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    Biscuits and Gravy

    February 24, 2022

    Homemade sausage gravy and tender buttermilk biscuits are nothing short of the ultimate way to start your morning.

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    homemade buttermilk biscuits topped with homemade sausage gravy on a plate with a fork and knife

    Truly Divine Homemade Biscuits and Gravy

    Sausage gravy may seem like something that only Southern grandmas and really good brunch restaurants can nail, but the truth is that creamy, meaty, rich sausage gravy is dead easy to make. Gravy is all about the quality of the sausage—use your favorite ground breakfast sausage, or ask the butcher for their favorite, and your sausage gravy will be fabulous. No, biscuits and gravy isn’t healthy—it’s probably as far from a healthy breakfast as you can get—but it’s soul-warming and so cozy. Biscuits and gravy are an edible hug, an indulgence that’s always, always worth it.

    Flour, butter, baking powder, baking soda, salt and buttermilk in bowls on the counter for homemade buttermilk biscuits
    Flour and butter being pulsed in a food processor for making homemade buttermilk biscuits
    flour, butter, baking soda, baking powder, salt and buttermilk being pulsed in a food processor for homemade biscuits
    homemade buttermilk biscuit dough on a floured surface pressed into a 1 inch thick rectangle
    raw homemade buttermilk biscuits on a parchment lined baking sheet to make homemade biscuits and gravy
    raw homemade biscuits on a baking sheet topped with buttermilk

    Tips for Making the Best Biscuits

    You may be a bit intimidated by the idea of making biscuits from scratch, but please let go of your fears! There’s nothing magical or mystical about making the best biscuits—the reason that your grandma was so good at it and you (maybe) haven’t mastered biscuits yet is merely practice. Practice will make perfect, but our biscuit recipe is so easy that even your first batch will probably be really delicious. And homemade is always going to be better than store-bought. Here are a few tips and tricks to help you ensure that your biscuits are gravy-worthy:

    1. Use very cold butter! If you have the foresight, cube the butter and put it back into the fridge or freezer for a bit to ensure that it’s really, truly cold before you start mixing the biscuit dough.

    2. Use a gentle touch. As with pie dough and cookie dough, the key to a flakey, tender biscuit is to work the dough only as much as you need to and not a bit more. Overworked dough results in tough biscuits.

    3. Use buttermilk! Buttermilk adds flavor and contributes to the tenderness of these biscuits. Much like with the butter, its best if your buttermilk is super cold when you mix it into the biscuit dough.

    homemade buttermilk biscuits fresh out of the oven on a baking sheet
    ingredients for homemade biscuits and gravy, ground breakfast sausage, milk, flour, chives
    browned sausage and butter in a skillet for homemade sausage gravy
    browned sausage, butter and flour in a skillet for homemade sausage gravy
    browned sausage in gravy in a skillet
    browned sausage, butter, flour and milk in a skillet for homemade sausage gravy

    How To Make Sausage Gravy

    Like we mentioned above, sausage gravy really is so easy to make! Much like with the biscuits, with only a few, basic ingredients your sausage gravy will only be as good as the quality of the ingredients you use. So spring for the best ground breakfast sausage you can find, and be mindful about what it’s seasoned with, as they’re not all seasoned in exactly the same way. Some have more pepper or spice, while others are sweeter or more heavily herbed. If you love the sausage that forms the base for your gravy, you’re going to love the gravy, too. Without further ado, here’s how to make the best sausage gravy:

    1. Brown the sausage in a pan. When it’s crumbled and browned...

    2. Add the butter. Once it has melted, sprinkle the flour right into the pan with the butter and sausage.

    3. Stir in the milk. As you stir, the gravy will thicken. Keep stirring and simmering until the sausage gravy is nice and thick—it’ll take about ten minutes.

    4. And that’s it! You can season the finished sausage gravy to taste—which seasonings you decide to add will depend a bit on your own tastes as well as how heavily seasoned the pork sausage is.

    homemade buttermilk biscuits on the counter for biscuits and gravy
    homemade sausage gravy in a skillet on the counter for biscuits and gravy

    What Goes Well With Biscuits and Gravy?

    Biscuits and gravy are unquestionably hearty enough to serve all on their own. But they are also a seriously sturdy anchor for a bigger brunch spread! If you’d like to doll them up a little, serve them with:

    homemade buttermilk biscuits topped with homemade sausage gravy on a plate

    Tools You’ll Need

    homemade buttermilk biscuits topped with homemade sausage gravy on a plate with a fork and knife
    homemade buttermilk biscuits topped with homemade sausage gravy on a plate with a fork and knife

    It’s All Gravy!

    This biscuits and gravy recipe is 100% guaranteed to make 100% of people around your table happy. It’s rich, hearty, indulgent, creamy, cozy, homey—it’s all the things! Oh and—between you and TMP—it’s easy to make, too. Honestly! And don’t feel like it only belongs on the breakfast table. Biscuits and gravy for dinner, anyone? Seriously, who would complain about that? If you make this recipe, let us know how you like it! Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!

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    Biscuits and Gravy

    February 24, 2022

    • Serves:  10
    • Prep Time:  20 min
    • Cook Time:  20 min
    • Calories:  336
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    Ingredients

    Biscuits

    • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
    • 8 Tbsp unsalted butter, cubed, very cold, preferably frozen
    • 1 Tbsp baking powder
    • ½ tsp baking soda
    • 1 tsp sea salt
    • 1 cup cold buttermilk, plus more for top of biscuits

    Sausage Gravy

    • 1 lb ground breakfast sausage (pork or chicken)
    • 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
    • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
    • 2 1/2-3 cups whole milk
    • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
    • 1/2 tsp sea salt
    • Pinch of ground nutmeg, more to taste
    • Pinch of paprika, more to taste
    • Freshly ground pepper to taste
    • Minced chives, optional

    Method

    1. Preheat oven to 425°F.

    2. In the base of a food processor, combine the flour and butter. Pulse about 8-10 times, until the butter and flour mixture has formed pea-sized crumbles.

    3. Add the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Pulse 2-3 more times to combine.

    4. Add the buttermilk and pulse just until mixture completely comes together—about 8 times—taking care not to overmix the biscuit dough.

    5. Remove the dough from the food processor and place it on a lightly floured surface. Use your hands to press the dough into a 1-inch thick rectangle, about 6-inches by 10-inches. Fold the rectangle into thirds and press to a 1-inch thickness again. Repeat this step one more time.

    6. Use a 2.5-inch biscuit cutter (for circles) or a sharp knife (for rectangles) to cut out the biscuits. Continue to gather any scraps of dough, pat it back down and fold into 1-inch thickness until you have ten biscuits total.

    7. Arrange the biscuits on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and brush with additional buttermilk, if desired. Bake on the center rack for 14-16 minutes. Cool slightly before serving.

    8. While the biscuits are baking make the sausage gravy: In a large skillet set over medium-high heat, brown the sausage until no longer pink, crumbling it as it cooks. When the sausage is browned, about 8-10 minutes, reduce the heat to medium-low.

    9. Add the butter to the pan. When the butter has melted, add the flour and stir it into the butter and browned sausage. Stirring constantly, slowly pour in the milk until the gravy thickens. You may want to turn the heat up to medium so that it thickens more quickly.

    10. Simmer the sausage gravy, stirring frequently, until it thickens even more, about 8-10 minutes longer.

    11. Season with garlic powder, salt, nutmeg, paprika and pepper.

    12. Serve the sausage gravy over top warm biscuits, sprinkled with minced chives.

    Yield: Each serving size is 1 biscuit and 1/3 cup of sausage gravy.

    Nutrition Info

    • Per Serving
    • Amount
    • Calories 336
    • Protein 12 g
    • Carbohydrates 28 g
    • Total Fat 18 g
    • Dietary Fiber 1 g
    • Cholesterol 57 mg
    • sodium 994 mg
    • Total Sugars 4 g

    Biscuits and Gravy

    Questions & Reviews

    Join the discussion below.

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    • Kaitlyn

      I think my family would love this for Christmas morning. I don’t have a food processor- but I do have a vitamix. Think the biscuit dough could be done in a blender?

      We wouldn't do a blender but you could mix by hand or use a pastry cutter. Hope you enjoy Kaitlyn!

    • Kels

      I made this gravy with the onion and chive biscuits - this will be my new go-to! Delicious and easy!

      Thanks Kels, so glad you loved it!

    • Jenn

      Oh my gosh, everyone ATE THIS UP! Absolutely delicious! My first time making biscuits and gravy and it was such a hit!

      That's so great to hear Jenn, glad everyone enjoyed it!