Here is a classic comfort food breakfast or an on-occasion treat! This recipe can’t be beat with flakey homemade biscuits and creamy sausage gravy. It’s straight from an old-fashioned cook’s kitchen. The recipe has a few steps, but it is so worth it.
Sunday is made for decadently delicious breakfast, indulge in the bagel sandwich with prosciutto, egg, and cheese!
Anyone who knows me knows I love comfort food, and this recipe is about as comforting as possible. You say biscuits and gravy in the middle of summer, and I respond with heck yes! Look at those flakey layers!
Ingredients and Tips for Perfect Biscuits and Gravy
Biscuits Making Tips:
- Cold Ingredients: Keep all your ingredients, especially the butter, and buttermilk, as cold as possible. This ensures that the butter remains in small pieces, creating steam pockets during baking that lead to flaky layers.
- Don’t Overwork the Dough: Mix the dough until just combined. Overmixing can lead to tough biscuits. Handle the dough gently and as little as possible when rolling and cutting.
- Use a Sharp Cutter: When cutting out the biscuits, use a sharp biscuit cutter and press straight down without twisting. Twisting can seal the edges and prevent the biscuits from rising properly.
- Baking Powder: Ensure your baking powder is fresh. Old or expired baking powder can lead to flat, dense biscuits.
- High Heat: Bake your biscuits at a high temperature, as stated in the recipe. This high heat helps them rise quickly and develop a beautiful golden-brown crust.
Homemade Gravy Tips:
- Quality Sausage: Use a good-quality breakfast sausage. The sausage’s flavor greatly impacts the gravy’s overall taste. If your grocer has a meat counter, they can sell you as little or as much as you need. If you need to buy a larger package, divide it into smaller portions and freeze for later.
- Even Browning: Brown the sausage evenly and ensure you scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. These bits add a lot of flavor to the gravy!
- Proper Thickening: After adding the flour to the browned sausage, cook it for a few minutes, stirring frequently to remove the raw flour taste before gradually adding the milk.
- Season Gradually: Season the gravy with salt and pepper gradually, tasting as you go. It is important to adjust the seasoning to your preference.
- Consistency: If the gravy becomes too thick, thin it with extra milk. If it’s too thin, let it simmer a bit longer to thicken up.
Shortcut: If you are short on time, you can always use a canned biscuit.
Biscuits Steps
Sausage Gravy Steps
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from A Weekend Cook®.
Biscuits and Gravy
Ingredients
Biscuits
- ⅔ cup flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon room temp butter
- ¼ cup milk
Gravy
- 4 ounces ground breakfast sausage
- 1 tablespoon butter + sausage drippings
- ¼ cup flour
- ¼ cup milk add more if too thick
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Biscuit Shortcut- Short on Time?
- You can mix the dough and turn it out onto a floured pastry board, then pat down and fold a couple of times. Form into a rectangle about 1 inch thick, divide into two and hand form the biscuits.
Biscuits- Rolling Method
- Preheat your oven to 450°F.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well to distribute the ingredients evenly.
- Add the butter to the flour mixture. Use your fingers to massage the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Pour the milk into the flour and butter mixture. Stir until the ingredients are just combined, forming a dough. Keep the reserved flour nearby.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Pat it down gently, then fold the dough over itself 2-3 times to create layers.
- Roll or pat the dough out to a thickness of about 1 inch.
- Using a biscuit cutter or a glass, cut out the biscuits. You can also split the dough into two equal parts and hand-form the biscuits. Be careful not to twist the cutter or glass as you press down, as this can prevent the biscuits from rising properly.
- Place the cut biscuits on a baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden brown.
Gravy
- In a small skillet, cook the breakfast sausage over medium-high heat, breaking it into crumbles as it cooks. Once fully cooked, remove the sausage from the skillet and set it aside, leaving the drippings in the pan.
- Add the butter to the skillet with the sausage drippings. Allow the butter to melt completely.
- Stir in the flour with a wooden spoon. Continue stirring until the mixture forms a thick paste or a roux, cooking for about 1-2 minutes.
- Slowly pour in the milk, stirring continuously to incorporate the liquid and prevent lumps. Continue to add the milk gradually until the gravy reaches your desired consistency.
- Season the gravy with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the cooked sausage back into the skillet, stirring to combine it with the gravy.
- Reduce the heat to low and let the gravy simmer while the biscuits finish baking.
- Once the biscuits are baked, split them open and pour the sausage gravy over the top. Serve hot and enjoy!
Notes
- If the dough becomes too sticky, add a teaspoon of flour at a time until it is no longer sticky and easy to handle.
- A hot oven is important for the biscuits to rise properly and have that flakey texture.
- You can hand pat and form the biscuits into shape.
- No time to make gravy? These biscuits are great with some butter and jam or honey.
Nutrition Disclaimer
I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist. The nutrition amounts given below is an estimate only and provided as a general guide only.