Flaky Biscuits Sausage Gravy

The smell of sausage hitting a hot skillet takes me back to my grandmother kitchen on Sunday mornings. She never measured anything for the gravy, just poured milk until it looked right and added pepper until it made you sneeze. I spent years trying to decode that ratio of flour to fat, burning countless batches of roux along the way. Now this recipe lives in my head, and I can have these fluffy biscuits steaming on the table in under an hour.

My college roommate and I survived on this meal during finals week, burning the midnight oil and eating directly from mismatched bowls balanced on textbooks. We argued about whether the biscuits should be split before or after ladling the gravy and whether spicy sausage was worth the extra kick. Now whenever I make this for weekend guests, they fall quiet at the first bite, and that peaceful breakfast silence feels like the best compliment possible.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour: Low protein flour keeps biscuits tender, but bread flour works in a pinch
• 1 tablespoon baking powder: Double acting gives you lift both in the oven and on your tongue
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda: Reacts with buttermilk for extra height and tenderness
• 1 teaspoon salt: Essential for flavor, do not reduce or skip
• 1 tablespoon sugar: Just enough to help browning without making biscuits sweet
• 1/2 cup cold butter: Cold butter creates flaky layers, room temperature makes them tough
• 3/4 cup cold buttermilk: The acidity activates the baking soda and adds tang
• 1 pound breakfast sausage: Mild lets the gravy shine, spicy adds a wake-up call
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour: Thickens the gravy into silky perfection
• 3 cups whole milk: Full fat makes the sauce creamy and rich
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper: Freshly ground makes all the difference here
• 1/4 teaspoon salt: Start with less and adjust after tasting
• Pinch of cayenne: Optional, but lovely warmth if you like a little kick

Instructions

Heat the oven:

Crank your oven to 450°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper while you work

Whisk the dry ingredients:

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a large bowl until well blended

Cut in the butter:

Work cold butter into the flour with a pastry cutter or your fingers until you see pea-sized pieces scattered throughout

Add the buttermilk:

Pour in cold buttermilk and stir gently until just barely combined, some dry spots are perfectly fine

Fold and pat:

Turn onto a floured surface and pat the dough into a rectangle, fold it over itself like a letter, then pat to 1 inch thick

Cut the biscuits:

Press straight down with a 2.5 inch cutter and place them close together on the baking sheet so they rise upward

Bake until golden:

Slide into the hot oven for 12 to 15 minutes until tall and browned on top

Brown the sausage:

Crumble breakfast sausage into a hot skillet and cook until no pink remains, breaking it into small pieces as you go

Make the roux:

Sprinkle flour over the browned sausage and stir constantly for 1 to 2 minutes until it smells nutty

Add the milk:

Slowly pour in milk while whisking furiously to prevent any lumps from forming

Simmer and season:

Let the gravy bubble gently until thickened, then stir in pepper, salt, and cayenne to taste

Assemble and serve:

Split warm biscuits in half and drown them generously with hot gravy while everything is still steaming

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This dish has become my go-to when friends need comforting after hard news or long months. Something about breaking bread together with something so warm and nourishing feels like an embrace. The last time I made it, we sat around the table for two hours just talking, plates empty, coffee cups refilled, gravy cooling in the serving bowl.

Make Ahead Magic

You can cut and freeze unbaked biscuits on a parchment lined sheet, then transfer to a bag and bake straight from frozen, adding just a few minutes to the time. The gravy also reheats beautifully over low heat with a splash of milk to loosen it up again. I often double the biscuit recipe and stash half in the freezer for emergency breakfast comfort.

Sausage Secrets

Breakfast sausage varies wildly between brands, so taste your gravy before adding salt since some sausages pack quite a seasoning punch already. If you want to skip the meat, sliced mushrooms browned in butter then treated exactly like the sausage make a surprisingly rich and satisfying vegetarian version that still feels indulgent.

Biscuit Wisdom

Resist the urge to twist your cutter when pressing through the dough, just press straight down and lift up. Twisting seals the layers and prevents proper rising. Also, place biscuits touching each other on the baking sheet rather than spaced apart, they help each other rise tall and stay tender edges to edges.

• Handle the dough as briefly as possible, overworking develops gluten and makes biscuits tough
• Brush the tops with melted butter during the last 2 minutes of baking for extra golden color
• If you do not have buttermilk, regular milk mixed with a tablespoon of lemon juice works in a pinch

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Hope this recipe finds you on a slow morning with people you love, or maybe just a quiet hour to yourself with a second cup of coffee and the Sunday paper.

Recipe FAQs

→ How do I achieve flaky biscuits?

Use cold butter and handle the dough gently, folding it a few times to create layers that bake into a flaky texture.

→ What type of sausage is best for the gravy?

Breakfast pork sausage, either mild or spicy, works well to provide rich and savory flavors in the gravy.

→ Can I make the gravy creamier?

Slowly simmering the milk and stirring often helps the gravy thicken and become creamy without lumps.

→ How to avoid overmixing the biscuit dough?

Mix just until the ingredients come together; overmixing can make the biscuits tough rather than tender.

→ What adds extra flavor to the gravy?

Adding black pepper and a pinch of cayenne enhances the warmth and depth of the sausage gravy.