Breadsticks are reminiscent of comfort food, so it’s only natural that you want to reheat them after they’ve gone cold. Luckily there are several options on how to reheat breadsticks, including in the oven, air fryer, and more!
I shall be discussing the extra breadstick reheating methods, tips for storing them, and how to go about leftovers. Watch out for the best way to reheat breadsticks, from my experience.
Can You Reheat Rreadsticks? If so, How?
Yes, you can reheat breadsticks. In fact, there is a couple of ways you can get those breadsticks back to their former glory.
You can use an air fryer or the oven as the best option, although the microwave can get the job done with less satisfaction.
How to Reheat Breadsticks in an Oven?
By far, the conventional oven is the most efficient method of reheating a breadstick. You don’t end up with soggy breadsticks, and they still taste delicious.
Steps:
Step-1: Set the conventional oven to 350 degrees F, and fire it up.
Step-2: Put the breadsticks while in their bag, inside the oven. If you have thrown the packaging paper, wrap it in aluminum foil, lay it on a pan, and lay it over.
Step-2: Bake for 5 minutes, and stop to check whether the breadsticks are sufficiently hot and soft.
Step-3: Once hot to your liking, remove from the oven and let the package cool as you prepare to serve. Enjoy.
Enjoy them while they are warm, or wait for a couple of minutes before you bite into the breadstick.
How to Reheat Breadsticks in an air Fryer?
You can best reheat breadsticks with the help of an oven. But if you don’t have access to that, then an air fryer can also come in handy.
Steps:
Step-1: Set the fryer to 350 degrees F, and fire it up.
Step-2: Place the breadsticks inside the hot air fryer.
Step-3: Give them a quick stir after about five minutes to ensure even heating.
Step-4: Once hot enough, remove it from the fryer and serve. Enjoy your refreshed breadsticks.
The air fryer ensures the breadsticks retain their crunch while not burning the crisp crust.
How to Reheat Olive Garden Breadsticks
So, you’ve bought those delicious breadsticks from the olive garden, but you are not sure how to reheat them? Well, don’t worry. The packaging comes with heating instructions, which unfortunately is limited to the conventional oven. However, you could still use other means, as we shall see.
a) Reheating Olive Garden Breadsticks in a Conventional oven.
According to Olive Garden, you should reheat the breadstick by baking them in the oven for 5 minutes while still in the packaging bag. If you threw the bag already, wrap them up in foil. You may warm the breadstick over a skillet, in a microwave, or even in a toaster oven.
Steps:
Step-1: Bring your conventional oven to a temperature of 350 degrees F.
Step-2: Place the breadsticks in their bag inside, and cook for 5 minutes.
Step-3: If you don’t have the original packaging bag, wrap them in foil paper, or you can place them in a pan and then place a foil paper over the pan.
Step-4: Test if they are sufficiently warm and soft.
Step-5: Once done, take it out of the conventional oven and let it rest as you prepare for serving them. Enjoy your warmed and soft breadsticks!
b) Reheating Olive Garden Breadsticks in The Microwave
Ok, this is not the ideal method here, but what if you are out of options? Think of those days when you carry your breadsticks to work, and the only way to reheat them is by the microwave in the break room — You have to do it anyway unless you have the balls to eat it cold! Follow the procedure below to reheat an Olive Garden breadstick in the microwave:
Steps:
Step-1: Tear the packaging and remove the bread. You should note that the Olive Garden breadstick packaging is not microwavable because it has a foil lining.
Step-2: Dampen a kitchen serviette or a paper towel and wrap the bread in it.
Step-3: Now take a dry serviette, wrap it over the damp one, and place it on a microwavable dish.
Step-4: Set the microwave power to medium level and reheat the bread for 40 – 60 seconds.
Step-5: Ascertain that the bread is sufficiently hot, and enjoy.
A microwave can quickly turn your bread into a black mass. Wet the kitchen towel first to supply moisture that will prevent the bread from drying out.
The second kitchen towel layer ensures that the moisture stays locked inside and prevents the bread from drying out, even with a damp paper towel over it.
This bread also calls for lower power, so we set the microwave heat level to medium.
Again, you can reheat the bread with the packaging in the oven, but not in the microwave. The inner foil lining is not microwavable, so remove it every time you use the microwave.
c) Reheating Olive Garden breadstick in The Toaster oven
The toaster oven is comparable to the conventional oven, as far as reheating that olive garden is concerned. The steps are pretty similar too.
Steps:
Step-1: Turn your toaster oven on and set the temperature at 350 degrees F.
Step-2: If the bread is inside the packaging, toss it inside the chamber while still wrapped.
Step-3: If the packaging is torn or simply not there, wrap the bread in a foil, put it in an oven-safe pan, and place a foil over it.
Step-4: Cook the bread for 5 minutes. By then, it should be warm and soft.
Step-5: Once hot enough, turn off the heat, but let the bread stay in the oven for a couple of minutes before serving.
It is necessary to first let the toaster oven preheat to the required temperature before cooking the bread. This ensures that the breadsticks are hot enough within the prescribed 5-minute period.
d) Reheating Olive Garden Breadsticks by Steaming
Perhaps a steamer basket will do the trick if you do not have all of the appliances we’ve discussed so far. The following steps will take you through reheating an Olive Garden breadstick by steaming (in a steamer basket)
Steps:
Step-1: Take a steamer basket, put enough water in the pot, and place it over the stove flame.
Step-2: While the water heats up, place the steamer basket inside the pot to rest over the water.
Step-3: Meanwhile, wrap the breadstick in serviettes and put it aside.
Step-4: When the water starts boiling, drop the wrapped breadstick into the steamer basket, and place a lid over the pot.
Step-5: Steam the breadsticks for 8 minutes, but keep checking to avoid getting them too soggy as they heat up.
For the best results, do not exceed 4 breadsticks in the basket at a time.
How to Reheat Pizza Hut Breadsticks
There are several ways to reheat a pizza hut breadstick, including using the oven, toaster oven, or air fryer. However, steer clear of the microwave.
a) Reheating Pizza Hut Breadsticks in The Oven
The most effective way to reheat pizza hut breadsticks is in the oven. So, how do you pull this off and get those yummy breadsticks warm and mellow?
Steps:
Step-1: Set the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step-2: If the breadstick is in its original packaging, you can place it straight on an oven tray and heat it up for around 5 minutes.
Step-3: If you have thrown the packaging, place the breadstick on a cookie sheet or a baking dish and put it in the oven.
Step-4: Also, if you have canola oil, and love a crispier crust, give the bread a light spray of the oil before baking.
Step-5: Once heated, take them out, allow a minute to cool, and enjoy.
The oven gives better results overall compared to other reheating methods.
b) Reheating Pizza Hut Breadsticks in a Toaster Oven
The best way is using a regular or convection oven, but you can use the toaster oven if it’s all that’s available at your disposal. You need ~20 minutes for this method, and here are the steps:
Steps:
Step-1: Grease up a baking tray and place the breadstick directly on it.
Step-2: Place the toaster oven rack in the middle of your toaster oven as you set it at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step-3: Now, place the tray inside the hot toaster oven. Let the bread warm for 10-15 minutes. At this point, the breadstick should be crispy on all sides.
Step-4: Take out the tray, let it rest for a minute, then serve.
The total reheating time is upwards of 20 minutes, which is the only significant downside in this reheating method.
c) Reheating Pizza Hut Breadsticks in The Air Fryer
An air fryer is a helpful appliance in the kitchen, more so for bread lovers. How does an air fryer help in reheating pizza hut breadsticks? See these simple steps
Steps:
Step-1: Set up your Air Fryer at 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease it with oil spray for added crispiness on the crust.
Step-2: Place the bread in the chamber and let it warm for 10-15 minutes.
Step-3: Take out the tray and let it cool for a moment, and then serve. Any food heated in an air fryer can be scalding, so be cautious
How to Warm up Olive Garden Breadsticks
You have those Olive Garden breadsticks, but you want to have them a little warm? The manufacturer recommends specific steps to get the bread warm. These steps are:
Steps:
Step-1: Turn your conventional oven on with the temperature set to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and let it heat up for 1 minute.
Step-2: Place the olive garden breadsticks in the oven while they are still in the packaging bag.
Step-3: You wrap the breadsticks in foil paper if you have already destroyed the original packaging. If you have a baking pan, place the bread and put foil paper over the bread to cover.
Step-4: Let the bread bake for at least 5 minutes. By this time, it will have turned warm (or even hot) and soft.
As far as reheating Olive garden breadsticks is concerned, the oven method is the only way to avoid turning your delicious bread snacks into a dry-ish, cardboard-like thing.
How to Keep Breadsticks Warm
Most of us love breadsticks, but not when they are cold. After all, the cold bread could easily mess the fall vibe, a time when there are so many dishes over the table and no chance to entertain an underperforming snack. If you are faced with such a scenario, here are a few steps to take to keep the breadsticks warm for longer:
Steps:
Step-1: Take a cup of raw rice and put it in a clean sock or a pillowcase. A cloth sack might also cut as long as it’s cleaned.
Step-2: On a medium heat level, microwave the rice in the sock for 2-3 minutes. It will feel warm to the touch.
Step-3: Transfer the rice (while still in the sock) into a serving basket and place a cloth napkin over it.
Step-4: Place the freshly baked and hot breadstick on the napkins, and the rice will keep them warm for at least 20 minutes.
Due to the short window available for keeping the breadsticks warm, you should use this method only when you are about to serve the food, preferably within 20 minutes.
How to Store Breadsticks
You can store breadsticks for 4 days over the counter. The best way to ensure they retain the same great taste and tenderness is to store them at room temperature.
Steps:
- If the breadsticks are freshly baked, let them cool down at room temperature.
- Once cool, place them in airtight Ziploc bags.
- Press the bags to push out excess air, and then apply a seal.
- If you don’t have airtight bags, use foil paper, but ensure they first cool off completely to get rid of excessive moisture resulting from condensation.
You can also store the rolls in the fridge, but this results in a hardened cardboard-like bread—I’m sure this is not what you want during your fall festivities. Breadsticks are better off store over the countertop.
Tips For Storing Breadsticks
It can make a big difference if you store the breadsticks properly and avoid moisture and temperature changes if you want to eat them nice and crispy.
Here is a list of tips that will help you to store breadsticks for longer, without any loss of quality or flavor:
Tip #1. Keep rolls cold and dry − refrigerated breadsticks can quickly go stale, so it’s best to store them at room temperature and avoid moisture. The best bet here is an excellent and dry area in your kitchen or pantry.
Tip #2. Use airtight bags − this will help keep the breadsticks from drying out and maintain their freshness for up to 4 days.
Tip #3. Use a food sealer − if you don’t have airtight bags, using a vacuum sealer will do the trick. This will help to avoid moisture, but you still need to follow the temperature tips above.
Tip #4. Keep breadsticks in their original bag − breadsticks are often sold in packs of 6-8. If you have extras, don’t remove them from the bag. This will help to preserve their freshness.
Tip #5. Freeze the breadsticks − if you want to enjoy them later, consider flash freezing the rolls for 3 months.
Tip #6. Use bread boxes − a breadbox is a storage container made specifically for keeping bread fresh. The small holes allow air recirculation and thus discourage molding.
Tip #7. Don’t use plastic; stick to paper − breadsticks absorb moisture and flavor from the air, so avoid placing them in plastic. Plastic bags and containers only trap the humidity and make everything soggy.
Tip #8. Store with bread bags − if you can’t get your hands on a breadbox, try placing the breadsticks in a reusable bread bag and tying it up.
Tip #9. Don’t freeze with extra moisture or condensation − while it’s possible to freeze breadsticks, you don’t want to introduce moisture into the mix. This will cause molding and other unsavory side effects. Always let the bread cool off entirely before freezing.
What to do With Leftover Breadsticks
You can do several creative things with leftover breadcrumbs. These include:
- Make croutons: croutons are great for soups, salads, and sides. Cut the breadsticks into small cubes and fry in oil until golden brown.
- Make breadcrumbs: You can crush and store the breadsticks in Ziploc bags, and there you have an endless supply of breadcrumbs.
- Make tasty mushroom and cheese pudding: this dish is a great way to use up stale bread and transform it into something new and delicious.
- Add to a meatloaf: breadcrumbs help to thicken up the mixture without impacting its flavor.
- Use in a garlic stuffed chicken: this easy dish is a great way to use leftover chicken and now breadsticks. Stuff the chicken with garlic, cheese, and some of the leftover breadsticks before baking.
Best Way to Reheat Breadsticks
Reheating breadsticks in an oven is the best way to ensure they come out nice and crispy. Here are a few tips:
- Don’t remove the bread from its factory packaging.
- Wrap a foil paper around the breadstick in case you threw the packaging away.
- Bake for no more than 6-8 minutes, or until heated through.
Can You Freeze Olive Garden Breadsticks? If so, How?
Yes, you can freeze Olive Garden breadsticks. However, you need to make several considerations.
If you anticipate that you won’t be eating your ready-baked breadsticks any soon, you can still freeze them, but this will take a toll on their final texture and flavor.
To freeze breadsticks, follow the following steps:
Steps:
- Place the breadsticks in an open bag or container to let them cool off completely.
- On a clean baking sheet, transfer the cool breadsticks into the freezer and allow them to cool further for 1 hour.
- Once firm, place the breadsticks in airtight bags and vacuum seal. Alternatively, try pushing out as much air as possible without squishing the bread rolls in the process.
- Label the bags and freeze the bread for no longer than 3 months.
If you don’t want to flash freeze the breadsticks for an hour, you can work around this with plastic wraps. Place each bread in a separate plastic wrap and ensure it’s totally covered. Place the wrapped bread in a freezer bag, mark the storage dates and drop them in the freezer.
Related:
- How to reheat sandwich
- How to reheat taco bell
- How to reheat turkey legs
- How to reheat stromboli
- How to reheat a calzone
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Can You Freeze Olive Garden Breadsticks?
Yes, olive garden breadsticks can be stored in the freezer to be consumed at a later date.
Once frozen, the breadsticks are good for consumption within 3 months.
Q. How Long Are Olive Garden Breadsticks Good For?
Olive Garden breadsticks are good for up to 4 days when stored on the counter, but the shelf life is 3 months if frozen.
Q. How to Keep Breadsticks Warm?
The best way of ensuring breadsticks stay warm is to use heated raw rice in a sackcloth, with a napkin layer separating the rice bag from the breadsticks. This method preserves the warmth for approx. 20 minutes.
Conclusion
It can be difficult to reheat breadsticks. If you want crispy, fresh-tasting breadsticks that are as good as those from Olive Garden or Pizza Hut, follow the steps we’ve outlined in this blog post and don’t cut corners with shortcuts like microwaving them for a few minutes. You’ll need an oven (or air fryer) and plenty of time – but your efforts will pay off! Whether you’re looking for tips on how to store leftover breadsticks, freeze them, make croutons out of old ones or just keep them warm while they last, this guide has got you covered.