Air Fryer Bread Slices

Ingredients

• 2 bread slices

Method

Set your air-fryer to 200°C and let it preheat for three minutes. The basket needs to be hot — if you load cold bread into a cool chamber, you'll steam rather than toast, and the result will be pallid and tough.

Stand the slices upright in the basket, leaning them against the perforated walls so the large flat faces catch the circulating heat directly. This vertical orientation is critical: it exposes maximum surface area to the 200°C convection and prevents the bottom edges from browning faster than the tops. If you crowd them flat or overlap them, the heat cannot reach the interior surfaces and you'll end up with one golden face and pale undersides.

Toast for five minutes. The bread will firm and the exterior will begin to colour within the first two minutes — you'll see the crust dry and tighten — but five minutes is when the Maillard reaction has properly developed across both faces, darkening the surface to a warm tan. Wholegrain varieties need the full time because their denser crumb and higher bran content take longer to reach that stage than white bread would. The air-frying method's advantage over a toaster is that hot air reaches all surfaces simultaneously, so you avoid the uneven browning that happens when elements heat from underneath only.

Remove the slices when the edges begin to curl slightly inward — this dimpling signals that the moisture has migrated outward and begun to evaporate from the crust. If you wait for them to darken further, they will become brittle and the crumb will dry out completely within thirty seconds of cooling.

Serve immediately. The retained heat will continue the toasting process for a few seconds after removal, so pulling them at the pale-golden stage gives you a window where the crust remains crisp but the interior stays tender. Spread, dress, or eat as intended.