When your toaster breaks, you need an alternative method for toasting bread. The oven is the simplest and fastest way to toast bread.
You can toast many slices at once in an oven without a broiler. When making sandwiches for a crowd, or even just for yourself for several days' worth of lunches, a toaster oven will help. The usual toasters only hold a few slices of bread at a time, while a baking sheet pan holds up to 10 bread slices.
Here are the Steps to Follow to Toast Bread Slices in Oven Without Broiler
While toasters are a quick and easy way to make toast, they don't work for everyone. Some people lack the desire to own one. Others might have an old toaster that doesn't work well anymore.
Luckily, it's easy to get browned toasted bread using just your oven. This method is useful if you need to save time when toasting bread, and you will get that crunchy crust that toasters provide.
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
When you're toasting bread in the oven, it's very important to preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. This ensures that your toast will cook evenly and get nice and crispy.
2. Line the baking sheet on the middle oven rack, or use an oven liner.
You'll also want to use a rimmed baking sheet for this method, as bread in the oven needs a flat surface in order to toast properly. The rimmed baking sheet will also catch anything that might fall off the bread and burn onto the bottom of your oven.
3. Place your bread Slices on the Baking Sheet.
Slice a loaf of bread into even slices, or use already sliced bread. You can use French bread, garlic bread, etc. Spread butter or margarine on one side of each piece of bread, or leave it off if you prefer.
Place as many slices of bread as you like on the preheated baking sheet, making sure they're not touching each other. If you're using bagels or English muffins, slice them in half first so that both sides get crisp.
Using a baking sheet on an oven rack allows hot air to circulate around each slice, ensuring crispness throughout.
4. Set a timer for 3-5 minutes, depending on how dark you want your toast.
Bake for three minutes, then flip and bake for another two minutes or until golden brown.
How long you leave it depends on how toasty you like your toast. If you like it on the softer side with just a slight crunch, remove the slices after about 3 minutes. If you prefer a bit more crunch, leave them for about 5 to 10 minutes.
Generally, I tend toward the more well-done side when I'm toasting bread in the oven. It's easier to control than using a traditional toaster, which tends to be quite unforgiving when it comes to timing.
Eat Immediately
Baked toast doesn't keep well, so enjoy it while it's hot. Toasting bread in the oven can provide a more even coloration than using a toaster, which often leaves dark spots at the edges and pale spots in the center of each slice.
This method produces bread toast that is more brittle than what is made in a toaster, making it susceptible to breaking apart when handled roughly.
Tips for The Best Oven Toast
The advantage to using the oven over a toaster is that you can toast several slices of bread at once, which makes it more convenient when you are serving a large group. This method also works well for thick slices of bread, such as those found in artisan loaves, which often don't fit into a regular toaster.
Time Your Toast Carefully
Toasted bread is a popular breakfast dish, and toasting bread in a conventional oven gives you a nice even color. The most important thing is to time your toast evenly and carefully, so it doesn't burn.
The amount of time you should toast your bread depends on how dark you like your toast and how hot your oven gets. For us, perfectly golden brown oven-toasted bread takes about 4 minutes at 450°F, but if you have a new conventional oven, it might only take 3 minutes or less.
Preheat Your Oven or Toaster Oven
It’s important to preheat the oven before putting your bread in because it takes more time than just turning on a toaster. This will ensure that heat is evenly distributed throughout so we don’t get any cold spots when our bread goes from its normal state into oven toast.
Use Fresh Bread
The most important thing when it comes to making toast is the quality of your bread. Toasting bad bread will just make it worse. Using fresh bread makes all the difference in the world.
Use Butter
You can butter or oil the bread first before putting it in the oven if you want extra flavor and moisture. A light brushing of olive oil gives the toast an interesting depth of flavor and helps oven-toasted bread brown nicely.
Does Bread Type Matter When Toasting?
Yes, bread type matters when toasting. Bread type plays a big role in how your toast will turn out. Toast, after all, is essentially just bread that's been dried out, and the way it dries out depends on what it's made of to begin with.
With each type of bread you choose, you're going to get a different result.
For instance, bread that is thinner or lower in density, like French baguettes, will crisp up more quickly than those that are thicker and denser, like sourdough.
The difference between the two can be compared to the difference between a fresh-out-of-the-oven cookie and one that's been left sitting out on the counter for a couple of days: the former is still chewy and tender, while the latter has hardened up as much of its moisture has evaporated from its surface area.
The same principle applies to bread toast; the thinner and less dense your bread is, the crisper it will become when toasted.
Can You Toast Bread On Top of the Stove?
Yes, you can toast bread on top of the stove. There are two ways to toast bread on the stove: in a pan or directly on the burner. Toasting bread in a pan requires one step more than using a toaster.
Using a Pan
The best way to toast bread over the stove is to use a frying pan and butter. Butter each side of the bread you want to toast and put it in the frying pan. Make sure that you place the frying pan on medium-high heat so that you don't burn your bread. Once one side is toasted, turn it over with a spatula and let it brown on the other side.
Toasting Bread Slices Directly on the Burner
Putting bread directly on the burner is as simple as turning on the gas, and it works even if you only want to toast one slice of bread.
If your stove has a flat surface, it may be possible to toast your bread directly on top of the stove. However, many stoves have burners with a slight concave shape to them, which would make it impossible for you to toast bread directly on top of them.
The key to successful stovetop toasting is medium-low heat and watching the bread carefully, so it doesn't burn.
Do You Toast Bread On Bake or Broil?
You can do it both ways!
If you're a person who makes toast French bread or love toasting bread in the oven, you've probably wondered if it would be better to use your oven's bake or broil setting.
"Broil is just another word for grilling," Matt Morgan, owner of Morgan & York, a bakery in Toronto, Canada, told Insider. "It comes from the French word broille."
The broiler in your oven uses a heating element that gets very hot, usually around 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
Baking, on the other hand, uses a lower heat, around 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and heats food from all sides evenly. It's usually used for things that need to maintain their shape and consistency over time, like cookies or cake.
Broiling vs. Baking Bread Slices
Baking gives you an even browning over the entire surface of the bread, while broiling bread gives it a golden brown color and crispy outside with a chewy inside. Still not really sure what that means? Here's an easy way to tell the difference:
Broiled bread will look like toast: it will be golden brown and crispy on top but soft inside. Baked bread looks more like cornbread: it will be uniformly light brown all over.
Use The Broiler Setting to Toast Bread in The Oven
The broiler setting uses a high-heat source of the oven. That means that when you toast bread in a toaster oven using the broil setting, you get more even browning on both sides of your bread.
Place bread on a sheet pan, so it doesn't get soggy. Baking sheets are great for toasting bread in your toaster oven because they allow airflow around all sides of the bread, which prevents it from getting soggy.
Broil one side, then flip before broiling again. Let the top side brown before flipping and finishing off the other side. This way, each side gets crispier, rather than just one side burning while the other stays soft.