Buttery Biscuits & Gravy Recipe
There are some breakfasts that feel like a warm hug, and this Buttery Biscuits & Gravy Recipe is precisely that. It’s a dish that commands you to slow down, to sit at the table with a steaming mug of coffee and truly savour the morning. I first encountered an authentic version of this Southern American staple in a tiny diner in Charleston, and I spent the rest of my trip trying to find a version that could match it. After much testing and tweaking in my own kitchen, I’ve landed on this recipe, which balances flaky, buttery biscuits with a profoundly savoury and peppery sausage gravy. It’s the kind of meal that turns a simple weekend breakfast into a memorable occasion.
What makes this particular recipe so special is the attention to detail. We’re not just making biscuits; we’re creating layers of buttery, flaky goodness by using fridge-cold butter and a gentle folding technique. The gravy isn’t just a simple white sauce; it’s built on the flavourful foundation of browned sausage meat, seasoned boldly with coarse black pepper, and enriched with whole milk and a touch of cream for a velvety finish. This is the dish my husband requests for his birthday breakfast every single year without fail.
This is a brilliant recipe for a lazy Sunday brunch, a hearty breakfast after a long week, or anytime you want to treat yourself and your family to something truly satisfying. It’s a taste of classic Southern food, refined and perfected for the home cook. Everyone who tries it seems to fall in love with its rustic charm and deeply comforting flavours.
Recipe Overview
This recipe guides you through creating the two core components from scratch: incredibly tender, flaky buttermilk biscuits and a rich, creamy sausage gravy. The flavour is deeply savoury, with the peppery kick of the gravy perfectly complementing the salty, buttery biscuits. I’ve found that letting the gravy simmer for a good 10 minutes really allows the flavours to meld together beautifully.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Servings: 4 people
- Difficulty: Medium
Why You’ll Love This Buttery Biscuits & Gravy Recipe
- Deep, Savoury Flavour: The gravy gets its character from browning high-quality pork sausage and toasting the flour in the rendered fat, which creates a nutty depth you won’t get from a packet mix. The copious amount of black pepper is essential.
- Comes Together in About 40 Minutes: While the biscuits bake to golden perfection, you can prepare the sausage gravy, making it a manageable and rewarding cooking project for any morning.
- A Flexible Foundation: Feel free to add a pinch of cayenne pepper or a teaspoon of smoked paprika to the gravy for warmth. Fresh sage or thyme also works beautifully with the pork.
- Ideal for Weekend Gatherings: This is a substantial and impressive breakfast that works beautifully when you have guests. It’s a complete meal in one bowl and always gets compliments.
- Family Tested and Approved: My children absolutely adore this. They love splitting the biscuits themselves and watching the gravy pour over the top. It’s one of the few breakfasts that keeps them full until lunchtime!
Ingredients You’ll Need
For the best results, use good quality ingredients. Full-fat dairy is key for the richness in both the biscuits and the gravy. I always use a good British pork sausage, like a Cumberland or Lincolnshire, and remove the meat from the casings. The herbs in those sausages add an extra layer of flavour.
- For the Buttery Biscuits:
- 300g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 2 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 115g cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 180ml cold buttermilk
- For the Sausage Gravy:
- 450g good-quality pork sausage meat
- 40g plain flour
- 700ml whole milk
- 60ml double cream (optional, for extra richness)
- 1 tsp coarse black pepper, or more to taste
- ½ tsp salt, or to taste
- A tiny pinch of ground nutmeg
Sophia’s Tip: Don’t be tempted to substitute the buttermilk. Its acidity reacts with the baking powder to create an exceptionally tender and light biscuit. If you’re in a pinch, you can make your own by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to 180ml of whole milk and letting it stand for 5-10 minutes.
How to Make Buttery Biscuits & Gravy
We’ll make this in two parts, starting with the biscuits so they can bake while you focus on the gravy. The key to flaky biscuits is working quickly and keeping your ingredients, especially the butter and buttermilk, as cold as possible.
- Prepare for Baking: Preheat your oven to 220°C (200°C fan). Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Make the Biscuit Dough: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the 300g of plain flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the cold, cubed butter. Using your fingertips or a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining.
- Form the Biscuits: Pour in the cold buttermilk and stir with a fork until just combined into a shaggy dough. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently bring it together and pat it into a rectangle. Fold the dough over on itself 3-4 times. I find this lamination is the secret to getting those lovely, separate layers.
- Cut and Bake: Pat the dough out to about 2cm (¾ inch) thickness. Use a 6-7cm round cutter to cut out the biscuits. Press the cutter straight down without twisting to ensure a good rise. Place the biscuits on the prepared baking tray and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until tall and golden brown on top.
- Brown the Sausage: While the biscuits are baking, place a large, heavy-based frying pan or skillet over a medium-high heat. Add the sausage meat and cook for 8-10 minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until it’s thoroughly browned and cooked through. Do not drain the fat!
- Make the Gravy Base (Roux): Reduce the heat to medium. Sprinkle the 40g of plain flour over the cooked sausage and its rendered fat. Stir continuously and cook for 1-2 minutes to toast the flour. This step is vital for avoiding a raw flour taste and is the foundation of a good roux-based sauce.
- Add the Milk: Gradually pour in about a quarter of the milk, whisking or stirring vigorously to create a smooth, thick paste. Once smooth, slowly pour in the remaining milk while continuing to stir, ensuring no lumps form.
- Simmer and Thicken: Bring the gravy to a gentle simmer. Let it bubble away gently for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. If you’re using it, stir in the double cream now.
- Season Generously: Season the gravy with the black pepper, salt, and the pinch of nutmeg. Taste and adjust if necessary. The gravy should be noticeably peppery.
- Serve Immediately: To serve, split the warm biscuits in half. Place them on a plate and ladle the hot sausage gravy generously over the top. Serve straight away.
Tips From My Kitchen
- Temperature Control is Everything: For the biscuits, your butter and buttermilk must be genuinely cold. The cold butter creates steam in the hot oven, which pushes the layers of dough apart, resulting in that coveted flaky texture.
- The Secret Step: I learned that the most common mistake in making sausage gravy is not cooking the flour long enough in the sausage fat. That 60-90 seconds of toasting makes all the difference, developing a nutty flavour and ensuring your gravy is silky, not pasty.
- Make-Ahead Advice: You can make the gravy a day in advance. Let it cool completely, then store it in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat gently on the hob, adding a splash of milk to loosen it up as it will thicken overnight. You can also freeze the unbaked, cut biscuits on a tray, then transfer them to a freezer bag. Bake them straight from frozen, adding a few extra minutes to the baking time.
- Storage: If you have any leftovers, it’s best to store the biscuits and gravy separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat the gravy on the hob and warm the biscuits in the oven for a few minutes.
Equipment You’ll Need
You don’t need much in the way of specialist kit for this recipe, just some kitchen basics.
- Large frying pan or skillet
- Sharp knife and cutting board
- Large mixing bowl
- Wooden spoon or spatula
- Baking tray and parchment paper
- Round biscuit/scone cutter
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Overworking the Biscuit Dough: Be gentle! The more you knead or handle the dough, the more gluten you develop, which leads to tough, dense biscuits instead of light, tender ones. Mix only until the dough just comes together.
- Not Browning the Sausage Properly: Don’t rush this step. The browned bits of sausage (the fond) at the bottom of the pan are packed with flavour that forms the backbone of your gravy. Use a pan large enough so the sausage isn’t crowded, allowing it to fry rather than steam.
- Under-seasoning the Gravy: This is a simple dish, so seasoning is paramount. Be bold with the black pepper – it should have a distinct, pleasant warmth. Taste it at the end and add more salt or pepper as needed.
Delicious Variations to Try
Once you’ve mastered the classic recipe, it’s fun to experiment with different flavours.
- Spicy Kick: Use a spicy Italian sausage or add ½ teaspoon of red chilli flakes along with the black pepper for a welcome bit of heat.
- Herby Mushroom Gravy (Vegetarian): For a vegetarian version, sauté 500g of mixed, chopped mushrooms in butter until deeply browned. Use this as your base instead of sausage, adding a splash of soy sauce for umami, and fresh herbs like thyme and sage.
- Smoky Bacon Gravy: Finely chop 6-8 rashers of streaky bacon and fry until crisp. Remove the bacon pieces, leaving the rendered fat in the pan. Proceed with the flour and milk as directed, then crumble the cooked bacon back into the finished gravy.
What to Serve With Buttery Biscuits & Gravy
This is a very hearty dish on its own, but a few simple additions can round out the meal beautifully.
- Fried Eggs: A runny-yolked fried egg placed on top of the gravy is a classic addition, adding another layer of richness.
- A Simple Green Salad: The richness of the dish cries out for something fresh and sharp. A simple salad of rocket and spinach with a lemon vinaigrette helps cut through the creaminess.
- Hot Coffee or Tea: A strong cup of freshly brewed coffee or a pot of English breakfast tea is the traditional and, in my opinion, best drink pairing.
- A Weekend Treat: If you’re serving this as part of a larger brunch, it sits wonderfully alongside something sweet, like my Peach Crumb Cheesecake for a truly decadent finish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Buttery Biscuits & Gravy Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Prepare for Baking: Preheat your oven to 220°C (200°C fan). Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Make the Biscuit Dough: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the 300g of plain flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the cold, cubed butter. Using your fingertips or a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining.
- Form the Biscuits: Pour in the cold buttermilk and stir with a fork until just combined into a shaggy dough. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently bring it together and pat it into a rectangle. Fold the dough over on itself 3-4 times. I find this lamination is the secret to getting those lovely, separate layers.
- Cut and Bake: Pat the dough out to about 2cm (¾ inch) thickness. Use a 6-7cm round cutter to cut out the biscuits. Press the cutter straight down without twisting to ensure a good rise. Place the biscuits on the prepared baking tray and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until tall and golden brown on top.
- Brown the Sausage: While the biscuits are baking, place a large, heavy-based frying pan or skillet over a medium-high heat. Add the sausage meat and cook for 8-10 minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until it's thoroughly browned and cooked through. Do not drain the fat!
- Make the Gravy Base (Roux): Reduce the heat to medium. Sprinkle the 40g of plain flour over the cooked sausage and its rendered fat. Stir continuously and cook for 1-2 minutes to toast the flour. This step is vital for avoiding a raw flour taste and is the foundation of a good roux-based sauce.
- Add the Milk: Gradually pour in about a quarter of the milk, whisking or stirring vigorously to create a smooth, thick paste. Once smooth, slowly pour in the remaining milk while continuing to stir, ensuring no lumps form.
- Simmer and Thicken: Bring the gravy to a gentle simmer. Let it bubble away gently for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. If you’re using it, stir in the double cream now.
- Season Generously: Season the gravy with the black pepper, salt, and the pinch of nutmeg. Taste and adjust if necessary. The gravy should be noticeably peppery.
- Serve Immediately: To serve, split the warm biscuits in half. Place them on a plate and ladle the hot sausage gravy generously over the top. Serve straight away.
Notes
I truly hope you give this Buttery Biscuits & Gravy recipe a try. It’s a labour of love that pays off in every single satisfying bite. For me, it’s more than just a recipe; it’s the feeling of a slow, happy morning spent in the kitchen and the joy of sharing a wonderful meal. If you’re looking for another hearty meal that always gets rave reviews, you might also like my Cheeseburger Lasagna Recipe. I’d love to hear how you get on with this one, so please leave a comment below and let me know what you think! From my kitchen to yours, Sophia.
