Southern biscuits and gravy is a classic comfort food breakfast staple. Fluffy and flaky buttermilk biscuits are topped with a peppery sausage gravy.
There's nothing better than a plate of your favorite comfort food. For many, that's a hearty serving of southern biscuits and gravy.
Never made biscuits from scratch before? It's easier than you think. Plus, it's worth the effort to make your own - the buttery flavor and flaky texture can't be beat.
Sausage gravy comes together in minutes on the stove top while your biscuits bake in the oven. It's made with just a handful of ingredients and has the perfect savory, peppery flavor.
Southern biscuits and gravy are perfect for breakfast, brunch, or as a hearty dinner. Don't want to get up early to make breakfast? Biscuits and gravy are easy to make ahead and both reheat beautifully for days.
Ingredients and substitutions
Biscuits:
- All-purpose flour - The base of your biscuits. I haven't tested this recipe with other types of flour so I can't say how the recipe would turn out with substitutions.
- Leavening - You'll need both baking powder and baking soda for the proper lift in this recipe. One cannot be substituted with the other.
- Salt - Enhances the flavor of your biscuits.
- Butter - If using salted butter, cut the listed salt in half. Your butter should be very cold, straight from the refrigerator or freezer, for best results. I like to shred mine on the large side of a box grater for easy incorporation into the dough.
- Buttermilk - Adds the perfect amount of acidity paired with the leavening agents in this recipe. To make buttermilk substitute, add 1 tablespoon of vinegar to a liquid measuring cup. Fill to the 1-cup line with whole milk and allow to set for 5 minutes. Then proceed with the recipe as directed.
Sausage gravy:
- Sausage - 16 ounces of breakfast sausage, mild or hot, is necessary for this recipe. If using a leaner sausage, like turkey sausage, you may need to add some butter or oil to the pan to create a roux for the gravy.
- All-purpose flour - Flour is added to the pan to make a roux with the sausage grease. The roux is what thickens the gravy as it cooks.
- Milk - I recommend whole milk for a creamy, thick gravy.
- Seasoning - Salt, pepper, and thyme enhance the flavor of the gravy.
Biscuit tips and tricks
There are a few keys to making a successful batch of biscuits: using cold butter, handling your dough as little as possible, and folding. The goal of folding is to create layers of cold butter throughout your dough, which results in flaky, fluffy layers.
Cold butter: Make sure your butter is very cold, straight from the refrigerator or freezer. Cold butter is important because you want it to stay solid throughout the dough, instead of melting and incorporating into the flour. Those cold butter pockets produce steam while baking, which creates those flaky layers in the oven.
Grating butter: I recommend grating your butter on the large side of a box grater. The butter shreds incorporate easily into your flour mixture with very little effort.
Handle dough as little as possible: After the buttermilk has been mixed into your dough, it will look shaggy. This is normal. The goal is to handle the dough as little as possible. Warm hands melt the butter in the dough, which we don't want (see above). Plus overworking the gluten in the dough makes your biscuits turn out tough.
Folding the dough: Once your dough is mostly mixed, but shaggy and sticky, turn it out onto a floured surface. Gently form your dough into a rectangle and pat it down with your hands. Fold the rectangle in half, then turn it and gently pat it down into a wide rectangle again. You'll do this five times total before cutting out your biscuits. If you're a visual person, here's a great YouTube video showing how exactly to fold biscuit dough: Biscuits and Shortcakes: Folding and Turning
Cutting your biscuits: Your biscuits can be sliced with a knife or cut using a biscuit cutter. When cutting your biscuits, take care not to twist the cutter - this seals the edges of the biscuit, reducing the rise in the oven.
Make ahead - Don't want to wake up early to make breakfast for the family? Biscuits and sausage gravy can be made one day ahead and stored until ready to serve. It's perfect for holiday breakfasts like Christmas or Thanksgiving!
How to store biscuits - Once completely cooled, transfer baked biscuits to a tightly sealed container. Biscuits will keep for up to 2 days at room temperature, up to a week in the refrigerator, or up to 3 months in the freezer. To thaw frozen biscuits, transfer to the countertop and allow to thaw for 1-2 hours.
How to store gravy - Once cooled to room temperature, transfer gravy to a tightly sealed container and store in the refrigerator until ready to reheat.
Frequently asked questions
Biscuits can be reheated in 10-second increments in the microwave until warm. You could also give them a light toast in the toaster oven.
Over medium heat, pour gravy into a saucepan and stir frequently until hot. Individual portions can also be reheated in the microwave.
Biscuits and sausage gravy can be a complete meal on its own. If you'd like to stretch your servings even further, scrambled eggs, bacon, or country potatoes make a great addition.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Southern Biscuits and Gravy
Ingredients
Biscuits
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, very cold, plus extra for greasing the pan
- 1 cup (227 g) buttermilk
Sausage gravy
- 16 ounces (453 g) ground sausage
- ⅓ cup (40 g) all-purpose flour
- 3 cups (680 g) whole milk
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly butter a 10 inch cast iron skillet (or similarly sized baking dish) and set aside.
- In a bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine and remove clumps. (Or, add to a food processor and pulse a few times).
- Grate cold butter using the large side of a box grater and add to flour mixture, tossing to combine. Or, use a pastry cutter to cut cubed butter into flour mixture. (Or, add to food processor and pulse until butter is pea sized. If using a food processor, pour mixture into a large bowl at this time).
- Make a well in the center of your flour mixture and add buttermilk. Gently stir until ingredients are mostly incorporated. Dough will look shaggy and sticky. Pour dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
- Gently pat dough with lightly floured hands into a large, flat rectangle, about 10-12 inches wide and about ¾ inch thick. Keep extra flour nearby and continually flour the surface, dough, and your hands as needed. Fold dough rectangle in half, turn to the right to make your new rectangle horizontal, and gently pat back into a large rectangle. Repeat 4 times, folding your dough 5 times in total. Pat dough into a large rectangle, about ¾ inch thick.
- Using a 3 inch biscuit cutter, cut biscuits out of dough (do not twist your cutter, this seals the edges). Reform leftover dough gently and continue cutting until all dough is used - you should get about 7 to 8 biscuits.
- In prepared cast iron pan, place biscuits close together (or touching if possible) for a better rise in the oven. Bake for about 16-20 minutes, or until tops are golden brown. While your biscuits bake, prepare sausage gravy as directed below.
Sausage gravy
- Meanwhile, in a sauté pan over medium heat, crumble sausage into pan. Cook until browned and cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add flour and toss to coat sausage. Cook for about 1-2 minutes, then slowly whisk milk into pan. Add pepper, salt, and thyme and stir to incorporate.
- Cook gravy over medium heat for about 3 to 4 minutes, or until gravy thickens to your liking. Remove from heat and serve over warm biscuits.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Biscuits and sausage gravy can be prepared a day ahead and reheated the next morning if desired. Store biscuits at room temperature and gravy in the refrigerator, both in tightly sealed containers.
Comments
No Comments