Biscuits and Gravy

There is a strange phenomenon surrounding two-word recipe titles in that the simplicity somehow results in the most delicious marriage of textures and flavors: milk and cookies, spaghetti and meatballs, and of course, biscuits and gravy. 

The History of Biscuits and Gravy

Historians believe this classic dish has been gracing tables since the late 1800’s in southern Appalachia. Biscuits and gravy was popular with saw mill workers who were in need of hearty, bone-sticking food to propel them through the long and strenuous workday (hence the name sometimes given to this kind of gravy: sawmill gravy). 

This is around the same time that baking powder became available. Before baking powder, biscuits were leavened by a lengthy beating, which helped introduce air into the dough. The resulting biscuits, however, were not light, fluffy, or flaky as we expect our biscuits to be today. They were smaller, flatter, and rather hard and tended to be served with thinly sliced country ham.

What’s more, beaten biscuits, though they sound austere, were not a standard item on the tables of the poor or working class. In fact, they were something of a status symbol for the wealthy, signifying that they had hired or enslaved cooks who could do the backbreaking work of making these biscuits.

The Best Flour for Biscuits

By 1883, White Lily would come on the market and their soft, winter wheat flours would serve as the final ingredient in the biscuit we know today. White Lily self-rising flour is nine percent protein (all-purpose flour hovers around 12 percent protein and bread flour around 14 percent); a lower protein content means less gluten development, which makes for a more tender end result. White Lily is widely available in the South, but you can also purchase it online. 

For Tender Biscuits, Handle the Dough With Care

While the type of flour used to make biscuits is important, how you handle the dough matters, too. You don’t want to overwork your biscuits; warm dough will melt the butter too quickly and make tough versus flaky layers. In this recipe, we fold the dough over on itself a couple times to create flaky layers but not enough to make the dough tough. 

How To Make the Best Sausage Gravy

Once your biscuits are in the oven, you have the perfect amount of time for gravy-making. Depending on the sausage you use, you may need to add a touch more fat to the pan after cooking the sausage to make the roux. I love bacon grease for its smoky flavor, but butter or oil will also work. 

Using a cast-iron skillet to make the gravy will help to keep your gravy warm while your biscuits finish and cool, but you can always add a splash more milk if it gets too thick while you’re waiting. 

How To Serve Biscuits and Gravy

When I ate biscuits and gravy growing up, it was served as a meal in and of itself, but you could serve this with hash browns, poached eggs, or a simple fruit salad. You know, for the vitamins.

Tips for Making Biscuits and Gravy

• White Lily self-rising flour is the best flour for making these biscuits, period. However, you can still get good results from using all-purpose flour. To turn all-purpose flour into self-rising flour, whisk 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon fine salt into each cup of all-purpose flour. For this recipe, you'll need 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour mixed with 1 tablespoon plus 3/4 teaspoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon fine salt.
• Freezing the butter and grating it into the flour accomplishes two things: it means you simply have to mix the grated butter into the flour without worrying about the size of the butter pieces; and it helps you keep the butter cold, which is crucial for tender, flaky layers.
• Folding the dough over on itself a couple times gives the finished biscuits flaky layers.
• Take care not to roll the dough too thin. Your biscuits will be taller and more appetizing if you roll the dough to 3/4 inch thickness.
• Do not twist the biscuit cutter when cutting out the dough. Doing so inhibits the biscuits' rise.