Episodes & Recipes

Ingredients

Buttermilk biscuits

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, very cold and cubed
• ¾ cup buttermilk, added gradually

Sausage gravy

• 2 oz spicy breakfast sausage
• About 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
• Whole milk, added in small amounts to reach your desired thickness
• Approximately 1 teaspoon kosher salt, adjusted to taste

Taste before adding salt; the sausage brings its own seasoning.

How to Make It

1. Heat the oven. Preheat to 425°F. Use a separate oven thermometer to check the temperature.
2. Measure and mix. Fluff the flour, spoon it into your measuring cup without packing, and level it off. Combine with the baking powder, sugar and salt.
3. Cut in the butter. Use a pastry cutter or fork to work the very cold butter into the flour. Keep the mixture cold and leave visible small pieces of butter.
4. Add the buttermilk gradually. Start with about two-thirds, mixing gently. Add more as needed until the dough just comes together. Avoid kneading or overworking it.
5. Build the layers. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and press into a rectangle. Fold over and gently press out again, for a total of four folds.
6. Cut and bake. Press the cutter straight down without twisting. Arrange biscuits close together in a baking dish. Gather scraps while preserving their layers. Bake on the center rack for approximately 12 minutes, until golden and baked through.
7. Brown the sausage. While the biscuits bake, cook the sausage over fairly low heat, breaking it up and allowing the fat to render.
8. Make the gravy. Stir the flour into the rendered fat and cook briefly. Gradually stir in whole milk, allowing the gravy to thicken between additions, until it reaches your preferred consistency.
9. Season and serve. Taste, add kosher salt as needed, and spoon the gravy over split biscuits.