Can You Freeze English Muffins

When it comes to affordable and easy breakfast ideas, English muffins are a staple. Not only do they take minutes to prepare, but they’re also packed with nutrients that will keep you fueled and ready to face the day. However, the prep time for these simple carbs is considerably longer than cooking them from scratch. You’ll have to spend about 20-30 minutes on prep before you can pop them in the oven—but we’ve got ways to make this quicker! With a little planning ahead, you can freeze English muffins so that you have them on hand at any given time. Read on for more information on how you can stock your freezer with reheatable English muffins any time of the year.

Can You Freeze English Muffins?

Yes, you can freeze English muffins. To freeze them, wrap them separately in plastic wrap and then place them in a freezer bag. Frozen English muffins can be thawed and reheated in the microwave or toaster oven. Toasting may be necessary if the muffins were frozen before they were toasted.

How To Freeze English Muffins

Prepare your English muffin(s)

Soak the muffins in water: Soaking the muffins in water for 10-15 minutes will make them softer and easier to slice for freezing. This is especially helpful for thinner, artisan-style English muffins. If using regular muffins, you won’t need to do this but you can still give them a quick rinse if you want to. Slice your muffins: Use a serrated bread knife to carefully slice the muffins in half and then cut them into squares or rectangles. Dry the muffins: Take the slices out of the water and let them dry on a cooling rack for an hour. If you skip this step, the muffins will stick together once frozen.

Freeze overnight

Freeze your muffins on a baking sheet: Place the sliced muffins on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place them in the freezer overnight. This ensures they freeze together in one solid block so they’re easy to store in a freezer bag or container. Freeze muffins in a container: If you have a large, reusable container or bag with a good seal, you can just put the whole baking sheet in there and freeze the muffins in a single block. This is great if you’re going to store more than one type of muffin at a time in your freezer.

Defrost and reheat

Defrost your muffins in the microwave: Microwave the muffins or frozen block of muffins for 2-3 minutes, or just until they are soft. You don’t want them to be warm, just defrosted enough to be easy to slice and serve. Defrost muffins in warm water: If you’re in a hurry, you can also submerge the frozen muffins in warm water for about 10 minutes, or until they are soft.

More freezing!

Freeze the slices in a resealable bag: Place the sliced muffins in a resealable freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Frozen muffins are great for making pizza or canapés in a jiffy. Freeze the slices in a container: If you sliced the muffins in advance and want to freeze them pre-sliced, put the slices in a freezer container. This makes it easy to grab a slice whenever you want one and defrosting is a breeze.

Bake immediately or freeze again.

Bake the slices right away: If you have time to bake the slices before freezing them, you can put them in the freezer while they’re still warm, which will help them freeze together in one solid chunk. This is especially helpful if you’re making pizza slices or canapés. Freeze the slices again: If you don’t have time to bake the slices before freezing them, no worries! You can still freeze them. The slices will freeze together in one solid block and are easy to grab out of the freezer and bake whenever you want them.

Toaster oven reheating (fast!)

Place the slices on a baking sheet: Arrange the slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and pop them in your toaster oven. You can bake two sheets of slices at a time in a regular toaster oven. Bake for 7-13 minutes: For thin slices, bake for 7-8 minutes. For thick slices, bake for 10-13 minutes. The slices should be warm and soft but not soggy.

The Benefits Of Freezing English Muffins

1. Time saver

Freezing English muffins allows you to save time in the morning by not having to spend time on prepping and cooking. You can easily grab a frozen English muffin and eat it right away, or reheat it in the microwave. You can also freeze English muffins in sections so that you only have to thaw one portion at a time.

2. Easy storage for leftovers

After dinner, you may be tempted to save leftover ingredients for later use. Perhaps you’ll want to make some homemade pizza with your leftovers from dinner later on this week, or maybe another family member will be coming over soon and they’ll want some of your leftover chicken nuggets (or whatever food item you’re preparing). Instead of spending time trying to figure out what to do with leftovers, just freeze them! You can thaw them as many times as you need until the next mealtime without having any waste!

3. More options for meal planning

If you’re a fan of breakfast, you may be tempted to skip making English muffins on the weekend and instead just eat “leftovers” throughout the week. This could lead to some unhealthy eating habits, however, since you wouldn’t have a consistent breakfast option. Freezing English muffins means you can always have them available when you wake up. If you do decide to make breakfast for yourself on weekends, this allows time for any necessary prep work in the morning before work or school.

4. More variety for breakfast

If you’re a fan of cereal, you may not be able to eat the same thing every day. Freezing English muffins allows you to have options available for breakfast that you may not want to eat every day. You can always make a batch of English muffins and freeze them in individual portions to use later. You could also make some English muffin pizzas by baking them in the oven a few minutes before your family is due to arrive and then they’ll just have to reheat them in the microwave when they get there!

5. You can use English muffins as bread or toast

If you’re in the mood for a sandwich, you can just cut up English muffins into pieces instead of cutting regular bread. This allows you to have more variety in your sandwiches and also provides some additional nutrients to your sandwich. You can make your own sandwiches with any meat or veggie toppings and then freeze them in individual portions. If you have some leftover grilled chicken or strawberries, make a few English muffin pizzas and then freeze them to use for quick lunches throughout the week!

The Disadvantages Of Freezing English Muffins

1. Loss of Nutrients

Frozen foods are often lower in nutritional value than fresh foods. That’s because heat destroys some of the vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals that are naturally present in foods. This includes vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6 and folate. Phytic acid is also lost during freezing. However, freezing does not affect the essential fatty acids found in nuts and seeds or the fiber content of grains.

2. Freezing and Thawing Damage the Food

When you freeze food, it can become brittle (due to the formation of ice crystals) or mushy (due to loss of water). This is why we recommend that you use a freezer bag when freezing foods. It’s also important to remember that frozen foods should be used within three months after they have been frozen or thawed.

3. Hassle in Storage

Freezing is an excellent way to preserve food for long periods of time, but it does present some challenges when it comes to storage. In order for your English muffins not to go stale, you need to store them properly:

4. Loss of Flavor and Texture

The quality of English muffins deteriorates as they sit in your freezer. If you don’t use them within a few months, they may taste bland or have a mushy texture as they thaw and reheat on the stovetop. To prevent this from happening, freeze English muffins in a single layer on a baking sheet and then transfer them to a freezer bag.

5. Cooking Issues

When you reheat frozen English muffins in the oven, they may not turn out quite as crisp as they do when they are fresh out of the oven. This is because the texture of frozen foods is significantly different than that of their fresh counterparts.

Wrapping Up

English muffins are a quick and easy breakfast option that’s sure to keep you full until lunchtime. They can be paired with almost any topping and can be reheated quickly in the microwave or toaster. If you’re looking for a no-brainer breakfast option, freezing English muffins may be perfect for you. They’re easy to make in large quantities, can be paired with almost any topping, and are quick to reheat in the microwave.