Ingredients
Assembly
- 1 sliceof fresh soft bread
- butter, at room temperature
- chocolate hagelslag
Alternatives
- chocolate vlokken
- fruit hagelslag
- muisjes
Directions
- Use soft fresh bread rather than toast. Soft bread, not toast.
- Toast is crisp and the sprinkles skid straight off it, while soft bread yields under them and holds them where they land.
- Take the butter out well ahead so that it is properly soft and spreadable.
- Butter the slice all the way to the edges, and use more butter than you would for anything else.
- Butter right into the corners and be generous. Hold the slice flat and shake the sprinkles over it in an even layer.
- Tip the box at a shallow angle and move it steadily across, rather than pouring from one spot, which leaves a heap in the middle and bare edges.
- Press any loose ones down very lightly with the flat of a knife.
Technique
- To be labelled chocoladehagelslag it must contain at least 32 per cent cacao; the cheaper cacaofantasie has less and tastes of it.
- Vlokken are chocolate flakes rather than strands and behave the same way on the butter.
- Muisjes, sugared aniseed, go on beschuit to celebrate a birth, blue for a boy and pink for a girl.
Substitutions
- Chocolate vlokken or fruit hagelslag.
- Any fine chocolate sprinkle, though a Dutch person would notice.
Variations
- On beschuit, the round rusk, instead of bread.
- Muisjes on buttered beschuit for a new baby.
- Gestampte muisjes, the crushed powdered version.
History
Sprinkles for bread, first made as aniseed in 1919 and in chocolate by Venz from 1936; putting them on buttered bread is a daily Dutch habit.
Frequently asked questions
What is Hagelslag?
Hagelslag is a breakfast from Netherlands: chocolate sprinkles on buttered bread, a national habit. Sprinkles for bread, first made as aniseed in 1919 and in chocolate by Venz from 1936; putting them on buttered bread is a daily Dutch habit.
How long does Hagelslag take to make?
Hagelslag takes 2 min of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes 1 slice. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Hagelslag?
Yes, within limits. Chocolate vlokken or fruit hagelslag. Any fine chocolate sprinkle, though a Dutch person would notice.
What is the most important thing to get right in Hagelslag?
Use soft fresh bread rather than toast. Soft bread, not toast.
