Buttermilk Biscuit French Toast Bake Recipe

Buttermilk Biscuit French Toast Bake Recipe is an American breakfast classic featuring fluffy biscuits soaked in a spiced custard. This version uses rich double cream, free-range eggs, and plenty of ground cinnamon to create a golden, crisp finish.

If you do nothing else, make sure your pan is at the right heat before the biscuits go in. Too cold and the butter just soaks into the dough, but too hot and the outside burns before the middle sets. That’s the difference between a greasy mess and a light, airy breakfast.

This is one of those recipes that looks harder than it is. The whole thing comes down to the soak time because biscuit dough is much softer than standard sliced bread. I’ve tried a few versions of this dish and this one from the Cracker Barrel style is the one I keep going back to because the buttermilk tang cuts through the sugar.

Jump to Recipe

Buttermilk Biscuit French Toast Bake Recipe Ingredients

For the Custard

• 2 large free-range eggs
• 250ml (9fl oz) full-fat milk or double cream
• 1 tbsp caster sugar, honey, or maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

For the Biscuits

• 12 buttermilk biscuits
• 60g (2oz) unsalted butter for frying
• 1 pinch of salt

How To Make Buttermilk Biscuit French Toast Bake Recipe

1. Make the custard: Whisk the eggs in a wide, shallow bowl then stir in the milk, sweetener, vanilla, and cinnamon. Keep mixing until the cinnamon is fully blended into the liquid and no yellow streaks from the yolks remain.
2. Prep the biscuits: Split each biscuit in half horizontally using a serrated knife so you have 24 rounds in total. This creates more surface area for the custard to cling to and helps them cook through quickly.
3. Dunk and soak: Dip a few biscuit halves into the egg mixture and flip them immediately to coat both sides. Lift them out after three seconds because leaving them longer will cause the dough to disintegrate before it hits the pan.
4. Cook the biscuits: Melt a large knob of butter in a wide frying pan over medium heat until it foams. Fry the soaked biscuits for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until they are deep golden and have puffed up in the centre.
5. Serve the bake: Move the biscuits to a warm plate as soon as they come out of the pan. Serve them immediately with a drizzle of syrup or a spoonful of jam while the crust is still crunchy.

Recipe Tips

Watch the soak. Biscuit dough is far more porous than a crusty loaf of sourdough or stale white bread. If you leave the halves in the liquid for more than a few seconds, they will turn into mush that is impossible to flip.

Use a heavy pan. A cast iron skillet or a heavy-bottomed non-stick pan holds heat more evenly than thin aluminium. This ensures every biscuit gets that uniform mahogany colour without hot spots burning the sugar in the custard.

Wipe the pan. If you are cooking in batches, use a piece of kitchen roll to wipe out any burnt butter bits between rounds. Start with fresh butter for every new batch to keep the flavour clean and prevent a bitter aftertaste.

Keep them warm. Place a wire rack over a baking tray in the oven at 110°C (225°F/Gas Mark ¼) if you aren’t serving everyone at once. The rack allows air to circulate so the bottoms don’t get soggy while they wait.

Make ahead prep. You can whisk the custard the night before and keep it in a sealed jar in the fridge. Give it a good shake before pouring it into your dipping bowl to redistribute the cinnamon.

What To Serve With Buttermilk Biscuit French Toast

These biscuits are quite rich so they pair well with tart flavours like fresh raspberries or a squeeze of lemon juice. A side of crispy streaky bacon or salty grilled sausages balances the sweetness of the maple syrup.

If you want a fuller spread, serve them alongside some creamy scrambled eggs or a bowl of Greek yoghurt. The tang of the yoghurt works well with the warm spices in the custard.

How To Store Buttermilk Biscuit French Toast

Fridge

Place any leftover cooked biscuits in an airtight container once they have cooled completely to room temperature. They will stay fresh in the fridge for up to two days, though the exterior will lose its initial crunch.

Reheat

The best way to reheat these is in a dry frying pan over medium heat for two minutes per side. This helps the edges crisp up again, whereas a microwave will make the dough rubbery and tough.

Freeze

Wrap individual cooked biscuits in greaseproof paper and store them in a freezer bag for up to one month. Thaw them overnight in the fridge before reheating in a pan or a hot oven at 180°C (350°F/Gas Mark 4).

Buttermilk Biscuit French Toast Bake Recipe Nutrition Facts

• Calories: 412kcal
• Protein: 9g
• Fat: 22g
• Carbohydrates: 44g
• Sugar: 12g
• Sodium: 880mg

Estimated. May vary based on ingredients and cooking methods.

FAQs

Try More Recipes:

• Cracker Barrel Warm Cinnamon Peach Crisp Recipe
• Cracker Barrel Southern Greens with Ham Hocks Recipe
• Cracker Barrel Apple Praline Bread Recipe