It took me a long time to decide I liked biscuits and gravy. And now that I do, I realize what I had been missing all those years! I honestly had never tried them growing up and always thought they looked unappetizing. I know, I know, I definitely should have known better.
I’m pretty sure the first time I had them was at a restaurant in Portland called Pine State Biscuits. We had heard about the place from Diner’s, Drive-ins, and Dives. While my family and I were visiting my sister we went to try it out! As we normally do when trying new restaurants, we all ordered different dishes and planned to share. They have FANTASTIC biscuits. One of our favorite dishes from there is an open face sandwich with a fresh made biscuit, crispy fried chicken breast, huge wedge of iceberg lettuce, and runny, tangy house-made ranch. Talk about delicious.
Another thing we ordered was you guessed it-- biscuits and gravy! Theirs is simple and delicious, a real classic take on the dish. From that moment on-- I was a fan.
This just goes to show you the importance of trying new things and being open to different cuisines! I am about as un-picky as they come, but even I can get into the habit of eating the same foods. Trying new foods is an easy way to stretch yourself, and you might just love what you try!
Biscuits and gravy could certainly be described as rustic, it’s a lot of beige and more beige. But that really doesn’t matter, because as soon as you take your first bite-- you will be hooked! This dish is simple to make, but a nice savory option for breakfast! The biscuits don’t take long by any means, but if you want to prep ahead, they could definitely be made the night before. Store them in an airtight container and place them in a 325 degree oven to warm them up for a few minutes before serving.
Homemade Biscuits with Sausage Gravy
Ingredients
Homemade Biscuits
- 2 cups flour plus more for dusting
- 1 tbsp. baking powder
- 1 tbsp. demerara sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter very cold
- 1 cup buttermilk (or whole milk with 1 tbs. vinegar) very cold
Sausage Gravy
- 12 oz. package of pork breakfast sausage
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 tsp. salt
- lots of fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions
For the biscuits
- Before you begin making the biscuits, cut your butter up into cubes and place in the freezer for 15-30 minutes. This will help ensure that the butter stays super cold while making the biscuits and the biscuits come out light and flaky!
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
- Add cold butter and cut into mixture with a pastry cutter. Work quickly until the mixture is coarse and crumbly.
- Pour in cold milk and use a spatula to combine the mixture.
- Once the mixture starts to come together, place on a floured surface and use hands to work the dough and form into a disk. You may have to add a little flour here if the dough is too sticky.
- Gently fold the dough over itself 4-5 times, turning a bit each time. This creates "lamentation" and helps foster a flaky dough.
- Press dough flat with your hands until it's about 1 inch thick. Use a biscuit cutter (or the mouth of a glass) to cut biscuits. A 2-inch diameter cutter will yield about 10 biscuits.
- Place on a baking tray and bake for 10-12 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.
For the Gravy
- Heat a large skillet and add pork sausage. As the sausage browns, begin to break it up with a wooden spoon until it is in crumbles.
- Once cooked through and crumbled, add flour and stir until pork is coated.
- Cook for 1-2 minutes, so that the floury taste can dissipate.
- Gradually whisk in milk and allow to thicken while stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes.
- Season as desired with salt and pepper. I suggest lots of pepper!
Leave a Reply