For the crispiest start to the day, try this Air Fryer Sourdough Toast. It’s hard to explain how it’s different from just using a toaster but somehow it is! Air fried toast holds up really well whether piled high with smashed avocado, creamy scrambled eggs, smothered in butter and jam or used as the base of a beautiful bruschetta.
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Lets be honest, this is less of a recipe and instruction post as it is a suggestion to try something you might not have thought of using your air fryer for.
Pretending this is something complicated would be an embarrassment to both you and I. But still it’s a good idea and there are many folks who are simply underconfident when learning how to use their air fryer. If this is you then do have a read through the article – there will hopefully be a few hints and tips to help you.
Air Fryer Vs Toaster
Lets go back to talking about air frying sourdough vs using a standard toaster. The difference is that using the toaster (or putting the bread under the grill/broiler) cooks the outside of the bread first.
So for it to become crisp all the way though, you need to toast the outside until it is fairly dark. Especially when we’re talking about slightly thicker slices of bread like this sourdough.
The air fryer essentially bakes the bread although it does of course colour the outsides too. This gives you a crispiness all the way through without having to over colour the outside.
How to Serve
Let us first discuss the potential elephant in the room – no I don’t like a whole lot of colour on my toast. People have tried to insult me by calling it “ghost toast” but I think that’s both accurate and hilarious. But my lack of photo editing skills have let me down here and made it look even more pale than it actually is.
If you aren’t just fancying some straight up buttered sourdough toast, give one of these toppings a try –
- Smashed avocado – add a fried or poached egg too.
- Confit tomatoes.
- Creamy and luxurious scrambled eggs and crispy streaky bacon.
- Spread with delicious jam or fruit curd.
- Homemade Boston baked beans.
- Creamed mushrooms.
- Use to scoop up garlic, maple & thyme baked camembert.
Air Fryer Full English Breakfast Recipes
Find all of my air fried breakfast recipes in on place. Mix and match to your hearts desire or just go for it and make them all!
Featuring thick and thin back bacon, tasty sausages, simple hash browns, delicious mushrooms and grilled tomatoes.
When to Butter or Oil the Toast
I’ve seen air fryer instruction for toast where the directions say to butter the bread and then air fry it. To me this is a different end result than toast. It is much more like fried bread/fried slice. So I much prefer to toast and then add my butter.
There are a few exceptions to this like when I make my confit tomato bruschettas with pesto & mozzarella or make small croutons for canapes.
Ingredients
Sourdough
I focussed this post around sourdough bread but realistically you can of course use the air fryer to toast any bread you like. I prefer to stick to bread that you cut yourself or crusty bread that’s pre-cut into very thick slices. Just a regular slice of Warburtons or Hovis is likely going to be better and quicker just thrown in the toaster.
Sourdough bread isn’t all created equally. In it’s true form, it should only have 3 ingredients – flour, salt and water. But many that you buy can include other ingredients and are really “sourdough flavoured” or “sourdough style”. I’m not mad at these loaves, I often find that true sourdough, the kind that the cult bread-makers go crazy about is more hole than bread. And the crust can be so tough, it’s practically inedible. So just use whatever bread you personally prefer.
The loaf I used in these photographs was a 470g boule from Morrisons. The slices vary quite wildly in size because that’s just inevitable with a round loaf. I tried to cut them all a very similar thickness – around 1cm. Because I’m a geek, I weighed the 4 slices and they ranged from 42g to 60g. A loaf will cut more evenly but I find they can be oddly flat and provide weirdly small slices.
Allergen Information
This recipe is free from egg, dairy, and nuts. In theory and if you’re using the truest of basic recipe artisan sourdoughs. You should of course check the label of whatever bread you are using if allergies are a consideration.
Gluten Free Sourdough Toast: Easy – use or make a gluten free sourdough loaf. There are several brands available in various mainstream supermarkets nowadays.
Please note that this recipe may contain other allergens not referred to above and any variations suggested have not been tested unless otherwise stated. For more information regarding any dietary information provided on this website, please refer to my Nutritional Disclaimer.
How Long to Air Fry Sourdough Toast Slices
Using a preheated air fryer, I find that cooking the slices for 5 minutes then turning and giving it a further 2 minutes is just perfect. The underside of the bread will toast and crisp without being turned but it doesn’t really colour. So I give it a quick flip.
If you prefer darker toast, allow the bread to cook for a couple of minutes extra on each side. Do keep an eye on things and until you’re confident in your preferred timings, check after a minute and no longer. Once things start getting toasty, they get very toasty very quickly.
How to Air Fry Sourdough Toast From Frozen
Pre-slicing sourdough and then storing it in the freezer is a really smart way to made sure you always have some tasty bread/toast on hand.
- You can air fry the bread straight from frozen.
- It will take a couple of extra minutes to cook on each side.
- If there are any visible ice crystals, scrape these off before adding to the air fryer. Water is the enemy of making things crisp.
- For the same reason, it is a good idea to open the air fryer after a couple of minutes cooking and allow any excess steam to escape.
Leftovers – Storage & Reheating
There really should be very few reasons why you might end up with leftover toast.
But if you do, you can put it back into the air fryer and reheat for a couple of minutes. I have found that once is enough, after that, it turns to rock.
Common Air Fryer Questions – A Brief Guide to Air Frying
- What exactly is an air fryer?
- What are the benefits of using an air fryer?
- Are all air fryers the same?
- Is an air fryer always better to use than an oven?
- Do air fryers need to be pre-heated?
- What is the best temperature to air fry at?
- What setting is best to use? Air fry, bake, dehydrate, etc…
- Can food be cooked from frozen in an air fryer?
- Can I reheat food in an air fryer?
- Are air fryer liners a good idea?
The Air Fried Feast Community
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What Exactly is an Air Fryer?
Very simply, an air fryer is a small convection (fan) oven. The benefit is that the hot air is circulated all around the food being cooked which speeds up the cooking time and cooks the food more evenly.
What are the Benefits of Using an Air Fryer?
Size, time and energy usage. Air fryers are ideal for cooking smaller quantities. Heating up a space that the food just fits into requires less energy and means that the heat source is much closer to the food. Combining these two things can speed up the cooking time.
Are all air fryers the same?
Nope! The term air fryer is now used very broadly. I consider there to be 4 main types:
Basket Air Fryers
These are what I would consider to be the most common, especially in the UK. A boxy type unit has a pull out drawer/basket. Food isn’t usually visible whilst cooking.
Some larger models have two drawers so different items can be cooked at different temperatures or for different times.
This is the type that you’ll see in the images in this recipe. I mostly use a Cosori Lite 3.8L (CAF-LI401S) with a 3.8 litre capacity. The square(ish) shaped basket is 21cm x 21cm and 24cm on the diagonal. It isn’t an overly expensive or fancy model.
I’ve also recommended to several friends and family the model with a slightly larger basket. This is the Cosori 4.7L (CAF-L501) with a 4.7 litre basket. The unit is no larger than the 3.8 litre model on the outside but does have a larger internal basket capacity. I’ve since bought this version to use for some recipes where my smaller model was just too small. I’ll always note this in the recipe.
Rotary Air Fryers
Round air fryers with a paddle in the centre that rotates to move the food. This is the type I used for years – the most common is a Tefal Actifry.
Rotary types are not usually good for recipes where the food is breaded, glazed, likely to break up or in a tray/container. They do however make the best chips and roasted veg.
My 2 in 1 version like the one I’ve linked also has a rotating tray for things that could be broken up by a paddle, but the height clearance with the lid isn’t deep enough to use it to cook some items like sausage rolls. I’ve now actually retired by Actifry in favour of having my two basket type fryers.
Mini Oven Air Fryers
These usually have a glass door, shelves and overall are really quite large. You can cook quite a decent quantity of food in them so are best if regularly cooking for multiple people. They often come with extra features like a rotisserie spit or kebab skewers.
Multicookers with Air Fryer Functions
Some like Ninja 11 in 1 and some of the earlier versions with a few less functions, have an air fryer option. They mostly operate the same as a basket fryer but the basket drops in the top rather than sliding in like a drawer.
Some electric pressure cookers like Instant Pots can also air fry when used with a specific lid.
Is an air fryer always better to use than an oven?
As much as I do love air frying, the honest answer to this is no. And the more detailed answer is that it will always depend on what you’re cooking, how much of it you’re cooking and what type and size of air fryer you have.
Once you need to cook in more than 2 batches, it often makes more sense to use an oven. If you already have the oven on to cook other items, it may make more sense to throw one more item in rather than using an additional appliance.
I don’t think either method is often necessarily better than the other. The important point to note is that there is absolutely no difference in the finished product.
Do Air Fryers Need to Be Pre-Heated?
The answer to this is rather annoying – it depends. It depends entirely on your model and type of air fryer. The best advice I can offer is to check your manual and follow their guidance. My Cosori models have a preheat function. I press a button and it heats at 205c/400f for 4 minutes.
It’s also worth noting that regardless of whether you are supposed to pre-heat or not, if you are cooking in batches, it is quite likely that anything after the first batch will cook a little quicker because of the retained heat. It is best to check on them before the cooking time is completed.
What is the best temperature to Air Fry at?
It will always depend on what you are cooking and from what state. All of my air fryer recipes don’t use temperatures above 200c/390f because many of the most common fryers in the UK don’t go above this. Mine goes to 230c/450f and I use this temperature a lot but it is no help for me to share recipes which many people can’t use.
What setting is best to use? Air fry, bake, dehydrate, etc…
Not all air fryers have different settings like this. When they do it usually relates to the fan speed. The default setting to use will always be “air fry” so unless something else is specifically stated in the recipe, always use the air fry option.
There are other air fryers that have an additional heating element which cooks from underneath rather than just the top. Just as with the other settings, unless you are using a recipe which states to use a second heating element, stick with just using the top down air fry option.
Of course if and when you become more confident with air frying, using recipes and the settings of your air fryer, you can start adapting them to suit.
Can Food Be Cooked From Frozen In An Air Fryer?
Absolutely! To cook from frozen you usually will need to reduce the cooking temperature and increase the time to make sure your food is cooked right through to the middle.
It is best to check my individual recipes for cooking from frozen advice as some items are a little different. And there are occasionally exceptions to the rule.
Can I Reheat Food In An Air Fryer?
Yes. As a general rule I reheat food for roughly 1/3 of the original cooking time at the same temperature. Or at 10 degrees lower for half the time for larger items.
Are Air Fryer Liners a Good Idea?
Unless otherwise stated, I do not use liners when air frying. Basket and rotary type air fryers are designed to be used without liners. Mini oven types will generally require some kind of tray like with a regular large oven although most come with crisper racks to use.
There are many air fryer liners available including quite thick silicone ones. These will affect the cooking times and possibly temperatures of your cooking/baking. I also don’t like how cooking juices are prevented from dripping through the basket rack. This can stop food from crisping all the way around.
When I do want to collect the juices, I mostly use some foil, or occasionally a foil tray which can be washed and reused.
If you do prefer to use them, once you have got a feel for how they affect your cooking and baking, you may need to make adjustments to the recipe accordingly.
More Air Fryer Recipes
All my recipes with instructions for how to cook or bake them in the air fryer can be found in my Air Fryer Recipe Index.
Don’t forget to let me know in the comments if you try making this recipe – I want to know what you think and if you made any substitutions, how did it turn out?
Still Have Questions?
Simple! Just contact me and I will do my best to help as quickly as I am able. Head over to my Contact Me page, any of my social media channels or post a comment at the bottom of this page and I’ll see what I can do.
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The Recipe
Air Fryer Sourdough Toast Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 slices Sourdough Bread - 40-60g/1½-2oz per slice
Instructions
- If your air fryer requires pre-heating, start this setting now.
- Cut 2 slices Sourdough Bread. Or however many slices you wish to serve/can fit in your air fryer without overlapping.
- Place the slices onto the grill rack of the air fryer basket. Use tongs if the air fryer is preheated.
- Cook for 5 minutes at 200c/390f. If you prefer a darker toast, continue cooking until you are satisfied with the colour.
- Use tongs to turn each slice over.
- Cook for a further 2 minutes at 200c/390f. As before, if you want more colour, continue cooking until you are happy.
- Serve!
Notes
- This recipe is tested in a Cosori Lite (CAF-LI401S) with a 3.8 litre capacity. The square(ish) shaped basket is 21cm x 21cm and 24cm on the diagonal.
- Not all models advise preheating is required. Please follow the recommended instructions for your model. Mine has a specific preheat setting which is 4 minutes at 205c.
- For this recipe, I can comfortably cook 2 slices of sourdough cut from a 470g sourdough boule. Slice sizes will vary from loaf to loaf and how thick you decide to cut them.
- As all air fryer models are a little different, you may find that you can fit more or less in at a time. Some models include stacking shelves which will increase capacity.
- Required cooking times and temperatures can also vary between models and brands. If you know that your air fryer runs a little hotter than most recipes suggest, use a lower temperature. And vice versa. Equally if you find that food cooks more quickly in your machine than instructions usually state, reduce the cooking time (or check it earlier) and vice versa.
Cat says
I’ve done this a couple of times now and it works so well with sourdough and breads like ciabatta. Also easier than trying to squeeze them in the toaster!
Sisley says
After my toaster broke this recipe came in so handy! Worked like a charm.
Lesley says
This method worked really well to firm up the toast making it perfect for bruschetta.
Janice says
I’d never thought about making toast in my air fryer, but I tried this and it’s definitely a game changer!