Country Biscuits & Gravy Recipe

Preheat and prepare

Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

In a large 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 combined.

Cut cold, cubed butter (3/4 cup) into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter, two knives, or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized bits of butter remaining. Do not overwork; visible butter pieces help create flaky layers.

Make a well in the center and pour in 1 1/4 cups cold buttermilk. Stir gently with a fork just until the dough comes together and no large streaks of dry flour remain. The dough will be shaggy and sticky.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Fold the dough over onto itself 3 to 4 times (pat or roll to about 1-inch thickness) to create layers and height — do not overwork. Use a 2 1/2-inch round biscuit cutter to cut straight down (do not twist) to preserve layers. Press scraps together gently and cut remaining biscuits.

Place biscuits close together on the prepared baking sheet so sides touch (this encourages rise). Brush tops with 2 tablespoons melted butter.

Bake in preheated oven for 12–15 minutes or until golden brown and risen. Remove to a rack and keep warm while preparing gravy and eggs.

In a large skillet or sauté pan over medium heat, add 1 pound bulk pork sausage. Break it up with a spatula and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and no longer pink, about 6–8 minutes. If the sausage releases a lot of fat, spoon off and discard excess, leaving about 2–3 tablespoons fat in the pan for flavor. If there is little fat, add 1 tablespoon butter.

Sprinkle 1/3 cup all-purpose flour evenly over the cooked sausage and stir well to coat. Cook the flour-sausage mixture for 1–2 minutes to remove the raw flour taste, stirring constantly.

Gradually whisk in 3 cups whole milk (and up to 1/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock if you prefer a thinner gravy), adding a little at a time to avoid lumps. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat while whisking or stirring constantly. The gravy will begin to thicken after 3–5 minutes.

Season the gravy with 1 teaspoon salt (adjust to taste), 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper (increase for a peppery profile), 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1/4 teaspoon onion powder. Taste and adjust seasoning; if gravy is too thick, stir in additional milk or stock a tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached.

Reduce heat to low and keep gravy warm, stirring occasionally to prevent skin from forming. If needed, whisk vigorously to smooth out any lumps before serving over the biscuits.

If the pork sausage patties are not pre-cooked, cook them now: in a separate skillet over medium heat, cook 2 sausage patties for 3–4 minutes per side or until internal temperature reaches 160°F (71°C). Keep warm in a low oven (200°F/95°C) or on a warm plate tented with foil.

For eggs (fried/sunny-side or over easy): Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-low to medium heat. Crack 2 large eggs into the pan. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. For sunny-side up, cook until whites are set but yolks remain runny, about 3–4 minutes; for over-easy, cook until whites set, gently flip and cook 20–30 seconds more. Remove and keep warm.

Alternatively, scramble the eggs: whisk eggs and a pinch of salt, melt butter in skillet, cook while gently stirring until softly set, about 2–3 minutes.

Split the warm biscuits in half. Place a biscuit bottom on each plate, spoon a generous amount of sausage gravy over each biscuit (reserve some gravy if guests want extra). Top with the biscuit top if desired.

Add two cooked pork sausage patties to the plate and the two eggs alongside or on top of the biscuit and gravy as preferred.

Garnish with an extra grind of black pepper. Serve immediately.