Fresh, flaky biscuits are an unparalleled delight–crisp, golden exterior protecting a fluffy, soft, butter-laced interior. It’s the carb lover’s carb. Sadly, the beauty doesn’t last forever. The leftover, day-old, stale biscuit is a shadow of its former self–rubbery, dry, and pasty. Before you think about tossing stale biscuits, consider giving them new life. The best thing to do with leftover biscuits is turn them into biscuit crackers.
How to turn leftover biscuits into crackers
I first came across a version of this from Chef Carla Hall. She uses a drop biscuit recipe to make a large log-shaped biscuit with the intention of turning it into crackers. While you can definitely use fresh biscuits to make these crackers, I think using stale biscuits is an exceptional way to avoid waste.
This trick gives biscuits the biscotti cookie treatment. The Italian word biscotti translates to “twice baked” and that’s exactly what we’re doing. Slicing the stale biscuits into planks and baking them dries them out completely, and even gives you a second opportunity to add a bit of flavor.
You can do this with any type of biscuit–drop biscuits, buttermilk, large, or small. Place the old biscuits on a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, slice the biscuit vertically, top to bottom, into quarter-inch slices. If your biscuits are especially flaky then you may need to cut them a bit thicker so they don’t fall apart. Lay the slabs on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer. If you’d like to flavor them, sprinkle the slices now with some salt, za’atar, everything bagel seasoning, crushed up fennel seeds, or sesame seeds, and spritz with a bit of oil. Bake for 10 minutes at 350°F.
Take the biscuit slices out of the oven and flip them over. Bake for another seven to 10 minutes, or until golden brown and dry. Just like cookies, use a fish spatula to scoop the crackers onto a wire cooling rack. Cool the crackers completely, about 15 minutes.
These crispy morsels are right at home on a charcuterie board. Top with cheese and mustard, or sliced fruit and honey. Sandwich cured meats between two crackers for a teeny, tiny sandwich. Serve with dips, or simply pile them in a bowl and mindlessly snack on them like a grown adult.
