Biscuits & Gravy Recipe

Preheat and prepare

Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it. Place a rack in the middle of the oven.

Combine dry ingredients

In a large bowl, whisk together 2.5 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and 1 teaspoon fine salt until evenly distributed.

Cut in butter

Grate the cold 1/2 cup unsalted butter on the large holes of a box grater or cut into pea-size pieces. Using a pastry cutter or your fingertips, work the butter into the flour mixture until pea-sized clumps remain and the mixture looks coarse and sandy. Keep the butter cold—work quickly.

Add buttermilk and form dough

Make a well in the center of the dry mix and pour in 1 cup cold buttermilk. Using a fork or a rubber spatula, fold the flour into the buttermilk until the dough just comes together (it will be slightly sticky). If dough seems too dry, add up to 1-2 tablespoons more buttermilk.

Turn out and fold

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently pat into a rectangle about 1-inch thick. Fold the dough onto itself 2 times (fold in thirds like a letter or simply fold in half twice) to create layers, then pat again to 1-inch thickness. Do not overwork.

Cut biscuits

Use a 2.5-inch round biscuit cutter (or a floured glass) to cut biscuits straight down without twisting (twisting seals the edges). Gather scraps, gently re-pat to 1-inch thickness, and cut additional biscuits until you have about 8–10 biscuits.

Brush and bake

Place biscuits on the prepared baking sheet touching each other for taller sides or spaced apart for crispier edges. Brush tops with 2 tablespoons heavy cream if using. Bake in the preheated oven for 12–15 minutes, until golden brown on top and bottoms. Remove and let cool 5 minutes on the pan.

Brown the sausage

While biscuits bake, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 pound pork breakfast sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Cook until nicely browned and no pink remains, about 7–9 minutes. Tilt the pan and spoon off and discard any excessive rendered fat, leaving about 2–3 tablespoons in the skillet for flavor.

Make the roux

Sprinkle 1/4 cup all-purpose flour evenly over the browned sausage and fat. Stir continuously for 1–2 minutes to cook the raw flour taste and form a roux; the mixture will darken slightly and absorb fat.

Add milk and simmer

Slowly pour in 3 cups whole milk while stirring to prevent lumps. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat, stirring frequently as it thickens. Simmer 4–6 minutes until gravy reaches a creamy, spoon-coating consistency. If gravy becomes too thick, stir in additional milk 1 tablespoon at a time until desired thickness is reached.

Season

Season the gravy with 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Taste and adjust: add more salt or pepper to preference. Stir in 1 teaspoon hot sauce if you like a slight kick.

Keep warm

Reduce heat to low and keep gravy warm, stirring occasionally, until biscuits are ready. If gravy cools and thickens too much, reheat gently and thin with a splash of milk.

Split warm biscuits in half horizontally. Spoon generous amounts of hot sausage gravy over each biscuit half (or serve whole biscuits with gravy poured over). Serve immediately.