Biscuits And Gravy Recipe

Preheat and prepare

Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment or lightly grease. Keep butter cold in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Mix dry ingredients

In a medium bowl, whisk together 1.25 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp sugar, and 1/2 tsp salt until evenly combined.

Cut in butter

Add 2 tbsp very cold cubed unsalted butter to the dry mixture. Using a pastry cutter, two knives, or your fingertips, cut the butter into the flour until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized bits of butter remaining (about 6–8 quick turns).

Add buttermilk and form dough

Pour in 1/2 cup cold buttermilk and stir gently with a fork until dough just comes together. Do not overmix; dough should be slightly shaggy and sticky.

Fold and shape

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface (use the 1 tbsp extra flour to dust). Gently pat or roll the dough into a rectangle about 3/4" to 1" thick. Fold the dough over onto itself 2 times to create layers, then pat again to 1" thickness.

Cut biscuit

Use a 2.5" round biscuit cutter (or a glass) to cut one biscuit for a single order or two for a double order. Press straight down without twisting for the best rise. Press scraps together gently and cut again if needed.

Bake

Place biscuits on the prepared baking sheet spaced about 1" apart. Bake in the preheated 450°F oven for 10–12 minutes, until golden brown on top. For a shinier top, brush with a little melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven.

Keep warm

Remove from oven and set aside on a wire rack, tent with foil if not serving immediately while you finish the gravy.

Brown the sausage

Place a 10" skillet over medium heat. Add 4 oz breakfast sausage and cook, breaking it into small pieces with a spatula, until browned and cooked through, about 6–8 minutes. If the sausage releases a lot of fat and you wish to reduce grease, spoon off excess so roughly 1 tablespoon fat remains in the pan. If the pan is very dry, add 1 tbsp unsalted butter.

Make the roux

Sprinkle 2 tbsp all-purpose flour evenly over the browned sausage and fat. Stir constantly for 1–2 minutes so the flour cooks and absorbs the fat; this removes the raw flour taste and helps thicken the gravy.

Add milk and cream

Slowly pour in 1 cup whole milk while stirring or whisking to combine smoothly with the roux and meat. Add 2 tbsp heavy cream if using for extra richness. Continue to cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the gravy thickens, about 4–6 minutes. If the gravy becomes too thick, thin with up to 1 tbsp hot water or additional milk until you reach a creamy pourable consistency.

Season

Season the gravy with 3/4 tsp kosher salt and 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed — sausage can be salty, so add salt sparingly.

Finish and hold

Reduce heat to low and simmer gently for 1–2 minutes to meld flavors, stirring occasionally. Keep gravy warm while biscuits finish if necessary; if it thickens while standing, stir in a splash of warm milk to loosen before serving.

Serve

Split the warm biscuit horizontally and place on a plate. Spoon a generous portion of sausage gravy over the biscuit (for a single order use one biscuit and about 1/2 to 3/4 cup gravy; for a double order use two biscuits and about 1 to 1.5 cups gravy). Garnish with an extra grind of black pepper if desired and serve immediately.