Biscuits and Gravy
3.5
(4)
Breakfast doesn’t get better than biscuits and gravy. A staple of the American South, fluffy buttermilk biscuits and creamy, velvety gravy are an ideal match. If it’s your first time making biscuits and gravy from scratch, this recipe—which comes together in just 45 minutes—is a great place to start.
The best biscuits and gravy recipe starts with homemade buttermilk biscuits. For the flakiest biscuits, freeze your butter, then grate it right into the dry ingredients. This recipe calls for two leavening agents and each has its purpose: Baking powder helps the biscuits rise to lofty heights, while baking soda gives them a fluffy texture. Some Southerners might object to the pinch of sugar in the flour mixture, but it doesn’t make these biscuits sweet—it works alongside the salt to season the dough.
You could enjoy the biscuits on their own, but the homemade sausage gravy makes this dish a true comfort food classic. To make your life easier, buy bulk breakfast sausage, not the individual Jimmy Dean links (which you’d have to remove from their casings one by one). Once you’ve cooked the pork sausage (preferably in a cast-iron skillet), make a quick stovetop roux by adding flour to the pan drippings, then stream in a mixture of milk and heavy cream. Since you want a white gravy, don’t let the roux take on too much color—it’s primarily serving as a thickening agent. The poultry seasoning brings herbaceous flavor to the gravy, but if you don’t have any, substitute ½ tsp. ground sage and ½ tsp. ground thyme. This sausage gravy would be good on just about anything: mashed potatoes, hash browns, or of course, warm biscuits.
Keep this homemade biscuits and gravy recipe around for your next brunch—or whenever you need a little Southern comfort.
What you’ll need
Biscuit Cutters
$14 At Amazon
9-Inch Cast-Iron Skillet
$33 $20 At Amazon
Poultry Seasoning
$14 At Amazon
Recipe information
Total Time
45 minutes
Yield
6 servings
Ingredients
Biscuits
Gravy and Assembly
Special Equipment
Preparation
Biscuits
Step 1
Place a rack in upper third of oven; preheat to 425°. Sift 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, 2 Tbsp. sugar, 1 Tbsp. baking powder, 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt, and ½ tsp. baking soda into a large bowl and whisk to combine. Grate ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled in freezer at least 10 minutes and up to 12 hours, on the large holes of a box grater directly into bowl; gently stir until butter pieces are completely coated. Stirring with a rubber spatula, gradually pour in ¾ cup chilled buttermilk; continue stirring just until dough comes together (be careful not to overmix).
Step 2
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press just until dough comes together but is still shaggy. Pat into a rectangle, then fold dough in half. Roll out dough to an 8x5" rectangle, about 1½" thick. Using cutter, punch out as many biscuits as you can. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing about 1½" apart. Gently press and knead scraps together, then pat 1½" thick and cut out more biscuits (you should have 8 or 9 total). Discard remaining scraps. Brush tops of biscuits with buttermilk and bake until golden brown, 15–17 minutes.
Do Ahead: Biscuits can be baked 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.
Gravy and Assembly
Step 3
While the biscuits are baking, melt 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter in a large skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium heat. Add 1 lb. pork breakfast sausage, casings removed if needed, 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt, and 1 tsp. freshly ground pepper and cook, breaking up meat into smaller pieces and stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon or heatproof rubber spatula, until meat is cooked through and browned, about 5 minutes. Add 1 small onion, finely chopped, and 2 garlic cloves, finely grated, and cook, stirring often, until softened slightly and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add ¼ cup (31 g) all-purpose flour and mix to evenly incorporate and coat sausage and onion, about 1 minute. Stirring constantly, gradually pour in 2 cups whole milk and ½ cup heavy cream and cook, stirring often, until mixture is thick enough to coat a spoon, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 tsp. poultry seasoning and ¼ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg; taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed.
Step 4
Transfer biscuits to a platter and spoon gravy over. Top with finely chopped chives if desired and season generously with more pepper.
Recipe notes
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