When we’re talking about how to store garlic bread, we’re obviously talking about how to keep it fresh after it has been baked.
It’s pretty obvious that if you buy frozen garlic bread and you don’t intend to bake it just yet, you’re simply going to store it in the freezer. It’s stated in the instructions for how long it can be kept in the freezer.
I’ve already talked about how to keep bread fresh and how to store bagels so they’re fresh for longer. Bagels and loaves and buns are pretty much stored the same way.
However, those two baked goods are quite different from garlic bread. That’s why I decided to write a separate article on how to store garlic bread and then we’ll also cover how to reheat garlic bread so that it has the same delicious aroma and crust. You can also check out my article on how to reheat bread.
Contents
How to Store Garlic Bread: 3 Methods
1. Aluminum foil: Reynolds Wrap Aluminum Foil
The main way to store garlic bread for the short term is at room temperature. Don’t put it in the fridge under any circumstances. Just leave it outside for a day or two. If you know that you won’t consume it in the next couple of days, the only way to store garlic bread is to freeze it.
2. Beeswax wrap: Reusable Beeswax Food Wrap
This is the perfect option for those who want to use reusable products. If you choose your products based on how they benefit the environment, beeswax wrap is the perfect alternative to aluminum foil and plastic wrap.
3. Bread box: Prep Solutions by Progressive Expandable Bread Keeper
Obviously, since garlic bread shouldn’t be placed in the fridge, we can place it in a bread box to keep it for a couple of days.
How to Store Garlic Bread: the Short Term Method
First of all, let me warn you about how not to store your leftover garlic bread: don’t put it in the fridge because it will dry out and then no one will want to eat it.
Which means that you should just place it on the counter or wherever you have free space at room temperature. It will be fine for a day or two but not longer than that.
If you’ve wondered if you can leave garlic bread out overnight then the answer is yes. It’s actually how we store it for short periods of time.
As it turns out, there are no actual methods when it comes to knowing how to store garlic bread for a short period of time since we’re just leaving it at room temperature for a day or two. If you don’t eat it by then, you’ll have to throw it out. But try not to waste food.
This is the best way to freshly keep baked garlic bread that will be eaten in a couple of days at most.
When storing it at room temperature, should you wrap it up or place it in paper bags?
Once it cools down, you can slice it up or store it whole.
It’s best to wrap it up in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. If you don’t use either, wrap it up in beeswax wrap, which is reusable, compostable, and biodegradable.
Once that’s done, eat it in two days at most.
If you’re using paper bags, you can even place the paper bags with the garlic bread in a bread box so that it doesn’t dry out.
How to Store Garlic Bread in the Freezer
The long term method for how to store garlic bread involves freezing it. After all, it’s what we do with all the foods that we know for sure that won’t be consumed in a few days at most.
You can keep it in the freezer for 3-6 months.
The way you store it in the freezer is pretty much the same way we freeze other types of loaves.
Once it’s cooled down, you can slice it up or store it whole.
There are a number of ways to freeze it:
- you can double wrap it in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil/freezer paper
- or you can use beeswax warp, which is good for freezers too
- or you can place it in zip-top freezer bags
If you slice it up, I would wrap each slice separately.
When it’s time to defrost it, you can leave it on the counter for about 30 minutes and then revive it in the oven. I’ll talk about how to reheat garlic bread in a second.
How to Reheat Garlic Bread: 4 Methods
The whole point of knowing exactly how to reheat garlic bread is that we don’t want it to dry out. That can easily happen with any loaf but especially in this case.
Now that we know how to store garlic bread, it’s time to see how we can revive it. There are quite a few ways to do that.
1. How to reheat garlic bread in the oven
Let’s first see about how to reheat garlic bread in the oven because it’s the most used and most successful method. You just need to be aware of a few steps.
Wrap the garlic bread in aluminum foil and then bake it in a preheated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees C) for 10 to 15 minutes.
If it’s already sliced, place the slices in a single layer and then wrap them all in the same foil.
Reheating it in the oven is the best way and it will revive all those delicious aromas.
If you want to get a crispy crust, you’ll have to remove the foil for the last 2 minutes of baking.
If you’re only reheating a few slices of garlic bread, you should check them out after they’ve been in for 5-7 minutes. Only a full loaf will take 10 to 15 minutes.
What if your garlic bread is too dry?
If you think that it’s really dry, sprinkle a few drops of cold water over it and pack it in foil.
When you’re wrapping it in aluminum foil, keep it a bit loose so that the steam has an escape route. That will help with not getting a soggy crust.
If it gets soggy, just bake it for another 2-3 minutes out of the foil completely.
2. Can you reheat garlic bread in an air fryer?
You definitely can and it will work just as well as when we use a regular oven.
Place individual slices in the air fryer basket and reheat them at 350 degrees F for about 2 minutes. You can let it in for another minute if it’s not sufficiently heated.
3. How to reheat it on the stove
If you don’t have an oven, then it’s perfectly fine. You can use your stovetop and a skillet.
However, it works much better if you slice the loaf and only reheat a few slices at a time. A whole loaf will not heat evenly.
You’ll have to wrap the garlic bread in aluminum foil and then place it in a skillet that fits everything in it.
Heat it on low heat, put a lid over the skillet and it should be done in about 5 minutes.
Another method that works on a stove is simply frying up individual slices of leftover garlic bread.
Heat the pan on medium heat. You can use a bit of butter for a more decadent taste. But I think that the loaf already contains plenty of butter, it doesn’t need any more.
Then heat each slice for 2-3 minutes on each side.
4. Can you reheat garlic bread in the microwave oven?
You can but it needs to be done quickly and eaten immediately.
You should reheat garlic bread in the microwave oven for only 10 seconds, more than that and it will turn dry very fast.
Moreover, only one slice at a time works for this method.
You should also add a glass of water next to the slice on the plate and reheat them together.
Once it’s done, you need to consume it immediately because it will turn hard as a rock if you just leave it exposed to the air for too long.
The Alternative: Make Garlic and Olive Oil Pizza
When I was writing my article for the best flatbread maker machines, I started researching more about the different types of flatbreads around the world. That led me to a really good book called 500 Pizzas & Flatbreads by Rebecca Baugniet.
In that cookbook, there’s a recipe for a garlic and olive oil pizza that can be the perfect alternative to garlic bread.
If you’re in the mood for something different or if you don’t want to worry about how to store garlic bread, you can try this recipe at home.
Obviously, it works better for those who actually bake at home from scratch and not for those who just prefer to buy their baked goods.
The recipe is simple once you have your dough for pizza. The book provides a recipe for that, too.
For two 9-inch pizzas you need:
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 tbsp. dried oregano (you can skip it if you don’t have any)
- pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (or sprinkle them whole)
- pinch of coarse salt
Now, all you have to do is to combine all these ingredients and then spread them over the rolled dough.
Bake your garlic bread alternative on the bottom rack in the oven for 7 to 9 minutes or until the crust is golden brown at the maximum temperature that your oven offers.
It might take longer if you have a countertop pizza oven or a toaster oven that doesn’t reach 500 to 550 degrees Fahrenheit. It will still be delicious, it just needs to be baked for longer. Use a pizza stone if you have one.
With this recipe, you won’t have to worry about how to store garlic bread and how to reheat it because this garlic pizza will keep well in the refrigerator, wrapped in plastic wrap, beeswax wrap or aluminum foil.
