How To Make Toast In An Air Fryer
Hot, buttery, and delightfully crisp, toast is a definite favorite for many of us at breakfast time!
Whether you enjoy golden toast lightly buttered or prefer to lather on jam and peanut butter, toast is one of those foods which will never go out of fashion.
How do you make toast in an air fryer? To make toast in an air fryer, start by setting your air fryer to 400°F. Lay your bread down flat in the air fryer basket and cook for 3 minutes. Flip after the first 3 minutes and cook for another 3 minutes. Remove toast from the air fryer and enjoy!
Want to learn more about the best way to make toast? We have got all the answers and more for you!
We will take a look at why toast tastes so good when made in the air fryer and give you some tips on the best way to cook perfect toast every time.
How Is Toast Made?
What is the greatest thing since sliced bread?
Toast, of course! There is no more satisfying snack than a slice of brown toasted bread, hot from the toaster.
As with most good things, toast is by no means a recent invention. People have eaten toast for many centuries, as it is a great way to use bread which has gone past its best.
In fact, even the word toast has Latin origins – coming from the word torrere, meaning to burn. (Fun fact—in the 15th century, toast was not eaten but was used as a flavoring for drinks!)
But how exactly is toast made? Like all forms of cooking, there is a scientific explanation behind our lovely golden crispy toast.
Toast is made by exposing bread to radiant heat. This is heat produced where the source is not in direct contact with the bread, but instead, it radiates through the air.
This heat produces something called the Maillard reaction, causing chemical changes in the bread to occur. It is this reaction that gives our toast its characteristic brown color and distinctive flavor.
These days, most of us make toast using one of two methods. The most common way to make toast is in an electric toaster.
This has an element that radiates intense heat, creating the perfect browned toast. It is also possible to make toast under an electric or gas grill with excellent results.
Another method still used to make toast around the world is on an open fire! Hands up if you’ve ever eaten slightly charred, smoke-flavored toast on a camping trip?!
What Is An Air Fryer?
If you are a healthy eating fanatic, you will no doubt have come across the air fryer craze by now. But not everyone has one, so let’s find out more about these wonderful machines!
An air fryer is a type of convection oven, which works by circulating hot air at high speed—this cooks food incredibly quickly. It also creates a crispy brown outer layer on the food, like when frying or roasting in hot oil.
However, very little oil is required when using an air fryer, and in some cases, none at all!
Air fryers are relatively small appliances, designed to sit on your countertop and small enough to be popped into a cupboard or on a shelf when you are not using them.
Most air fryers have a basket inside the oven chamber, which allows the hot air to circulate around the food. The basket may need shaking occasionally during the cooking process, although some air fryers will do this for you.
Some air fryers can be used in the same way as normal convection ovens, to roast, bake and steam foods. The more expensive models may also come with accessories such as skewer racks, grill trays, pizza pans, and even cake barrels.
There are three great advantages to using an air fryer:
Health
Most of us love fried food, but we all know that this is not the healthiest form of cooking! Using an air fryer gives you the delectable taste and texture of fried food without the unhealthy oils and fats.
Speed
Air fryers really are fast! They heat up much faster than a conventional oven and can cut cooking times by as much as half. If you’re in a rush and you need to get some food on the table as soon as possible, an air fryer is the way to go.
Crispiness
Air fryers can recreate the delicious crispy taste and texture of fried food, without the oil. In fact, they are much more effective at crisping up food than a conventional oven.
Can You Make Toast In An Air Fryer?
If you’ve got an air fryer sitting gathering dust, you may not realize all the wonderful things you can do with it! These versatile kitchen gadgets are not just for food you would normally fry!
Air fryers can be used for cooking and reheating a huge range of different things, but do they work for making toast?
Yes, you can make toast in an air fryer! Air fryers work by circulating hot air rapidly, so you get a similar effect when using a toaster or grill.
And because air fryers have a larger capacity than most electric toasters, you can fit more slices of bread in at a time. Perfect if you are cooking breakfast for a large crowd!
You can also use the air fryer to make different types of toast. So, if you fancy some garlic toast with your pasta, or want to make some healthy croutons, give the air fryer a try. We’re sure that you won’t be disappointed!
What Does Toast Taste Like When Made In An Air Fryer?
In terms of flavor, toast will taste exactly the same when cooked in an air fryer compared to using a toaster or a grill.
The end result should be a gorgeous crispy slice of toast, crumbly on the outside and light and fluffy in the middle.
When it comes to texture, the air fryer will dry out food more than a toaster or a grill. This is because of the way it circulates air around the food, removing any excess moisture.
Because of this, toast made in the air fryer may be slightly drier and crispier than toast made using conventional methods. However, this is how most people like their toast, so it is a win-win solution!
It is worth bearing this in mind when selecting your bread for toasting. Some pieces of bread are already very dry and crumbly, and the air fryer may well be a step too far for these!
The air fryer is also great for making other toasted goodies, from lightly toasted bagels to thick, crispy garlic baguettes. Just remember that you will get a crispier finish, so bear this in mind if you’re toasting a crusty loaf or dry roll.
Making Toast In An Air Fryer
So, have we got you convinced to give this toasting method a go? If not, here are some great tips and suggestions to convince you to try making toast in an air fryer!
- Adding butter to your bread before toasting will give your toast a super-golden crispy finish.
- The air fryer makes perfect toast from frozen bread – the ultimate convenience food!
- Toppings can be added to bread when cooked in the air fryer.
- Any type of bread can be toasted in the air fryer, no matter how thick, thin, or awkwardly shaped.
- Pieces of bread that do not fit in the toaster, such as rolls and baguettes, will toast perfectly in the air fryer.
- Spray a light oil onto your bread and add a sprinkle of herbs for the perfected toasted accompaniment to pasta dishes.
So, we can see that the air fryer is actually much more versatile than an electric toaster when it comes to making toast. Now we are dreaming of a lightly toasted mini-baguette, topped with golden cheese and juicy tomatoes—yummy!
Step-By-Step Guide To Making Toast In An Air Fryer
Let’s take a look at the perfect way to make toast in an air fryer! This method is so quick and easy, you’ll be wondering why you never tried it before. In fact, you may find that your electric toaster gets relegated to the back of the cupboard!
One important thing to bear in mind is how you place the bread in the air fryer basket.
The slices of bread should not be stacked or laid on top of each other, as they will not toast evenly. There are 3 ways in which you could put the bread in the air fryer basket:
- If your air fryer basket is large enough, lay the slices of bread flat at the bottom of the basket in a single layer.
- You can place the slices of bread so that they lean against each other at the top, or so they lean against the sides of the basket. This means you can fit more slices of bread in than the first method.
- Some air fryers come with a rack for placing food items in. These work really well for making toast, as you can fit many slices into the basket in a vertical position.
If you want to add toppings to your toast during the cooking process, then they must be cooked using the first method. This is ideal if you want to make recipes such as garlic bread, bruschetta, or toasted sandwiches.
Here is our step-by-step guide to making toast in an air fryer:
- Preheat the air fryer to 400°F—this should take about 1 minute.
- Place your bread in the air fryer basket.
- Cook for 3 minutes.
- Remove the basket and turn the bread over using tongs.
- Cook for a further 3 minutes, then serve!
Yes, it really is that simple! And as most air fryers have a timer, you don’t even need to stand over it while it cooks. So much easier than using a grill, and much faster for doing large batches of toast than an electric toaster.
The cooking time may need to be adjusted depending on the type of bread you use. Thicker bread will take longer, and thin slices of bread will cook to a crisp in no time at all.
Once the cooking time has ended, the toast can be left in the air fryer to keep warm until you are ready to serve breakfast.
Remember that it may dry out slightly during this time, but nothing that a layer of butter and thick, juicy jam can’t fix!
Related Questions
Now that we’ve gone over how to make toast in an air fryer, let’s take a look at a few related questions on the subject!
Can you make toast in an oven?
It is possible to make toast in an oven, although the results might not be quite the same as using a toaster or air fryer. This is because the oven will dry out the bread, leaving it with a crunchy, crumbly texture.
To make toast in the oven, place your bread on a baking sheet in a single layer. Pop the tray into an oven, preheated to 350°F. Cook for around 5 minutes on each side.
Can you make croutons in an air fryer?
If you are knocking up a quick batch of soup for lunch, sometimes taking the time to make croutons just seems like too much hassle. But there is an easy way to do this—just make them in your air fryer!
Simply cut your bread into bitesize pieces, and mix them in a bowl with melted butter or oil, herbs, and seasonings.
Cook them at 400°F in your air fryer until crisp and golden—this will take around 7 minutes. You will then have perfect croutons, ready to sprinkle onto your delicious soup!
This method works really well with stale and leftover bread, and even frozen bread. Pop any leftover bread in the freezer for storage, and you’ll have some on hand every time you want to make croutons.
Can you bake bread in an air fryer?
Did you know that your air fryer is not really a fryer, but actually an oven? This means that you can quickly and easily bake bread in an air fryer!
You can bake most bread recipes in an air fryer, but you will need to reduce the cooking time by about 1/3.
Because of the way the air fryer circulates hot air around the oven, your bread will come out with a thick and crispy crust when cooked using this method. Perfect if you want some crusty rolls for breakfast or to dunk in your soup.
Bread recipes for rolls and smaller loaves work best in the air fryer, as they will cook through to the middle without being too overdone on the outside.
Larger loaves may not turn out as well, developing a thick and chewy crusty and doughy middle.
Can you make toast in a microwave?
Because of the way microwaves work, you cannot make toast in a microwave oven. To make good toast, you need a source of radiant heat, such as a grill or toaster.
So, what happens when you microwave bread? Microwaves work by heating water molecules in food, by causing them to move about and vibrate. When you do this to bread, the results are very weird and not at all palatable!
When bread is microwaved, it becomes rubbery, chewy, and not at all nice to eat. If microwaved for long enough, it would dry out completely, but it would not brown at all.
