Perfect Air Fryer French Toast

There are many delicious ways to make French toast, and a variety of sweet and savory toppings and accompaniments to choose from. When I was growing up in London, it was known in my household as “eggy bread,” and our version was definitely on the savory side without a grain of sugar in the custard mixture. It was simply served with a sprinkling of salt and ground white pepper and — please, don’t judge! — a squirt of ketchup on the side. Luckily, my taste is slightly more refined nowadays (most of the time!).

As delicious as regular French toast is, there are a couple of bonuses you get from air frying it. You don’t need to hover over a hot stovetop, and a crispy, evenly cooked exterior is pretty much guaranteed. Plus, once it’s in the fryer, you barely have to think about it. Use this gained time for other breakfast or brunch duties, such as cooking bacon, making coffee, or mixing up a pitcher of mimosas (read: drinking mimosas). Or how about putting your feet up for five minutes of peace. Does anyone do that anymore?

This version has fresh orange zest to brighten the flavor (which you can omit if you’d prefer) and a touch of cinnamon. If you prefer a savory French toast, omit the orange zest, cinnamon, and powdered sugar and pair it with a variety of savory toppings.

You can use most varieties of bread for French toast, but challah and brioche help create the soft, custardy interior. It helps to use the bread you can slice yourself, as you can control the thickness. Ready-sliced bread breaks down a lot quicker in the batter. It also helps if the bread is at least one day old. Stale bread is how the classic pain perdu was created in France, the translation meaning “lost bread”; it’s an ingenious way to use up leftover bread.

Yes, but it can sometimes cause sogginess from not allowing the air to circulate properly. For a crispier outside, I skip it here.

• Do not oversoak the bread in the egg custard mixture; once dipped, transfer to a plate.
• Avoid using thin slices of bread.
• Make sure you cook at a high heat.
• Add cornstarch to help thicken the batter and soak up the excess liquid.
• Limit the amount of liquid (half-and-half or milk) in your batter.
• Add melted butter to the batter to help crisp the exterior.

You can make French toast completely vegan by omitting the eggs, half-and-half, and butter; substituting oat milk and dairy-free butter; and upping the cornstarch, which will help replace the binding of the eggs. Add ground sesame seeds (ground in a spice grinder) or ground flax seeds for richness and flavor. You will also need a more robust bread like sourdough or peasant bread.