Extra-Flaky Biscuits with Peppery Sausage Gravy

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Ultra-flaky, tall buttermilk biscuits made with easy at-home folding for real layers.
• Classic peppery country-sausage gravy that’s rich, silky, and never pasty.
• Weeknight-friendly: biscuits bake while the gravy simmers; eggs take 5 minutes.
• Works for breakfast, brunch, or a cozy supper with pantry staples.

Grocery List

• Produce: Fresh chives or scallions; optional fresh thyme; your favorite hot sauce
• Dairy: Unsalted butter; buttermilk; whole milk; heavy cream (optional); eggs
• Pantry: Bulk country pork sausage (1 lb); all-purpose flour; baking powder; baking soda; fine salt; black pepper; cayenne (optional)

Full Ingredients

Extra-Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits

• All-purpose flour 2½ cups (312 g), plus more for dusting
• Baking powder 1 tbsp (12 g)
• Baking soda ½ tsp (3 g)
• Fine sea salt 1 tsp
• Unsalted butter ½ cup (113 g), very cold, grated or cut into ½-inch cubes
• Cold buttermilk 1 cup + 2 tbsp (270 ml), plus 1–2 tsp more if needed
• 1 tbsp melted butter or a little buttermilk for brushing tops (optional)

Peppery Country-Sausage Gravy

• Bulk country pork sausage 1 lb (450 g)
• Unsalted butter 1 tbsp (only if sausage is lean)
• All-purpose flour ¼ cup (32 g)
• Whole milk 3 cups (720 ml), warmed
• Heavy cream ¼ cup (60 ml, optional for extra richness)
• Freshly cracked black pepper 1½–2 tsp, plus more for finishing
• Kosher or fine salt ¾–1¼ tsp, to taste
• Pinch of cayenne or crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Soft-Scrambled Eggs (Optional, for Serving)

• Large eggs 6
• Unsalted butter 2 tbsp (28 g)
• Milk or cream 2 tbsp (30 ml)
• Fine salt ¼ tsp, plus more to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper and 1 tbsp chopped chives (optional)

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Heat the oven and prepare your station

Preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Chill a medium mixing bowl if you have time, and keep your butter and buttermilk very cold. Lightly flour a clean counter, and have a 2½-inch biscuit cutter (or knife) and a bench scraper ready.

Step 2: Make the biscuit dough

In the chilled bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the cold butter. If grated, toss to coat and separate strands; if cubed, cut in with a pastry cutter or fingertips until pea-sized pieces remain with some larger flat bits for flakiness. Pour in the cold buttermilk and stir with a fork just until the flour is moistened and a shaggy dough forms; do not overmix.

Step 3: Fold for flaky layers, then cut

Turn the dough onto the floured counter. Pat into a ¾-inch-thick rectangle. Fold the dough like a letter (in thirds), rotate 90 degrees, and repeat two more times, dusting lightly as needed. Pat to ¾-inch thick again. Cut 10–12 rounds with a sharp cutter (press straight down without twisting), gathering scraps gently to re-cut. Arrange biscuits so their sides just touch for taller rise. Chill the tray 10 minutes while the oven finishes heating.

Step 4: Bake the biscuits

Bake 14–16 minutes until deep golden on top and bottom. If desired, brush hot biscuits with melted butter. Keep warm on the sheet in a turned-off oven with the door cracked, or transfer to a towel-lined basket.

Step 5: Brown the sausage and make the roux

Place a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking into small crumbles, until well browned and no longer pink, 6–8 minutes. If the pan looks dry, add 1 tbsp butter. Sprinkle the flour over the sausage and fat, stirring to coat. Cook 1–2 minutes to remove raw flour taste.

Step 6: Build and season the gravy

Gradually whisk in the warm milk, ½ cup at a time, scraping up browned bits. When smooth, add the remaining milk and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring often, until thickened and silky, 4–6 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream (if using), 1½–2 tsp cracked black pepper, and salt to taste. For a subtle kick, add a pinch of cayenne. If too thick, loosen with a splash of milk; if thin, simmer 1–2 minutes more. Reduce heat to low to keep warm.

Step 7: Soft-scramble the eggs (optional)

In a bowl, whisk the eggs, milk or cream, and salt. Melt 2 tbsp butter in a nonstick skillet over low heat. Add eggs and cook slowly, stirring with a silicone spatula, pushing from the edges toward the center, until small, glossy curds form and the eggs are just set, 5–7 minutes. Remove from heat slightly underdone; the carryover heat will finish them. Season with pepper and sprinkle with chives.

Step 8: Serve

Split or stack warm biscuits on plates. Ladle on the peppery sausage gravy and finish with a little more cracked pepper and chives or scallions. Add soft-scrambled eggs on the side. Offer hot sauce at the table.

Pro Tips

• Keep everything cold for tall, flaky biscuits: freeze the butter 10 minutes and chill the dough briefly before baking.
• Don’t overwork the dough—stop as soon as it comes together. Visible butter pieces mean better layers.
• Press the cutter straight down without twisting to help biscuits rise evenly.
• Warm the milk for the gravy; adding cold milk can cause lumps and slows thickening.
• Season gravy generously with freshly cracked pepper; it’s the hallmark of classic country gravy.

Variations

• Cheddar-Chive Biscuits: Fold ¾ cup (85 g) shredded sharp cheddar and 2 tbsp chopped chives into the dry ingredients before adding butter.
• Lighter Turkey Gravy: Swap pork sausage for turkey sausage and add 1 tbsp butter for richness; a pinch of rubbed sage is lovely.
• Mushroom-Pepper Gravy (Vegetarian): Replace sausage with 1 lb mixed mushrooms, finely chopped; sauté in 2 tbsp butter until browned, then proceed.

Storage & Make-Ahead

Unbaked biscuits freeze well: arrange cut biscuits on a sheet until solid, then store in a freezer bag up to 2 months. Bake from frozen at 450°F (232°C) for 17–20 minutes. Baked biscuits keep 1 day at room temp (airtight) or 2 months frozen; rewarm at 350°F (177°C) for 8–10 minutes. Gravy keeps 3–4 days refrigerated; reheat gently over low heat with a splash of milk to loosen, stirring often. Eggs are best made to order, but you can hold soft-scrambled eggs warm for a few minutes over a hot-water bath, stirring occasionally.

Nutrition (per serving)

Approximate for 1 biscuit with about ¾ cup gravy: 600 calories; 37 g fat; 44 g carbs; 20 g protein; 1080 mg sodium. Add 1 soft-scrambled egg: +90 calories, +7 g fat, +6 g protein, +70 mg sodium.