Yesterday I attempted to make my favorite Dutch oven crusty bread in the air fryer.
It wasn’t until my third attempt that I felt like I had finally gotten it down and realized that while technically you can make bread in an air fryer, I don’t think it will never have the same light and airy texture as if you had cooked it in a cast iron Dutch oven.
Here’s what I learned.
If you don’t turn your bread upside down during the cooking process, you’ll end up with a slightly undercooked bottom. Since the only coil is on the top portion of the air fryer, unless you rotate your loaf the bottom will end up super soft.
Also, just because your bread looks like it’s done on the outside, you may need to cook it a little longer. Otherwise the loaf could end up a bit on the gummy side.
Because I’ve had great success using my favorite No Knead Dutch Oven Crusty Bread recipe over the years, I felt confident the same recipe would work in the air fryer.
This is loaf #2.
And all was going well until I smelled something burning. 🙂
About halfway through the cooking process the loaf had risen too high, hit the coil and scorched the top of the loaf.
So I pulled the loaf out, smooshed down the top of the loaf a bit {because hey, why toss out a loaf just because it was a little burnt in one spot} and then flipped it over to bake the underside.
This is what the underside of the loaf looked like when the bread was all done.
And so, while this loaf wasn’t going to win any beauty awards, I had got the timing right {31 minutes} and it was edible.
Loaf #3. This time I went for a more squatty shaped loaf {so I would risk the top of the loaf hitting the coil again}.
This is what the loaf looked like halfway through the cooking process {before I flipped it over to bake the underside}.
This is what the loaf looked like when it was done. Again not a beauty, but hey, what do you expect when your air fryer will only go up to 400 degrees and you’re cooking in a machine that was probably more geared more towards cooking tater tots than bread.
And while the loaf may have not been a looker… the inside of the loaf while slightly dense, did turn out nicely and toasted up perfectly.
Fact: I am not in love with the air fryer and I’ll be happy to give it back to my daughter just as soon as our new oven gets installed {September? October?}.
But, at least I know I can make a decent loaf of bread.
Do what you can. Use what you have and just get on with it, right? 🙂
Tea and toast. Really, what more do you need?
Here’s to keeping calm and carrying on.
~Mavis
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Air Fryer Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour {I use all-purpose white flour}
- 1 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon rapid rise yeast
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
Instructions
Stir the ingredients together, cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 2-3 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.
Shape the dough on a lightly floured surface just until it forms a sticky ball. Let it rest on the counter while you preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees.
Line the bottom of the air fryer basket with parchment paper. Place the ball of dough in the center of the air fryer and bake for 20 minutes.
Turn the loaf upside down so that the bottom of the loaf has a chance to brown/cook properly.
Bake for an additional 11 minutes.
Once the bread is done, carefully remove the bread from the air fryer and place it on a cooling rack. Let the bread cool slightly before slicing.
Notes
Air frying cooking times may vary. You may need to add 1-2 minutes cooking time if necessary.
Tracey says
I’ve tried this bread recipe a few times (the oven/dutch oven version, we don’t have an air fryer – nor do I want one) and while it tastes great, it’s usually pretty dense. Not airy at all. Am I doing something wrong?
Jennifer says
If your normal way would be a 10 out of 10, where do you rank the air fryer version?
Lana says
We have two air fryers and they cary a great deal in how they cook so for anyone trying this recipe, you will likely need to adjust the time.
Michelle of Ephrata says
Bummer you have had such a rough go with the air fryer. We have owned one for 5 or 6 years. It always gets a lot of use in our home. Never tried cooking bread though. They do make convection/toaster/air fryer ovens that sounds more like what would work better for you. But yep, use what you got. Definitely get that.
Heather says
We have a char grilled double play that’s about 6 years old. My husband figured out that tin cans will fit perfectly over the top vents. We cut a couple of holes in the cans and I have a baking stone in there. I make all my bread in the summer on that grill. And I mean all breads. I use a dutch oven in there to make a sourdough loaf. You just have to tuck the top rack under the baking stone. I make english muffins, bagels, naan, foccacia, pizza. You name it. Hope this helps someone out there who is melting in their kitchen too,
Elaine McCarty says
It is so funny that you should write about your bread now. I’m up in the middle of the night, and was just thinking how nice it would be to try your bread recipe, and was wondering if it could be baked in my bread machine, and how much adjustment I would have to make to the recipe to accomplish that end. I come in here to the computer, and you are writing about your bread. Have you tried a bread machine? I never use mine and keep thinking I will, haha.
Cecile says
You have a Dutch Oven so why not use your firepit to bake your bread? Super easy, get HH to get the fire going and let the coals form then plunk some of the coals over the top of the dutch oven and set it on a rack slightly above your firepit! Check out ‘men with the pot’ on youtube, they cook on an open fire all the time!