Which Came First With Buttermilk Biscuit Recipe

Preheat and prepare

Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly flour a baking sheet. Chill a pastry cutter or fork if you like.

Mix dry ingredients

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

Cut in butter

Grate or coarse-cut 3/4 cup very cold unsalted butter and add to the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter, two forks, or your fingertips, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining (about 6–8 rotations).

Add buttermilk & form dough

Pour 1 cup cold buttermilk into the flour-butter mixture and gently fold with a spatula until a shaggy, slightly sticky dough forms. Do not overmix; a few dry streaks are okay.

Turn out and fold

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, gently pat into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Fold the dough onto itself 2 times (this creates layers), then pat again to about 1-inch thickness. If the dough becomes too soft, chill for 10 minutes.

Cut biscuits

Using a 2.5-inch floured biscuit cutter or a floured glass, press straight down without twisting to cut rounds. Gather scraps, gently re-pat and cut additional rounds. You should get about 8–9 biscuits.

Brush and bake

Place biscuits on the prepared sheet close together for taller sides or spaced apart for crisper sides. Brush tops with 2 tbs heavy cream. Bake at 450°F (230°C) until risen and golden brown, 12–15 minutes. Remove and let rest 5 minutes.

Cook sausage

While biscuits bake, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 12 oz pork breakfast sausage and cook, breaking it into small pieces, until browned and cooked through, about 7–9 minutes. Leave the rendered fat in the pan, but spoon off excess if there’s more than 3 tablespoons, leaving roughly 2–3 tbs.

Make roux

Reduce heat to medium-low and sprinkle 3 tbs all-purpose flour over the cooked sausage and fat. Stir continuously for 1–2 minutes until the flour is lightly toasted and coats the sausage (this removes raw flour taste).

Add milk and season

Slowly whisk in 2 cups whole milk, working in any browned bits from the pan. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, stirring frequently, until the gravy thickens to a creamy consistency, about 4–6 minutes. Season with 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper and 1/2 tsp fine sea salt (adjust to taste). If gravy becomes too thick, thin with up to 1/4 cup milk.

Keep warm

Lower heat to the lowest setting and keep the gravy warm, stirring occasionally while you cook the eggs and finish biscuits.

Heat skillet

In a medium nonstick skillet, heat 2 tbs unsalted butter and 1 tbs vegetable oil over medium heat until the butter foams and just starts to brown slightly. The oil helps stabilize temperature for even cooking.

Fry eggs

Crack 4 large eggs into the skillet (cook in batches if needed). For sunny-side-up: reduce heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and cook until whites are set and edges are lacy, about 2–3 minutes, keeping yolks runny. For over-easy: cook until whites set, flip gently, and cook 15–30 seconds more for a runny yolk. Season whites lightly with salt and pepper.

Rest briefly

Remove eggs to a warm plate. If you prefer, cover them loosely to retain heat until serving.

Split biscuits and plate

Split warm buttermilk biscuits in half and place bottoms on plates.

Ladle gravy

Spoon a generous portion of hot sausage gravy over the biscuit bottoms so it pools around edges.

Top with egg

Place a fried egg on top of each gravy-covered biscuit half. If you like 'Which Came First' playful contrast, set the egg yolk so it teeters above the gravy to emphasize the idea of egg vs. gravy/biscuit first.

Garnish and serve

Sprinkle with 2 tbs chopped fresh chives or parsley and add a few drops of hot sauce if desired. Serve immediately so biscuits are warm, gravy is hot, and yolks are runny.