Biscuit And Gravy: The Southern Delight

September celebrates biscuit and gravy

The 2^nd week in September is National Biscuit and Gravy Week! A classic dish, the recipe is a typical Southern States American breakfast dish which oozes great textures and flavors. Although the “biscuit” is totally different to what most British people consider a biscuit to be, this is no less delicious and a great brunch time treat.

Essentially, It consists of soft dough biscuits covered in thick “country” or “white” gravy, made from the drippings of cooked pork sausage, white flour, milk, and often (but not always) bits of sausage, bacon, ground beef, or other meat. A biscuit has a similar texture to a scone but is a savory version of this crumbly roll. It’s reasonably simple to make too:

You’ll need:

• 8 oz buttermilk
• 3 oz butter – cold and diced
• 2 cups flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• 1 pinch salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda and salt. Add the butter and knead.
3. Add the buttermilk, dust a surface with some flavour and gently knead the mixture.
4. Squash the dough a little with the heel of your hand and use a glass or cutter to cut out your biscuits. Don’t flatten them or make them too tall or the texture may be inconsistent.
5. Grease a baking tray and place the biscuits in the oven.

Various gravy recipes exist, but one of the most delicious (and easiest too!) is a sausage recipe:

You’ll need:

• 3 cups cold milk
• ½ lb ground sausage
• 4 tbsp flour
• 2 tbsp butter
• Salt and pepper

Fry the sausage in a frying pan until it’s cooked through. Pick the sausage out with tongs or with a draining spoon.

1. Keep the sausage grease – there should be about 2 tbsp of fat left in the pan.
2. Melt the butter with the fat then keep the pan on a medium heat. Gradually add the flour and whisk.
3. Cook for about 3 minutes then slowly start adding the milk, whilst constantly whisking.
4. When all milk has been added, throw in the ground sausage.
5. Season the gravy with salt and pepper – your gravy should be a nice, thick texture.
6. Simply pour the gravy over the biscuits and get stuck in!

More recipes for biscuit and gravy

Although sausage gravy tastes great, it might not be for everyone. You can also make a milk gravy using bacon grease if that sounds more appealing! For a vegetarian option, you can try using veggie sausages, or even chocolate gravy if you have a sweet tooth.

Overall, the biscuit and gravy dish is a very indulgent treat, though eaten often in the Southern states. But it’s so tasty that even you shouldn’t hold back with your lashings of gravy this National Biscuit and Gravy Week!

Find more recipes for biscuit and gravy on Recipebridge.