There is a certain reverence for comfort food that I feel many of us share. Like coming home after a long day of playing outside in the snow to a warm house filled with wonderful smells and knowing that Mom had dinner ready. She would remind you to wash your hands as you wriggled out of your jacket and boots, clambering up the stairs eager to devour the delicious meal she had prepared. Memories like these are pushed to the front of our minds when we think of comfort food and always seem to influence our mood when we sit down to eat. These biscuits and gravy may not be my mother’s recipe, but It does remind me of when she would make s.o.s. for us using ground venison.
Now that the weather has changed up here in Minnesota, it’s time to pull out the heavy comforter for the bed, plug in the block heater on the truck, and of course; time to start making comfort food!
These biscuits and gravy are a sure-fire way to stay warm this winter, and are bound to evoke feelings of comfort and happiness. They have all the parts required for a happy tummy: carbs, fat, and love… how can you go wrong?
That being said, this recipe should be reserved for occasions when your guests are less concerned about their waistlines, and more concerned about there being left-overs for a second helping! Seriously though, this is real food and won’t be listed on any weightwatchers blogs… Oh well, more for us!
Making your own biscuits may seem daunting, but I assure you that it is well worth the extra effort. These suckers are sooo much better that some Pillsbury grands that you released from an exploding cylinder. The grated butter creates the most wonderful little pockets of flavor and flakiness that just can’t be replicated by some mass-produced substitute.
The gravy comes together quite quickly and can be done while the biscuits are baking, so take your time with those flavorful beauties and don’t worry too much about prepping the gravy (other than making sure your ground pork is thawed). Temperature of the dough is key here in making sure that your grated butter doesn’t melt all over the place and defeat the purpose. I used a slab of marble that I picked up at World Market for rolling out the dough since the marble stays cool and will keep your dough below the melting point of butter. If you don’t have one, or don’t feel like buying one, just make sure not to over-work the dough, and keep it cool; failure to do this will result in tough biscuits that lack that flakey goodness!
I feel I have rambled on enough about these biscuits, so let’s get to it and make some comfort food!
Homemade Biscuits and Gravy
Ingredients
For the biscuits
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoon salted butter melted to brush on top
For the gravy
- 1 pound pork breakfast sausage
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups milk (whole)
Instructions
For the biscuits
- Preheat oven to 425. Sift flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into a large mixing bowl.
- Cut butter into flour in the mixing bowl using a grater, fork or a pastry cutter, add buttermilk and stir with a fork until it forms a rough ball (it will be a bit sticky at this point).
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll it into a rough rectangle, about an inch thick. Fold it over and gently roll it down again. Repeat 6 times.
- Gently roll out the dough some more, so that it forms a rectangle. Cut dough into biscuits using a floured glass or biscuit cutter. Do not twist cutter when cutting; this will crimp the edges of the biscuit causing it not to rise. If you have scraps just reform a rectangle and cut additional biscuits.
- Place biscuits on a baking sheet and place in oven. Bake until golden brown, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Serves 6 to 8. Brush on the melted butter and allow to cool before smothering with the gravy.
For the gravy
- Cook the sausage in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium high heat until browned. Drain excess oil, leaving about a tablespoon in the pan. Add the butter and stir until it melts.
- Sprinkle sausage with flour, stir, and allow to cook for several minutes.
- Add the milk and stir occasionally over medium heat until gravy thickens, 5-10 minutes.