At our house, we always have biscuits and gravy on holiday mornings. For my wife and I, biscuits and gravy provide a fun memory that spans the length of our marriage.
I think I mentioned in an earlier article that when we were first married, I was completely focused on ultra fancy foods and really struggled making more traditional home cooked dishes. I spent the first several years correcting that idea and learning to cook all the things she grew up eating. I eventually was making versions of those dishes that were specifically adjusted to her tastes … which may or may not change from day to day. Eggs Benedict, waffles, pancakes, crepes, hashbrown variations, and biscuits and gravy were among the favorites that I perfected for her and have now become favorites for our children.
My wonderful kids are not morning people, but if I announce to the house that I have made any of these items even before the sun rises, they all quietly shuffle to the kitchen to enjoy their breakfast before they begin their days. I have only attempted to skip biscuits and gravy once on a holiday morning, and the only response was a question about what I needed from the store to remedy the mistake.
My wife also teaches here at Lincoln Land Community College. One of the classes she teaches is Introduction to Baking. In that class, she teaches the students to make biscuits with a ridiculous number of flaky layers and covers them in honey butter. They are amazing! But when she eats sausage gravy, she wants it to be a super-hydrated drop biscuit that I make with no layers and barely holds its shape.
Sausage gravy is a simple idea, but I have had many versions that often surprise me with their unique methods. In its simplest form, it is browned sausage mixed with flour and butter, and then milk is added until the sauce is the desired thickness and the seasoning is correct. For those who love classic French food, this is a Béchamel sauce with browned sausage. I have had versions where the sausage is added to cream of mushroom soup, then a little milk to get the right viscosity. Occasionally, I add spices to the sauce to give it a regional feel. Coconut milk, red curry paste and fresh cilantro supplied a fun Thai spin on the gravy.
Thanksgiving is next week, and I always make extra biscuits, which I use in my stuffing. It gives the stuffing a delicious buttery taste, and they absorb lots of liquid. If I am really in a good mood, I will use biscuits, croissants, brioche and sourdough to make my Thanksgiving stuffing. I like my stuffing made with onions, carrots, celery, dark turkey meat, eggs, homemade turkey broth and more butter. It is arguable that stuffing is just a savory bread pudding. We like the crispy top and corners of the stuffing the best. So, years ago, I started baking my stuffing on a sheet pan or cookie sheet.
Biscuits and Gravy
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chopped small
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt, not iodized
Buttermilk, as needed
1 pound breakfast sausage
2 tablespoons bacon grease
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2-3 cups milk
1/8 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Salt to taste
Optionally:
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch of sweet paprika
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Combine the flour, 6 tablespoons butter, baking powder, baking soda and ¼ teaspoon salt in a bowl, and work together by hand until the butter is in tiny pieces and mixed well with the flour.
Add enough buttermilk to make the dough come together, but do not over mix the dough.
Use a spoon to scoop about 2 tablespoons of dough onto a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray.
Brush the tops of the biscuits with a little buttermilk.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the bottoms are very golden brown and the insides are dry.
Place the bacon grease and the sausage into a pan, and brown the sausage.
Turn the heat to medium/low, and add the butter and flour, stirring to combine.
The mixture will have a “raw” flour smell. Stir occasionally, and cook until the flour smells cooked. It should take 3-5 minutes.
Add the milk (start with 2 cups), and stir on medium heat until the sauce thickens.
Add the vinegar, salt and pepper, and turn the heat to low. It takes about 5 minutes for salt to fully set in to the flavor; wait until then to add more salt if needed.
If you want to add the other dried ingredients, do this now, and adjust to your tastes.
Check the salt one last time.
Ladle the gravy over a couple hot biscuits, and enjoy!
About
Lincoln Land Community College offers credit programs in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management and Baking/Pastry, and non-credit cooking and food classes through LLCC Community Education.
Cooking or food questions? Email epicuriosity101@llcc.edu.