Homemade Sausage Biscuits And Gravy

Watch: How to Make Homemade Biscuits and Gravy

BISCUITS AND GRAVY INGREDIENTS

This Sausage Gravy and Biscuits recipe is made with easy-to-find pantry staples so you can make it at a moment’s notice! Let’s take a closer look at what you’ll need (full recipe measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post):

Buttermilk Biscuits:

Sausage Gravy:

Biscuits and Gravy Recipe substitutions and Variations

This Biscuits and Gravy recipe with sausage is decadently indulgent as written, but but feel free to adjust it for dietary needs, or to mix up the flavor profile. Here are a few ideas:

Make it gluten-free. Buy store-bought gluten-free biscuits or use gluten-free 1:1 baking flour in both the biscuits and the gravy. Use a flavored sausage in the gravy. Mild, hot, maple, Italian (you’ll have to adjust seasonings if using) or any other kind of pork sausage will work. You can also use turkey sausage or chicken sausage. If using either of these leaner options, you’ll need to add a couple tablespoons of butter or oil to the sausage before adding the flour, otherwise there won’t be enough drippings to create a roux. Use store-bought biscuits. No time to make biscuits from scratch? Buy your favorite store brand! You’ll get no judgment from me; I don’t have time to make everything from scratch every day either. Make it spicier. For added oomph, add additional crushed red pepper flakes to the sausage gravy, or, use hot breakfast sausage. Adjust the seasonings. Want your sausage gravy to have a stronger sage flavor? Add more dried sage. Want it saltier? Adjust the amount of salt. You can tweak the spices to your liking. Use fresh herbs. I used dried herbs to keep this recipe simple, but you can absolutely make it using fresh herbs if desired. You’ll need 3X the amount of fresh herbs as dried.

How to Make Biscuits and Gravy

If you thought making Homemade Biscuits and Gravy would be difficult, think again! Unlike bread rolls and yeast breads, buttermilk biscuits require no extra rise time. While the biscuits bake, the gravy is prepared; by the time the oven timer goes off, both the biscuits and the sausage gravy will be ready to eat!

Step 1: How to Make the Biscuit Dough

To the bowl of a food processor, add the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Pulse to combine. Add the cubed butter to the food processor. Pulse until the mixture is in pea-sized pieces. If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a pastry cutter instead. Transfer the mixture to large bowl and make a well in the center. Pour 1 cup buttermilk into the well then fold everything together with a rubber spatula until it begins to come together. Do not overwork the dough. The dough should be shaggy and crumbly with some wet spots.

Step 2: How to Laminate the Dough

The dough is laminated — i.e., folded over itself multiple times and then rolled out before being folded once more. As the biscuits bake, the butter that gets trapped between the layers of dough melts and its water content evaporates, creating steam. It’s this release of steam that makes the biscuits so fluffy! The best part is, the laminating takes no more than 5 minutes! To laminate the dough:

Transfer the dough to a floured work surface, then pat into a large rectangle, about ¾ inch thick. Fold one side of the dough into the center, then fold over the other side. Working horizontally, repeat folding one side of the dough into the center, then folding over the other side. Pat it out into a ¾-inch thick rectangle once more. Repeat this fold and pat process one more time for a total of 3 times.

Step 3: Cut out the Biscuits

I like to use a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter to do this. Cut the biscuits out as close as possible to use up all the dough. Do NOT twist the biscuit cutter while cutting the biscuits — this seals the edges and can prevent the biscuits from rising! Cut out 6 biscuits, reshape the scraps of dough (you don’t need to fold it again, just bring it together), then stamp out 2 additional biscuits for a total of 8 biscuits.

Step 4: Bake the Biscuits

Place the prepared biscuits onto a baking sheet lined with a nonstick mat or parchment paper. Chill the biscuits in the fridge for 20-30 minutes before baking. This chills the butter again so it will steam sufficiently creating those flaky layers. Before baking, brush the tops of the biscuits with the remaining 2 tablespoons buttermilk. Bake until golden brown on top.

Step 5: Prepare the Sausage Gravy

While the biscuits bake, make the gravy by adding the sausage to a large skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until browned. Sprinkle in the flour and continue cooking for another 2 minutes. You want to give the flour time to cook a little in order to remove the raw flour taste. Stir in the milk and seasonings, then simmer until thickened to your liking.