Most people use their air fryer to bake fries. But did you know that you can also easily bake bread in the air fryer?
I have tested the baking of bread rolls, bread that does not have to rise, and leavened bread in the air fryer. This saves me time and I don’t have to heat up an entire oven. If you want to get more out of your air fryer, it is definitely worth baking bread with it.
Tips for when you bake bread in the air fryer
We always make a slightly larger bread ourselves, but if you prefer a smaller one or if you have a small air fryer, you can reduce the amount from the recipe below.
If you use light flour, you will need a little less water. If you use multigrain flour, a little extra water may be needed. If your dough is too sticky, you can add a little extra flour. If it is too firm, you can wet your hands or add a small splash of water and knead until the dough is smooth enough.
The recipe below is a basic recipe that I use. However, I do vary the ingredients. I already use white flour with a focaccia, but usually, I use multigrain or whole wheat flour. With the flour (before you add the water) you can add extras such as nuts, seeds, herbs, and raisins, …
I use my hands to knead the bread, but you can also use a food processor.
If you bake the bread in the air fryer, the bottom will still be a bit flat while the top is already nicely crispy. If you also want your bread baked better at the bottom, you can turn the bread over and bake for an extra 5 minutes so that all sides are nicely browned and crispy.
Recipe: Baking bread in the air fryer
I myself have a fixed base when I bake bread in the air fryer. I sometimes vary this by using a different type of flour or by adding nuts and seeds.
Baking bread in the air fryer
Ingredients
- 750 grams of flour
- 500ml water
- 15 grams dry yeast
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Weigh the flour into a large bowl. Add the dry yeast and salt and mix everything well. Make a well in the center of the flour.
- Heat the water slightly and put half of it in the well. Start mixing flour into the water little by little. When all the water has been absorbed, add the rest of the water. Mix everything so that it is a nice whole and you get a ball of dough.
- Remove the dough ball from the bowl and knead it with your hands.
Rest the ball with a warm damp cloth over it for 30 to 45 minutes. - Place a piece of baking paper on the bottom of the airfryer basket. Knead the dough again well with your hands and finally form a nice ball. Place the dough ball in the basket of the airfryer and let it rise again for 45 minutes.
- Bake the bread for 20 minutes at 180 degrees. Turn it over and bake for another 5 minutes at 180 degrees.
- Pierce the bread with a knife or skewer. If no more dough sticks to it, your bread is ready.
Notes
Depending on the flour, you may need a little more or less water.
Baking mixes or without rising
If you want it all to go a little faster, you can omit the rising process or use ready-made baking mixes.
If you want to bake your own bread and immediately put the dough in the air fryer without it having to rise, you can omit the yeast and add baking powder (or use self-raising flour).
What I already do is replace part of the water with beer. I still use a teaspoon of baking powder, but the yeast from the beer ensures that the bread will rise nicely. In addition, it gives your bread a special taste.
Using ready-made baking mixes
If you use a ready-made baking mix to which you only have to add water, you can also prepare this perfectly in the air fryer. Keep in mind that this will always have to be less in terms of time and temperature than what is stated on the packaging.
You can also easily bake or bake gluten-free bread and low-carb bread in the air fryer.
Baking bake-off bread in the air fryer
Since we have our air fryer, we use it very often to bake sandwiches. This is a lot faster than if you do it in the oven. An oven must first preheat for about 10 minutes before you can put the sandwiches in it. With the air fryer, you are immediately baking the bread.
Moreover, when baking in the air fryer, you need less time and degrees than stated on the packaging. These times and temperatures are listed for when you use the regular oven.
For convenience, you can take 20 degrees and 2 minutes less than stated on the package. E.g. sandwiches with the label 200 degrees Celsius and 10 minutes, you can bake in the air fryer at 180 degrees Celsius for 8 minutes.
The bake-off rolls can rest on top of each other, that’s no problem. They will all be nicely baked. You can turn the buns over and/or switch places halfway through the baking time.
Which bread can you bake in the air fryer?
You can bake just about all bread and rolls in the air fryer. It’s just a matter of time to adjust. A hamburger bun, for example, needs a shorter time than, for example, a pistolet.
Longer baguettes to bake off are too long to fit in the air fryer. Even with our XXL, these do not fit. What we do then is cut the baguette into two pieces. If you have a smaller air fryer, you can also cut the bread into three pieces. You will notice that the side where you cut it is baked a little harder, but I like that.
If you want to bake several baguettes at the same time, it is best to use your oven.
The correct temperature and times differ depending on which bread you are going to bake and of course also which air fryer you are using. So in the beginning it can take a while to find the right time and temperature for the air fryer and the bread you want to bake.
What have we already baked: pistolets, croissants, surplus of homemade sausage rolls and chocolate rolls, baguettes, hamburger buns, naan bread, pita bread, and kebap bread. A lot does
To have the homemade sausage rolls (which we prepare in the oven) warm and crispy the next day, we use 140 degrees Celsius and 7 minutes. That is quite long, but otherwise, the inside will not be warm. I prefer not to raise the temperature because it is not the intention that they bake black.
Since we gave the tip to my parents to prepare the bake-off bread in the air fryer, they always do it this way because it is so much easier and faster than in the oven.
Have you ever baked bread in the air fryer or prepared bake-off rolls? Will you give it a try after reading this article? Be sure to let me know in a comment at the bottom of this page.
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