Big Biscuits & Gravy Recipe

Preheat and prep

Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside. Keep all cold ingredients chilled until ready.

Mix dry ingredients

In a large bowl, whisk together 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, and 1 tsp salt until evenly combined.

Cut in butter

Add the 6 tablespoons cold cubed unsalted butter to the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter, two knives, or your fingertips, work the butter into the flour until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized pieces of butter remaining (small lumps are fine).

Add buttermilk

Make a well in center and pour in 3/4 cup cold buttermilk. Gently fold the dough with a spatula until it just comes together; do not overmix. The dough should be shaggy and slightly sticky.

Shape biscuits

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently pat it into a rectangle about 1-inch thick. Fold it over onto itself 2–3 times to create layers, then pat again to 1-inch thickness. Using a 3.5–4 inch round cutter, press straight down (do not twist) to cut two large biscuits. Re-form scraps gently if needed; minimal handling.

Brush and bake

Place biscuits on prepared baking sheet close together (touching sides produces taller biscuits). Brush the tops with 1 tablespoon cold heavy cream. Bake in the preheated 450°F oven for 12–16 minutes, until deep golden brown on top and cooked through. Remove from oven and transfer to a rack; allow to rest 5 minutes while you make gravy.

Brown sausage

While biscuits bake (or immediately after), heat a 10-12 inch skillet over medium heat. Add 12 oz crumbled breakfast sausage. Cook, breaking it up with a spatula, until browned and no longer pink, about 6–8 minutes. Do not drain fat — you need the rendered fat for the gravy.

Make roux

Reduce heat to medium-low. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour evenly over the cooked sausage and fat. Stir constantly for 1–2 minutes to cook the raw flour taste and combine flour with fat until you have a pasty roux coating the meat.

Add milk gradually

Slowly pour in 2 cups whole milk in a steady stream while stirring or whisking to avoid lumps. Increase heat to medium. Continue to stir, scraping any browned bits from the pan, until the mixture begins to thicken, about 3–5 minutes.

Simmer and season

Once thickened to a gravy consistency that will coat the back of a spoon, simmer gently for 2–3 minutes. Stir in 3/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, and 1/4 tsp dry mustard powder if using. Taste and adjust seasoning—add more salt or pepper to taste. If gravy is too thick, thin with additional milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached.

Keep warm

Lower heat to the lowest setting and keep the gravy warm, stirring occasionally. If it thickens too much while waiting, whisk in a little warm milk to loosen it.

Split each warm biscuit horizontally and place open-faced on two plates (or stack whole biscuits). Spoon a generous portion of sausage gravy over each biscuit so the top and edges are well covered — roughly 1/2 to 3/4 cup gravy per biscuit depending on preference.

Garnish each plate with a sprinkle of chopped chives or parsley and a few turns of freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately with hot sauce on the side if desired.