Crispy stale bread in the air fryer
Do you have stale bread at home? Don’t throw it away! With the air fryer, you will obtain freshly baked crispy bread, crunchy outside and soft inside.
A great economical method to recycle hard and stale bread and soften it, saving you time and money, while preparing healthy food.
Moreover, toasted bread lowers the glycemic index and is more digestible (it prevents the accumulation of gastric juices, the lower GI helps prevent glycemic spikes, and it reduces hunger ) so it can be consumed, in moderation, even in low-calorie diets (especially if you use whole wheat bread).
With this cooking method, you can prepare delicious hot and crispy bruschetta or stale bread croutons, to season as you prefer.
I often use old bread in the air fryer to prepare excellent bruschetta with stale bread, and in such cases, I rub them first with raw garlic when they are still very hot (if you like, you can also chop it into tiny pieces) then I season them with quality extra virgin olive oil, salt, chili pepper, and basil (or parsley or oregano).
With the same method, you can also prepare crostone (by cutting the slices of old bread wider) like pizza: with mozzarella and tomato or with sausage and stracchino or with ham and scamorza… or prepare croutons to spread with butter and top with salmon or with cooked ham mousse or as you prefer. It’s important to serve the bread when it’s still hot.
Needless to say, this method of cooking stale bread in the air fryer can also be used with fresh bread, and you will still get: hot bread that is crispy outside and soft inside, fragrant as if freshly baked. The secret is always the same: first soak the bread with water (whether fresh or stale).
The advantages of air fryer cooking are numerous: you don’t need to preheat the oven, the cooking is faster, cheaper, and healthier (very little fat is needed) and you don’t dirty many pots and pans, it doesn’t smoke or smell
Note that cooking temperatures and times are generally indicative because much depends on the type of air fryer you have and the size of the slices. However, all recipes on my blog are first carefully and rigorously tested by me, so they are more than tried and true.
Anyway, I still recommend you occasionally check the cooking to better adjust times and temperature to your air fryer.
You might also be interested in:
Whole Eggplants in Air Fryer Salad
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 2 Minutes
- Portions: 2 people
- Cooking methods: Air frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients for Crispy Stale Bread in the Air Fryer
- 2 slices rustic bread (better if wood-fired with sourdough)
- as needed water
- as needed extra virgin olive oil (spray, optional)
- 1 garlic (optional)
- as needed chili powder (optional)
- as needed basil (or parsley or oregano, optional)
- as needed fine salt (optional)
Tools
- Air fryer Philips
- Air fryer liner paper with holes
- Paper baking pans for air fryer
- Cutting board with two side trays that also go in the oven
- Mezzaluna sharp with double blade
Steps for Crispy Stale Bread in the Air Fryer
Take the stale bread you have at home (it can be of any type, even with seeds or whole grain, BUT it’s better if it’s “cafone” (rustic) bread baked in a wood oven with sourdough) cut it into fairly thick slices (NOT thin) and quickly pass it under running water (it must NOT be soaked).
Arrange the slices of soaked bread in the air fryer basket.
Set the air fryer to “Manual” and program the cooking of the slices of old bread at 356°F, for about 11 minutes. Turn them halfway through cooking, and when they have a slight golden brown on the surface, they will be ready.
Once the bread slices are cooked, serve them hot immediately and use them to accompany your dishes.
Shopping Tips !!!
Personally, I am very satisfied with the Philips Airfryer, with a spacious basket. Additionally, Rapid Air technology creates optimal hot air circulation that cooks food evenly and keeps it crispy outside and tender inside, and unlike other air fryers, it does NOT need to be preheated.
With 13 cooking functions in one: Fries, bakes, grills, roasts, and reheats. A healthier way to cook, it separates and captures excess fat (healthy and tasty dishes with up to 90% less fat).
Cooks up to 50% faster and saves up to 70% energy compared to an oven (halves cooking times compared to a traditional oven, as it does NOT require preheating). Very useful is the “Keep warm” mode.
The individual components are all easily removable and dishwasher safe. Highly recommended! You can find it on Amazon at a special price.
These disposable Air Fryer Baking Sheets, without holes, don’t dirty the fryer, but hot air circulates just as they are very thin. Moreover, they are oil and water-resistant, non-stick, do not burn, and can also be used in a conventional oven. You can find them on Amazon.
I also often use this handy perforated baking paper for air fryers, non-stick, easy to clean, can also be used in a traditional oven, on Amazon at a great price.
Lastly, if you want to keep your air fryer clean and at the same time protected from scratches and abrasions (e.g., from tongs), I recommend these heat-resistant reusable non-stick grilling mats.
I sprayed this handy cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil spray, of excellent quality, with built-in spray dispenser, over the slices of bread. You can purchase it on Amazon.
FAQ
What does cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil mean?
Oil extracted through cold pressing is a superior quality extra virgin olive oil, produced according to the EU regulations on the matter
Which baking paper to choose for the air fryer?
If you use the air fryer for foods that drip (like batter), it’s better to use holeless baking paper (the paper is very light, and air and heat circulate anyway).
If the foods to be cooked in the air fryer are dry and do not drip, it’s preferable to use holed baking paper.
See above in “Shopping Tips”, you’ll find the links to buy them.What to use to keep the air fryer clean without scratching it?
Reusable non-stick grilling mat, heat-resistant, for Air Fryer.
See above in “Shopping Tips”, you’ll find the links to buy it.
