Southern Style Biscuits And Sausage Gravy

In every southern kitchen, every family has their own way of making biscuits and gravy. This recipe for biscuits and sausage gravy is my favorite way of making it, and it turns out delicious every single time. The biscuits are nice and fluffy, and the gravy is so good, topped on the biscuits.

No matter how you make them, I know that every family’s way of making them is delicious. So let me share with you how I make mine. I will break it down into 2 sections: the biscuits and the gravy, so you are not bombarded with so much stuff. It is very easy to make, so let’s get started.

BISCUIT INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 C. All-purpose flour
3 Tsp. Baking powder
1/2 Tsp. Baking soda
1 Tsp salt ( I use kosher- if using a fine salt, use 1/2 Tsp)
1/4 C. Powdered Milk ( this is optional)
1/4 C. Of either ( lard, butter, or half of each)
1 1/4 C. Buttermilk ( more/less if needed) – you can also use whole milk – the amount depends on humidity.
Extra flour for dusting on the counter
1/4 C. melted and cooled butter (You can also use milk or cream)

BISCUIT DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat your oven to 425*. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and powdered milk. Mix well.
2. Add the Crisco ( or butter) and use either a pastry cutter or fork and work the Crisco into the flour until the mixture looks slightly crumbly. You may have bigger chunks of butter or lard, and that is ok as long as they are not huge huge chunks.
3. Slowly pour in the buttermilk/milk while stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula. Mix until just combined. If there is a slight amount of flour on the bottom of the bowl, it is alright. It will get mixed in soon. You want the dough to be slightly sticky.
4. Lightly flour your countertop and turn the dough out. Gather the dough into itself and pat it out. Take one end of the dough, fold it onto itself. Do this about 5 to 6 times. After the final fold ( this creates layers in the biscuits), pat out to about 1/2 inch thick. If you don’t want layered biscuits, you can skip this step and just pat out the dough.
5. Take your biscuit cutter or a glass and press straight down into the dough. Do not twist the cutter, as this will seal the edges, and you will not get a good biscuit rise.
6. Place the biscuits on either a buttered cast-iron pan, a sheet tray (lined with parchment or butter), or a buttered baking dish. You can keep them separated, or you can leave a 1/4-inch border between the biscuits so they touch when baking.
7. Once the biscuits are placed in the dish, brush over some of the melted butter, milk, or cream. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes or until golden brown on top and cooked through.
8. Remove and brush the top with extra melted butter so they are nice and flavorful. Remove them to a serving dish and serve. I like to place them in a basket lined with a lint-free cloth and cover the biscuits with the ends of the cloth so they stay warm.

SAUSAGE GRAVY INGREDIENTS:

1/2 Lb. Country-style sausage. ( I use Jimmy Dean, regular/mild)
Salt
Pepper
2 Tbsp. Flour
2 Tbsp of neutral oil, only if needed – This depends on how much fat your sausage releases during cooking.
2 C. milk ( more if needed)

SAUSAGE GRAVY DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large skillet, add the sausage and break it apart with a wooden spoon. Cook over medium-low heat until completely cooked through. This should take about 5 to 8 minutes.
2. If your sausage does not produce a lot of oil, add 1 to 2 tbsp of neutral oil. You want the same amount of oil as you would add flour. For example: 2 tbsp fat = 2 tbsp of flour.
3. Add in the salt and pepper. Stir. (add as much as you like) Go light on the salt at this step. You don’t want to add too much and make it way too salty. You can always add more later.
4. Add the flour and stir to mix. Cook for about 2 minutes. I use a flat spatula, but you can most definitely use a whisk.
5. While stirring or whisking, slowly add in the milk a little at a time until the gravy is nice and thickened. It should be slightly runny, as it will thicken as it cools as well. So you do not want it to be too thick before removing it from the heat.
6. Once the gravy is as thick as you want it, remove it to a bowl or dish and serve. Check the seasoning before serving and add more salt and pepper if needed.

• PLEASE READ FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR NEW BAKERS, THOSE WHO WANT TO LEARN TO MAKE BISCUITS AND GRAVY, AND OTHER COUNTRIES. THIS SHOULD HELP YOU OUT A LOT.
• If you do not want to add the sausage, leave it out. Add the oil and follow directions 3-6.
• The more fat and flour you add to your gravy, the more milk you are going to add. This adds up quickly, and before you know it, you will have a huge amount of gravy than you intended. Rule of thumb: 2 tbsp of flour + 2 tbsp of fat + 2 cups of milk makes about 4 servings. You can calculate the amount you need for your family from this rule of thumb.
• When gauging the thickness of the gravy, it is done. The gravy should just barely coat the back of a spoon. It should be thick but on the thinner side of thick. The gravy will thicken a lot as it cools down. So aim for a slightly thinner gravy and then let it sit for about 5 minutes, and let it thicken more before serving. The way I was taught to gauge this is just as it starts to thicken, remove it from the heat, and continue to stir off the heat until thickened and cooled slightly. You can always add a splash of milk if it is too thick.
• If you want to make just the biscuits, that is perfectly fine. I also make just biscuits when I want to add other things to them. You can add a fried egg, sausage patties, bacon, jam or jelly, or simply add butter. You don’t always have to make sausage gravy with biscuits.
• If you can not find the breakfast sausage that I use, you can also use the following: Breakfast links (casing removed), Breakfast sausage patties, Ground Italian sausage ( ground or links with casing removed), country style or maple style sausage, sausage meat, link sausage (casing removed), or you can make it yourself. Here is how: 1 lb ground pork/pork mince, salt, sage, black pepper, and a pinch of brown sugar. How much of these spices that you add is up to you and your preference. Our sausage is seasoned completely different than other countries. Any kind of breakfast sausage (casing removed) and any brand will work. The flavor will be different, but it will work and be just as good.
• To make the sausage gravy biscuits, all you have to do is split the biscuits in half on your plate and top them with as much sausage gravy as you want. Enjoy!

• FOR EUROPEAN OR OTHER COUNTRIES: FLOUR FOR THE BISCUITS
• Here is some information to help you on your biscuit journey. I hope this helps you so you can enjoy our Southern classic biscuits and gravy.
• UK AND IRELAND: You can use a 75/25 mix of flour to cornflour ratio, or you can use a soft cake and pastry flour. (75/25 Mix – for every 1 cup, 120g, of flour, you want to remove 2 tbsp of flour and replace that with 2 tbsp of cornflour/cornstarch/maizena)
• FRANCE: You can use TYPE 45 flour
• GERMANY AND AUSTRIA: You can use TYPE 405 flour
• ITALY: You can use TIPO 00 flour
• AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND: You can use pastry flour or white sponge flour.
• This may differ in other countries. What you want is a lower protein flour, somewhere between 8% to 9.5%. Nothing higher than 10.5%. Be sure to read your label for this information. We want a tender, flaky biscuit and not a tough, chewy biscuit. And do not over-mix your dough. Mix until everything has come together to form a sticky dough, and then stop. It will continue to mix when you pat it out or create layers later. If there is a slight bit of flour on the bottom of your bowl, that is ok. It will get mixed in when you pat it out. Don’t worry about it.
• BUTTER FOR THE BISCUITS:
• UK AND IRELAND: Look for blocks of Lard right next to butter blocks.
• GERMANY AND AUSTRIA: Look for “Schweineschmalz” and make sure the package says “plain or pure”. DO NOT buy “Griebenschmalz,” which is flavored with onions and apples.
• FRANCE: Look for “Saindoux” near the butter or the pork products.
• SPAIN AND LATIN AMERICA: Look for “Manteca de Cerdo”
• CANADA: Look for “Tenderflake”
• You can also use Beef Tallow “rendered beef fat, or if you don’t want to use either, use butter. Salted or unsalted works well. If you are using salted, then cut the salt in half in the recipe. When using lard or tallow, it does not have to be cold. If you are using butter, make sure it is cold and cubed before adding it to the biscuits. I prefer to use Lard because it gives the biscuits a more tender, flaky crumb as compared to butter. Either makes a delicious biscuit.
• MILK/BUTTERMILK FOR THE BISCUITS:
• This is personal preference and what flavor you are going for when you make biscuits. I prefer milk because I always have it on hand compared to buttermilk. Both make wonderful biscuits. Milk gives a milder flavor, whereas buttermilk adds a slight tang to the biscuits.
• You should use full-fat milk, “whole milk,” or a full-fat blue top in the UK. Whatever full-fat milk is in your country, that is what you want to use. This is where I stress that the flour-to-milk ratio is always different. You can start off with about 3/4 cup or about 100g of milk or buttermilk at first, and then add more if needed to make a sticky dough. You want the dough to be sticky because a dry dough makes dry biscuits. We do not want that. You can see my video on YouTube to see the texture that you want. It should not be runny dough. It is a wetter dough than scone dough. The extra addition of flour later will help keep the dough from sticking to your hands and will produce a lighter, flakier, more tender biscuit.
• BUTTERMILK: UK/AUSTRAILIAN- Since your Buttermilk is very thin compared to others, you can mix 3/4c with 1/4c of plain yogurt or sour cream to the buttermilk to make it slightly thicker, which somewhat resembles ours.
• GERMANY AND SURROUNDING COUNTRIES: You can buy either “REINE BUTTERMILCH” OR ” DICKMILCH (SOURMILK).” No giggling… It’s a thing in Germany.
• UNIVERSAL BUTTERMILK SUBSTITUTE: 1 part milk,120g, to 1 tbsp lemon juice or plain vinegar. Stir and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
• BAKING THE BISCUITS:
• I bake my biscuits at 425*. Here are some equivalents for you.
• In Celsius-based ovens, that would be around 220* or gas mark 7 in European countries. European convection ovens are around
  200* C.
• BEFORE BAKING: I like to brush the tops of the biscuits with either melted butter, buttermilk, cream, or milk. I tend to gravitate toward milk/buttermilk because I can just add the remainder to my gravy if I am making it. This helps the tops of the biscuits get that beautiful golden color on top.
• I know some ovens run hot, so if your oven runs hot, like mine, check the biscuits at the 18-minute bake time. Mine tend to take the full 20 minutes. When the tops are nice and golden (not a deep golden), you can remove them from the oven. The longer you bake them, the tougher they get. Think hockey puck or Ellie Mae biscuits for you, Beverly Hillbilly fans. lol.
• Once you remove them from the pan, you can brush over some melted butter. I tend to melt about 2 tbsp of butter and brush it over the biscuits immediately after baking, while they are still piping hot. I let them sit for about 1 minute to absorb that butter and then remove them to a basket lined with a lint-free cloth, and them cover them with the edges of the cloth to keep them warm for serving.
• If the biscuits do not get a nice golden color because your oven may run a bit colder, you can always pop them under the broiler/grill for about 1 to 2 minutes. Only long enough to brown the top and no longer. Watch them very closely because they will burn very quickly. If your oven runs significantly hotter, then only leave them in the broiler/grill for like 30 seconds to 1 minute.
• I hope this helps all of you, and if you have any questions, please feel free to ask here or on any of my social media platforms. I will answer you to the best of my ability. Enjoy your biscuit-baking, gravy-making experience.