the buttered side firmly into the hundreds and thousands. Press down gently but firmly so they stick well. You want full, generous coverage - not sparse!
- 6
Lift the slice and gently shake off any excess hundreds and thousands that didn't stick. Don't be too vigorous - you want to keep most of them. Place the slice, decorated side up, on your serving platter.
- 7
Repeat with all remaining slices until you have a platter full of colorful buttered bread. Refill your hundreds and thousands dish as needed.
- 8
Using a sharp knife, cut each slice diagonally into 4 triangles. Mum's rule: ALWAYS triangles, never squares. This is the traditional Australian way. You should get 4 triangles per slice, so 12 slices makes 48 triangles.
- 9
Arrange the triangles on your serving platter in an attractive pattern - Mum would overlap them slightly in circular layers. The colorful hundreds and thousands should be face-up and prominent.
- 10
Serve immediately at room temperature. Fairy Bread is best made fresh and served within a few hours. If making ahead, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate, but bring to room temperature before serving - cold, hard butter isn't as good.
Ingredient Substitutions
Nutrition Information
Per serving (approximate)
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