Buttermilk Biscuits

A warm biscuit with fresh homemade gravy. Is there anything better? No, no there is not. And you will be wrong if you try to tell me there is. On my last day of Thanksgiving holiday, we made from scratch biscuits with creamy sausage gravy. Getting myself back to the weekly grind is almost impossible while I think of the steam rising from a plate of this flaky goodness, a delicious fried egg and a cup of hot fresh coffee.

What you need: (gravy)
One 12-ounce tube bulk pork sausage
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

What you do:
Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, break it up with a wooden spoon, and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned and cooked through, about 7 minutes.Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a bowl, leaving the rendered fat in the skillet. Whisk the flour into the fat and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute. While whisking, pour the milk into the skillet and bring the gravy to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer gently for 2 minutes. Stir in the sausage and season with pepper.



What you need: (biscuits)
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the board1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt or 1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, very cold 1 cup buttermilk

What you do:
Preheat your oven to 450°F. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Cut the butter into pieces and use a fork or pastry cutter to cut in the flour until it resembles course meal. Add the buttermilk and mix JUST until combined. If it appears on the dry side, add a bit more buttermilk but the dough should be wet Turn the dough out onto a floured board. Gently work the dough out until it's about 1/2" thick. Fold the dough about 5 times, gently press the dough down to a 1 inch thick. Use a round cutter to cut into rounds. Place the biscuits on a cookie sheet- if you like soft sides, put them touching each other.If you like"crusty" sides, put them about 1 inch apart- these will not rise as high as the biscuits put close together. Bake for about 10-12 minutes- the biscuits will be a beautiful light golden brown on top and bottom.
Do not overbake.

To Serve:
Split the biscuits in half and divide them among plates. Top each biscuit with some of the gravy and serve immediately.

http://www.food.com/recipe/southern-buttermilk-biscuits-26110