Full Order Biscuits & Sausage Gravy Recipe

Preheat and prepare

Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it.

Combine dry ingredients

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

Cut in butter

Grate the cold unsalted butter on the large holes of a box grater or cut into small cubes. Using a pastry cutter, two knives, or your fingertips, quickly cut the butter into the flour mixture until pieces are about pea-sized and the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Work quickly to keep butter cold.

Add buttermilk

Make a well in the center and pour in 1 1/2 cups cold buttermilk. Stir gently with a fork or spatula just until a shaggy, slightly sticky dough forms. Do not overmix.

Turn out and fold

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. With floured hands or a bench scraper, fold the dough over on itself 4–6 times to build layers, pressing gently—do not knead extensively. If dough is very sticky, dust lightly with a spoonful of flour.

Shape and cut biscuits

Pat the dough to about 3/4- to 1-inch thickness. Using a 2 1/2- to 3-inch round cutter, press straight down without twisting to cut biscuits. Gather scraps, gently press together, and cut additional biscuits. You should yield about 10–12 large biscuits.

Brush and bake

Arrange biscuits on the prepared baking sheet so sides touch slightly for taller biscuits. Brush tops with 2 tbsp heavy cream if using. Bake in the preheated oven for 12–15 minutes, until golden brown on top and bottom and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Rotate pan halfway through if your oven has hot spots.

Finish

Remove biscuits from oven and transfer to a wire rack for 5 minutes. If desired, split and spread a little butter while warm before assembling.

Cook sausage

While biscuits bake, heat a large heavy skillet or cast-iron pan over medium heat. Add 1 lb breakfast pork sausage, breaking it up with a spatula. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and cooked through, about 7–9 minutes. Spoon off and reserve excess fat if there is more than 3–4 tbsp; leave roughly 2–3 tbsp fat in the pan for the roux.

Make roux

With the pan still over medium heat and the sausage distributed in the pan, sprinkle 1/2 cup all-purpose flour evenly over the sausage and fat. Stir constantly for 1–2 minutes to cook the flour and remove the raw taste; the mixture will become pasty and start to brown slightly.

Add milk

Slowly pour in 3 cups whole milk while stirring or whisking to combine and break up any lumps. Add 1/2 cup half-and-half for extra creaminess. Bring the gravy to a gentle simmer; it will thicken as it heats. If gravy becomes too thick, add milk 2 tbsp at a time until desired consistency is reached.

Season

Simmer the gravy for 4–6 minutes, stirring frequently, until it coats the back of a spoon. Season with 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, and 1/4 tsp cayenne (optional). Taste and adjust salt and pepper—sausage can be salty, so start conservatively.

Finish

If you removed excess fat earlier, you can swirl in up to 1–2 tbsp butter for richness. Keep gravy warm over the lowest heat, stirring occasionally. If gravy thickens further as it sits, loosen with a splash of milk.

Split warm biscuits in half and place on plates. Spoon a generous ladle of hot sausage gravy over each biscuit half (or over the whole biscuit if preferred). Finish with extra freshly ground black pepper to taste and an optional pat of butter.

Serve immediately while biscuits and gravy are hot. Leftover gravy can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and gently reheated with a splash of milk.