Please help newbie... Refrigerating monkey bread??
Hi all, I'm new here but have been lurking around this site for years. Any help greatly appreciated!
Long story short, I was asked last minute to make mini loaf-sized monkey breads for a party tomorrow. I was already baking a dozen pies for my own family/friends and was more focused on those.
I intended to prep my monkey bread dough through the first rise, then cut/roll, coat in butter/sugar, and refrigerate in pans for a retarded second rise overnight (which I read would be the "best" way to do it).
With all the baking chaos, the monkey bread didn't make it into the fridge and by the time I noticed it on the table it had already doubled and done its entire second hour-long rise.
So I baked it off, fearing that it would overproof/collapse if I put it in the fridge for 12+ hours.
Now I have 6 loaves of baked monkey bread. Everything I'm reading online says to refrigerate it.
Can someone tell me why?? Is it okay to leave on the counter?
It's basically the same as cinnamon rolls, but I've always heard to leave THOSE on the counter. So why refrigerate the MB?
I'm worried about the obvious--the MB going hard, dried out, and stale in the fridge overnight, and drying out further when reheating.
Any advice on what to do? Leave it out or stick it in the fridge?
Also, I will most likely be doing a drop-off of the MBs at the party, so I won't be reheating them myself. I'll have to include a little note with instructions or something. Does reheating in a low oven for 5-8 minutes sound okay?
Already worried this will be a total fail.
Thanks!