Sausage Gravy And Biscuits Recipe

Preheat and prepare

Preheat oven to 450°F (232°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment or lightly grease it. Keep a sheet of parchment or a lightly floured work surface ready for shaping.

Combine dry ingredients

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon granulated sugar until evenly distributed.

Cut in butter

Cut 3/4 cup cold unsalted butter into roughly 1/2-inch pieces. Using a pastry cutter, two knives, or your fingertips, work the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized bits of butter remaining. Chill briefly if butter becomes too soft.

Add buttermilk and bring dough together

Make a well in the center of the flour-butter mixture and pour in 1 cup cold buttermilk. Stir gently with a fork until the dough just comes together and is shaggy. If the dough seems dry, add up to 2 tablespoons milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it holds together but is still slightly sticky.

Fold and pat

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface or a piece of parchment. Fold the dough over itself 3 to 4 times (this creates layers) and then gently pat or roll it to about 3/4-inch thickness. Do not overwork.

Cut biscuits

Using a 2.5- to 3-inch round biscuit cutter or a floured glass, press straight down without twisting to cut biscuits. Gather scraps, gently press them back together (do not overwork), and cut additional biscuits to yield about 8–10 biscuits depending on cutter size.

Bake

Place biscuits on the prepared baking sheet so they just touch for taller sides or spaced apart for crispier edges. Brush tops lightly with a little extra buttermilk if desired. Bake in the preheated 450°F oven for 12–15 minutes, until golden brown on top. Remove from oven and transfer to a rack to rest while you make the gravy.

Brown the sausage

In a large skillet or sauté pan over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon unsalted butter. When melted and foaming, add 1 pound ground pork breakfast sausage. Break the sausage into small pieces with a spatula and cook, stirring occasionally, until no pink remains and the meat has rendered fat and has browned edges, about 6–8 minutes.

Make roux with rendered fat

If there is excessive fat, pour off and reserve about 2 tablespoons of fat in the skillet; add 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour to the pan with the fat and cooked sausage. Stir continuously to coat the meat and cook the flour for 1–2 minutes to remove the raw flour taste; the mixture will become pasty and slightly darker.

Add milk gradually

Slowly whisk in 3 cups whole milk a little at a time, scraping up any brown bits from the pan. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat, whisking or stirring frequently to prevent lumps. The gravy will thicken as it heats; simmer for 5–8 minutes until it reaches a creamy sauce consistency.

Season and adjust consistency

Season the gravy with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, taste, and adjust seasoning as needed. If the gravy is too thick, whisk in reserved hot water or additional milk 1 tablespoon at a time (up to 2 tablespoons) until desired pourable thickness is reached. If too thin, simmer a few minutes longer to reduce and thicken.

Keep warm

Keep the gravy over very low heat and stir occasionally until the biscuits are ready. If the gravy thickens too much while waiting, stir in a splash of milk and rewarm gently.

Serve

Split warm biscuits in half and spoon generous portions of sausage gravy over each half. Serve immediately.