Saturday, November 21, 2020

Weekend Cooking: National Fairy Bread Day


Today I am going to be posting about an Australlian culinary classic that doesn't necessarily make much sense to other nationalities (except maybe Dutch people, but more on that lately). The reason for posting about this today.....Tuesday is National Fairy Bread day.

In my last job I was known as the queen of fairy bread, a title which came about because of a joke. One of the things that I miss about working at home is the opportunity for shared morning teas, or taking your baking treats into work, so you don't have to eat at all. It was something that we definitely loved at my old job. And it wasn't only the actual morning tea to look forward to, there was also the pre morning tea conversation where we all talk about what we might make!

During one of these pre-event conversations, we were all talking about what we would bring, and I jokingly suggested I would bring fairy bread, which once upon a time was staple of an Australian kids party. Once we had explained to the people who didn't grow up here and then reassured them that it is actually really good, the idea took hold and I decided to actually do it.

What I didn't expect was the reaction from people when they saw it on the table. There were several IT guys who were VERY excited that there was fairy bread on the table, and it made lots of people smile, to the point that I ended up taking it for shared morning teas several times (hence my honorary title) and then felt the need to say, you know I can actually cook right?

So, what actually is fairy bread? Firstly let me be very clear here - there is little to no nutritional goodness in this! 

Fairy bread is very easy to make, but you can still get it wrong.

Firstly, you start with the freshest sliced white bread you can find. If you are making it for yourself at home it's fine to use supermarket sliced bread, but if you are taking it to a special occasion then it involves a trip to the local bakery to buy a freshly baked loaf.

Secondly, you spread a nice even layer of margarine on those bread slices - not butter because you don't want to tear those nice soft slices of bread.

Then you take hundreds and thousands and generously shake them all over the bread. The challenge is to get it mostly on the bread and not all over your bench tops, floor etc, because you can still be finding those suckers a week later if you aren't careful. 



Now, for some people you can apparently put sprinkles on but for me it has to be hundreds and thousands. Also, save your fancy sprinkles for cupcakes because this is not the time for them. Just your run of the mill store bought do the job. 



What's the difference between sprinkles and hundreds and thousands? The picture below are sprinkles, and the picture above is fairy bread with hundreds and thousands on - so the difference is one is lines and the other is balls.


The final step is to cut the bread into quarters - triangles only. Never squares. Squares just don't look right, or taste right for that matter.

I mentioned that the Dutch might understand fairy bread a bit more than other nationalities. This is because they have something that is kind of next level sprinkles, called vruchten hagel. Vruchten hagel are sprinkles that come in a variety of flavours including milk and dark chocolate, fruits of the forest and aniseed. There could be other flavours but those are the ones that I know of.




My husband, who is really my Dutch boy as both of his parents emigrated to South Africa from the Netherlands, before he, in turn emigrated to Australia (luckily for me!), buys a box of these whenever he can. 

He often has these on toast for breakfast - sacrilege - see the first step above!!

Happy National Fairy Bread day on Tuesday!

Weekly dinners:

Saturday: Eggplant Moussake
Sunday: Porchetta, Fennel, Rachicchio and Orange Salad
Monday: Steak,mushrooms, peas, broccoli
Tuesday: Cauliflower Fried Rice with Chicken
Wednesday: Pasta Carbonara
Thursday: Chicken stir fry
Friday: Roast beef and gravy rolls









Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page.

31 comments:

  1. I love reading about the various snacks enjoyed, and how to make them, thanks! I especially like the term "hundreds and thousands", makes one feel rich! Thanks for sharing Weekend Cooking again this week.

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    1. It definitely does make it sound rich Melynda!

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  2. That was a delightful post. I had never heard of this bread and it looks lovely, and, am sure very tasty.

    I was in awe of your weekly menu – something different every day! Since my husband has passed away, I only cook for myself. Now with my daughter seeing so many sick people with the virus in her hospital she does not want me to go grocery shopping. She sent me some fresh vegetable last Sunday. I improvised a vegetable ragu: used garlic, onion, celery, red pepper, many herbs (Aleppo Pepper, Herbes de Provence and Hawaij Yemeni spice) then added a can of beans , can of tomatoes, mushroom, fresh kale and parsley. Well it was good but it made so much that I have eaten it all week and still have enough for one more meal! I would love variety though.

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    1. I can't take all the credit. My husband does a lot of the cooking, and we do eat a lot of leftovers for lunch!

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  3. Fairy bread looks so fun! Thanks for sharing the story and directions!

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  4. My childhood-based bread treat is buttered toast with cinnamon-sugar. Actually, that's nutritionally very close to your fairy bread, if you think about it. The French do bread wrapped around a piece of chocolate. Everyone does bread with jam. Basically, all kids love sugar!

    be well... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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    1. My mother's idea of a treat is bread with jam and whipped cream Mae!

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  5. It’s very colorful! Now that you explained it I realize the sprinkles , as they are called where I live now, are called jimmies where I grew up in the Philadelphia area. I would get chocolate jimmies on ice cream.

    Loved your post. I’m linking with Nigella Lawson’s tequila chicken today. Missed the weekend cooking folks 😗

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  6. What fun!! I made a cake once that looked liked fairy toast, but didn't understand the where the idea came from. Thanks for cluing me in. Here's a link to a photo: https://www.bethfishreads.com/2019/06/weekend-cooking-recapping-abrams-dinner.html

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  7. I have never heard of fairy bread! I admit I love white sliced bread.
    And I love triangle sandwiches.

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    1. Isn't it strange that sandwiches should be in triangles Jackie!

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  8. The fairy bread is beautiful! One of my favorite things has always been cinnamon toast, which as Mae points out is pretty similar. I'll have to get some round sprinkles and try fairy bread now--it will be fun to call it that, as it's not a term I've heard used here in the U.S.

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    1. Cinnamon toast is great too - especially for a weekend brunch but fairy bread is definitely a party treat Jeanne

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  9. LOVE fairy bread! I'll eat it at every party I go to, and get upset if it isn't there! I agree with the little ball 100 and 1000s, none of this flat sprinkle nonsense. I also agree that if you accidentally get it on the floor you'll be going ouch, ouch, ouch as you pick it up with your bare feet all week.

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  10. oh yes i love Dutch hail. My BIL is Dutch so he introduced the family to it. And definitely 100s and 1000s not sprinkles for fairy bread! and triangles for sure... Sorry Jeanne (above comment) but fairy bread and cinnamon toast are just NOT similar!! except nutritionally:)

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  11. never heard of it, but it looks delicious.
    sherry @ fundinmental

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  12. Your work title and post made me chuckle! I have to say fairy bread doesn't sound appealing to me, but maybe you need the nostalgic feeling to go with it, which I don't have! I guess I like my sprinkles on frosting, not on margarine! I'm sure you wowed them at work with your baking plenty of other times, though you're too humble to say so! ;)

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    1. Well....I did take a few things in to work at various times Laurie!

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  13. I did not know that fairy bread was an Aussie thing only! Now I feel sorry for the rest of the world :-)
    Does that mean putting condensed milk onto white bread spread with margarine, is also an Australian only treat?

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    1. Okay Brona, that is definitely not an all over Australia thing. I have never heard that!

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  14. I'm a day late with my link but loved your fairy toast story so much I added it anyway! What a festive tradition! I think I've always called the long ones jimmies and the round ones sprinkles, but even as a kid I picked them off, so I don't know if I had the names right.

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    1. I haven't heard them called Jimmies before Gillon!

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  15. I must try fairy bread sometime! It sounds delicious.

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