📝 About This Recipe
This recipe elevates the humble breakfast staple into a soul-warming dinner masterpiece, featuring sky-high, laminated biscuits and a rich, velvet-textured gravy. Born from the rugged kitchens of the American South, this dish balances the tang of cold buttermilk with the savory, sage-forward punch of premium pork sausage. It is the ultimate 'breakfast-for-dinner' experience, offering a symphony of textures from the crunchy biscuit tops to the creamy, spice-flecked sauce.
🥗 Ingredients
Tall & Flaky Biscuits
- 3 cups All-purpose flour (plus extra for dusting)
- 1 tablespoon Baking powder (ensure it is fresh)
- 1 tablespoon Granulated sugar (to help with browning)
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 3/4 cup Unsalted butter (frozen and grated or cubed very small)
- 1 cup Full-fat buttermilk (cold)
- 1 tablespoon Honey (mixed into the buttermilk)
Sawmill Sausage Gravy
- 1 pound Bulk pork sausage (hot or mild sage-flavored sausage)
- 2 tablespoons Unsalted butter (only if sausage is lean)
- 1/3 cup All-purpose flour
- 3 cups Whole milk (room temperature to prevent clumping)
- 1/4 cup Heavy cream (for extra silkiness)
- 1 teaspoon Black pepper (freshly cracked)
- 1/4 teaspoon Red pepper flakes (optional for heat)
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (the secret umami boost)
For Garnish
- 2 tablespoons Fresh chives (finely minced)
- 1 tablespoon Melted butter (to brush on finished biscuits)
👨🍳 Instructions
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1
Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
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2
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Ensure there are no large lumps.
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3
Add the frozen, grated butter to the flour mixture. Use a pastry cutter or your fingertips to work the butter in until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces remaining.
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4
Make a well in the center and pour in the cold buttermilk and honey. Stir gently with a fork just until a shaggy dough forms. Do not overmix!
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5
Turn the dough onto a floured surface. Gently pat into a rectangle, fold it in half, turn 90 degrees, and repeat 5 times. This creates the flaky layers (lamination).
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6
Pat the dough to 1-inch thickness. Use a 2.5-inch round cutter to press straight down (don't twist!) to cut out biscuits. Place them on the baking sheet so they are just touching.
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7
Bake for 15-18 minutes until the tops are golden brown. Brush immediately with melted butter when they come out of the oven.
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8
While biscuits bake, place a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it into small crumbles with a wooden spoon, until browned and cooked through.
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9
Do not drain the fat! If there isn't at least 3 tablespoons of fat in the pan, add the 2 tablespoons of butter and let it melt.
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10
Sprinkle the flour over the sausage and fat. Stir constantly for 2 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste; the mixture should look like a thick paste coating the meat.
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11
Slowly whisk in the milk, one cup at a time, ensuring the mixture is smooth before adding more. Bring to a gentle simmer.
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12
Lower heat to medium-low. Add the heavy cream, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer for 5-7 minutes until the gravy is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
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13
Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt or pepper if needed. If gravy gets too thick, splash in a little extra milk.
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14
Split the warm biscuits in half, place them on a plate, and ladle a generous amount of hot gravy over the top.
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15
Garnish with fresh chives and serve immediately while steaming hot.
💡 Chef's Tips
Use frozen butter and cold buttermilk; the steam from the cold butter hitting the hot oven is what creates the rise. Never twist your biscuit cutter; twisting seals the edges of the dough and prevents the biscuits from rising. For the best gravy flavor, use a high-quality breakfast sausage with sage and avoid 'extra lean' varieties. If you prefer a darker gravy, cook the flour and sausage fat for an extra 2-3 minutes until it turns a light golden brown before adding milk. To reheat leftovers, add a splash of milk to the gravy and warm gently on the stove; biscuits are best toasted in the oven.
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
Serve with two sunny-side-up eggs on top to let the yolk mix with the gravy. Pair with a side of crispy hash browns or home fries for the ultimate texture contrast. A side of thick-cut smoked bacon adds a wonderful salty crunch to the meal. Serve with a chilled glass of orange juice or a spicy Bloody Mary to cut through the richness. Add a small side of fresh fruit or a simple green salad with vinaigrette to balance the heavy comfort flavors.