If you often crave a dougnut but wish it could come without the bellyache, come with me to the Netherlands for breakfast. The quickest way there is with hagelslag, or a “hailstorm” of sprinkles, on buttered bread (no need to toast it). While it sounds incredibly unhealthy, dutch sprinkles are high quality treats and there’s even guidelines for what can be called hagelslag.
Venz hagelslag (Dutch chocolate sprinkles). Photo by Mtcv.
Most are at least 35% cocoa with 100% cocoa butter (this means there are no weird fillers, like vegetable oil, as you’ll find in cheap sprinkles).
For those of you more than an arm’s throw away from the Netherlands, any good quality sprinkles will do the job. For those who can’t stand it and wish to try the real thing, a quick search for hagelslag will get you what you need – there’s all sorts from white chocolate, to dark, and from anise flavor, to even berry.
Tip: Next time you visit a friend, put a variety of sprinkles in a basket with a loaf of homemade bread and good quality European butter, and you’ll have a nice hostess gift in the making. You can even put the sprinkles in cute little jars. For authenticity’s sake, be sure to hang a tag from the sprinkles that reads “hagelslag.”
A picture of one channel in Amsterdam, Holland as the night fell. Author: Mario Ortegon
Ingredients:
1 slice bread (preferably thick-sliced, I used country miche)
1 Tbsp high-quality chocolate sprinkles
European butter, to taste
Method:
When the morning sky rises up to greet you, stretch and prepare to start your day with a sprinkle.
Channel in Amsterdam. Photo by Labé.
These are sprinkles from around here, since I couldn’t find the authentic dutch ones at our local Euromart. But these tasted great, too!
Spread good quality bread with softened butter (try out a European-style butter like lurpak to make this even more authentic)
Sprinkle on a little hagelslag…
… or a little more.Enjoy each bite with a sip of cold milk…
… and several rays of sunshine.
Morning in the Netherlands, Hanzestedenpad. Photo by Martin D.
Delicious
Everyone loved it…
I mean, come on – it’s sprinkles for breakfast!
Thank you, Netherlands. Thank you.
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In Italy bread and chocolate was a favorite when I was growing up, like an actual sandwich with a chocolate bar in it. Now there are so many choices of sweet thing available people don’t really make it anymore, but it was pretty staple in the old days
Yum! I always loved the chocolate croissants in France- basically a two small bars of chocolate in a rolled croissant.
That would have been a very sweet time to visit. I watched Julie & Julia yersterday and thought of you.
Find some sprinkles – I bet Jasmine would love it.
Oooh… sort of like fairy bread in Australia! Although I think Australians usually use colored sprinkles? I was surprised that I actually liked it
I love that name – fairy bread…
Yay! for …fairy bread…..I love this treat!
Awh, so nice some americans are finaly enjoying what i’ve loved since i was a little girl and is still on my morning routine. I saw your pictures and it look like the real thing, but it needs more hagelslag. just slab on real butter (roomboter in dutch) en lots and lots of hagelslag. or use peanutbutter instead of the butter.
enjoy!
Keith said the same thing – MORE hagelslag. Except he said sprinkles
Definitly put more hagelslag on your bread! Love the stuff, no day goes by without hagelslag for breakfast!
I was in The Netherlands in April and didn’t come across this delicious breakfast. We definitely missed out!
We did enjoy the stroopwafels which are thin wafers with a caramel and honey syrup in the middle.
I’m so happy to see you like our hagelslag! I agree with Eleanor, more sprinkles [you should not be able to see so much bread] and it is even better with peanut butter! And I have to say I really love your blog!!! Great coincidence I came across it just right after you wrote about my country!!