Classic Southern Biscuits and Gravy

About This Recipe

Biscuits and gravy is a cornerstone of Southern breakfast, its two components — tender, flaky buttermilk biscuits and a rich, black pepper-forward sausage gravy — coming together into a dish that's warming, filling and unfussy. The biscuits depend on cold butter cut into the flour and minimal handling to develop tender, distinct layers, while the gravy starts with browned breakfast sausage, its rendered fat forming the base of a simple roux thickened with milk. Ladled generously over split, warm biscuits, the gravy should be thick enough to hold its shape on the plate but still pourable, seasoned aggressively with black pepper, the flavor that gives this dish its distinctive character.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 2 cupsall-purpose flour
• 1 tbspbaking powder
• 1 tspsalt(for biscuits)
• 1/2 cupcold butter(cubed)
• 3/4 cupcold buttermilk
• 400 gbreakfast sausage(bulk or casings removed)
• 1/4 cupall-purpose flour(for gravy)
• 3 cupswhole milk(for gravy)
• 1.5 tspblack pepper(for gravy)
• 1/2 tspsalt(for gravy)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the biscuit dough

   Whisk flour, baking powder and salt, then cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter or fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

2. 2

   Add buttermilk

   Stir in cold buttermilk just until the dough comes together; do not overmix.

3. 3

   Shape and bake

   Pat the dough into a 1-inch thick rectangle, fold it over itself once or twice, then cut into rounds and bake at 220C/425F for 15-18 minutes until golden.

   Handle the biscuit dough as little as possible — overworking it develops too much gluten and results in tough, dense biscuits instead of flaky ones.

4. 4

   Brown the sausage

   While the biscuits bake, cook the breakfast sausage in a skillet, breaking it up, until browned, about 8 minutes.

5. 5

   Make the roux

   Sprinkle flour over the cooked sausage and its fat, stirring and cooking 2 minutes.

6. 6

   Add milk

   Gradually whisk in milk, cooking and stirring until the gravy thickens, about 8-10 minutes; season generously with black pepper and salt.

7. 7

   Serve

   Split the warm biscuits and ladle the sausage gravy generously over the top.

Variations

• •

  A version made with country ham instead of sausage is popular in some regions.

• •

  Adding a pinch of cayenne to the gravy gives extra warmth.

• •

  Some households serve the gravy over toast instead of biscuits when short on time.

Storage

Store biscuits and gravy separately; biscuits keep at room temperature for a day or refrigerated for 3 days, and gravy keeps refrigerated for 3 days, reheated gently with a splash of milk to loosen it.

Frequently Asked Questions