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I love making flatbread if I know I’m going to be entertaining.

But I sometimes forget how filling bread is and end up with lots of extras.

Not being one to throw away food, I decided to experiment and find the best way to reheat flatbread.

In a rush? Here’s the short answer.

The best way to reheat flatbread is in a skillet. Set a skillet over medium-high heat. Next, spray your flatbread lightly with water and place into your skillet. Reheat for 15 seconds on each side, or until a little bit of crispiness develops. Wrap hot flatbreads in a clean tea towel to keep them warm.

A note on my experiment

The reheating techniques I tried were:

In a skillet
In the oven
In the microwave
In an air fryer
By steaming

I loved the results from the skillet. My flatbreads were a bit crispy outside and soft and steamy inside.

The oven is an effective way to warm large quantities and renders them soft and warm.

The microwave and the steamer both work well for stale flatbread.

The air fryer is fast but works best if the flatbreads are still relatively fresh.

Reheating flatbread in a skillet

Set a heavy-bottom pan over medium-high heat on your stove. Spray your flatbread lightly with water and drop it into the pan. Heat for 15 seconds on each side, or until a little bit of crispiness develops. Wrap hot flatbreads in a clean tea towel to stay warm if you have more than one to heat up.

Warm only one flatbread at a time to ensure even heating. An overlap will cause cold spots.

How to reheat flatbread in a skillet:

Set a heavy-bottom pan over medium-high heat.
Spray a single flatbread lightly with water.
Heat for 15 seconds on each side.
Once hot, serve immediately (or wrap in a tea towel to stay warm until all your flatbreads are ready).

Spraying a little water on each side of your flatbread helps reinvigorate its texture by remoisturizing it.

In a skillet, flatbreads reheat quickly, but you can leave them a little longer than 15 seconds if you want crispier outsides.

For an extra charred flavor, you can skip the skillet altogether and heat them over a naked flame on a gas stove (just practice caution).

And for delicious extra flavor, try basting your flatbread with butter before heating them in your skillet.

My verdict

This was my favorite method, delivering some outside texture while keeping the middle soft.

With some added butter, my flatbreads were delicious and tasted freshly made.

This method is also quick, which means you can heat quite a few right after each other, but I wouldn’t recommend dozens, as the first batch will get cold.

Reheating flatbread in the oven

Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Sprinkle 2-3 flatbreads with a bit of water and wrap them in a foil parcel. Heat for 5-10 minutes, checking progress at the halfway mark. Unwrap the foil and allow the flatbreads to crisp for the last 1-2 minutes of heating.

How to reheat flatbread in the oven:

Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C).
Sprinkle 2-3 flatbreads lightly with a small amount of water.
Wrap your flatbreads in foil.
Heat for 5-10 minutes, checking their warming progress at the halfway mark.
Unwrap the foil and dry the flatbread out for 1-2 minutes at the end (you can skip this step if they’re not soggy).

A sprinkling of water does wonders for reinvigorating stale flatbreads.

Be generous if they’ve gone very hard.

I wouldn’t recommend heating more than 2-3 pieces of bread in a foil parcel. If you have lots to reheat, make multiple parcels.

The foil locks in moisture, alleviating staleness. However, it can also turn the flatbread soggy.

If this is the case, opening them up in the oven for the last few minutes of your heating process will dry them out and make the texture a little crispier.

My verdict

This method is the most effective for reheating lots of flatbreads in one go, provided you don’t stack too many on top of each other.

My flatbreads were hot and soft, exactly what you want.

But if you have particularly stale flatbreads, the microwave is a better option.

Reheating flatbread in the microwave

Stack 2-3 flatbreads on a microwave-safe plate. Cover them completely with a piece of damp paper towel. Heat in 10-second intervals until soft and steamy. Once hot, serve immediately. Flatbread reheated in the microwave will turn hard and dry when it cools down.

This method is excellent for reheating stale flatbreads. The damp paper towel adds moisture and softens hard bread.

How to reheat flatbread in the microwave:

Stack 2-3 flatbreads on a microwave-safe plate.
Cover with a piece of damp paper towel.
Heat in 10-second intervals until warm (30 – 60 seconds max).
Once hot, serve immediately.

Bread stales quickly once it starts to cool down after being heated in the microwave, so this isn’t a good method if the flatbread will be sitting around waiting for someone to eat it.

If you want extra soft and tasty flatbread, brush them with a little melted butter before microwaving them.

The butter will melt into the bread… it’s delicious.

My verdict

The microwave works amazingly for really stale flatbreads, making them soft and appetizing.

However, I did find them a little chewier than the ones I reheated in the skillet, which was my favorite method.

Good in a pinch, but not ideal for reheating big batches of flatbread.

Reheating flatbread in an air fryer

Set your air fryer to 400°F (200°C). Spread your flatbreads out as much as possible in the fryer basket, minimizing stacking. Heat for 2-3 minutes, checking progress at the halfway mark. Once hot and a little crispy, remove and serve immediately.

Spray your flatbreads with a bit of cooking spray if you want them super crispy.

How to reheat flatbread in an air fryer:

Set your air fryer to 400°F (200°C).
Optional: Spray your flatbreads lightly with cooking spray.
Spread out flatbreads in your fryer basket, minimizing touching.
Heat for 2-3 minutes, checking at the halfway mark.
Once hot and crispy, serve immediately.

When reheating flatbreads in an air fryer, try not to overcrowd the basket to ensure they heat evenly.

Air fryers give off harsh, direct heat, so the flatbread will heat quickly.

My verdict

I can’t fault this method for speed and efficiency.

And I also quite liked the crispy texture it delivered.

But I wouldn’t recommend the air fryer for stale flatbreads.

It will just dry them out further.

Reheating flatbread by steaming

Set up your steamer or construct a makeshift one using a pot and a sieve or colander. Fill the bottom layer of your steamer with a few inches of water and bring it to a simmer. Place 2-3 flatbreads in the steamer basket and heat for 30 seconds. Once warm, serve immediately.

Don’t let your flatbreads warm in the steam for too long, or they’ll end up turning soggy.

How to reheat flatbread by steaming:

Set up your steamer.
Fill the bottom of the steamer with a few inches of water.
Bring the water to a simmer.
Place 2-3 flatbreads in the steamer basket.
Heat for 30 seconds (or until evenly warm).
Remove and serve immediately.

If you find the flatbreads are a little soggy after steaming, you can flash fry them in a hot pan for a few seconds on each side to dry them out.

Or place them in a low oven for a few minutes.

My verdict

This method is a great alternative to the microwave, particularly for stale flatbreads.

It remoisturizes them really well, and a quick flash fry at the end restores their crispy outer texture.

How to store flatbread

You can store flatbreads for about 2 days before they start going really stale. Pop your leftover flatbreads into a zip-lock bag and remove as much excess air as possible to keep them fresh. Store them in a cool, dry place away from heat or moisture.

Ensure the flatbread is completely cool before sealing them. Otherwise, moisture will build up and turn them soggy.

If you’re not planning to use your flatbreads soon, it’s better to freeze them.

You can also make flatbread dough a day in advance if you prefer to bake them fresh.

Can you freeze flatbread?

Flatbread freezes well and can be stored for up to a month. Because they’re so thin, they tend to deteriorate in quality quite quickly once a month has passed. To freeze, separate your flatbreads with parchment paper and transfer them into a zip-lock bag.

How to freeze flatbread:

Cool your leftover flatbread to room temperature.
Separate a small stack of flatbreads with parchment paper.
Transfer into a zip-lock freezer bag.
Vacuum seal or remove as much air as possible before sealing.
Alternative: Wrap each flatbread in plastic wrap and then a second layer of foil.
Mark and use within 1 month.

To remove excess air from your freezer bags (if you don’t have a vacuum sealer), press down on the bag as you zip it closed.

Alternatively, you can submerge the bag two-thirds of the way into a container of water, which will force out excess air as you seal it.

Separating your flatbreads with parchment paper prevents them from sticking together, making it easier to reheat them.

If you’re going the plastic wrap route, I recommend using a second layer of foil to reduce freezer burn.

How to reheat frozen flatbread

As flatbreads are quite thin, there is no need to thaw them before reheating them. You can pop them straight into the microwave, warming them in 10-second intervals until soft. Alternatively, pop them in the oven until they’re heated through.

If they turn a little soggy, flash-fry them (on both sides) in a skillet or air fryer to dry them out.