Recipe and Guide for Sausages and Biscuits Cooked in Cast Iron Cookware
A classic breakfast meal
Please note - As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Some links on this page are links to affiliate products. I work to present only relevant links to products I use in my posts, to help you find items to work with if you want to try my recipes.
 |
| A plate of sausage gravy and biscuits |
Recipe and Guide for Sausage and Biscuits Cooked in Cast Iron Cookware
Sausage and biscuits are a classic breakfast meal in many parts of the United States. This is a traditional meal cooked with common household ingredients, takes little preparation or cooking time, and can satisfy many people quickly.
In colder times of the year, or in colder climates, a hot meal like sausage gravy and biscuits is an excellent way to get warmed up to start your day. For camping or hiking, it is a simple meal that requires few ingredients and can be cooked over a campfire. You can even prepare the meal ahead of time, and simply heat up the gravy and biscuits in a cast iron skillet, or Dutch oven over the fire to make the meal with ease.
To make this meal recipe, you are required to have two basic parts. Biscuits or some bread, and gravy, usually produced with meat. This recipe is for sausage gravy, however, the recipe can be modified simply for a wide variety of different gravy outcomes. Got bacon? Use bacon!
Making gravy is really a basic cooking process. It is very flexible, and different gravies can be made using different common ingredients you can find in most kitchens. Gravy is also known as a roux.
What exactly is Roux, or a Roux?
Roux Explanation -
Roux is a thickening agent made from flour and fat that is cooked together. Roux is usually made with an equal amount of flour and fat. On the stovetop, the flour is added to the melted fat or oil, blended until smooth, and cooked to the desired level of brownness. Roux can be white, blond (darker), or brown in color. Common fats include butter, bacon drippings, and lard. Roux is a thickening agent used in gravy, sauces, soups, and stews.
Homemade Biscuits and Gravy is a traditional American breakfast dish that combines flaky buttermilk biscuits with the best creamy sausage gravy.
Weekend breakfasts are always a treat, and biscuits and gravy never disappoint.
Making the most incredible sausage gravy and biscuits is honestly so simple and easy that you will never want to order them from a restaurant again. Nothing beats homemade sausage gravy from scratch.
It's almost unbelievable how a dish made mostly from pantry ingredients with a little milk and breakfast sausage transforms into a hearty, rustic dish that will satisfy any appetite. This biscuit and gravy recipe is a tasty comfort food. Some call it sawmill gravy, allegedly because it was fed to sawmill workers and lumberjacks to keep them going through a long day of work. There are numerous recipes based on this same concept, gravy, and bread. Biscuits were traditionally served in taverns and restaurants because they were more substantial than bread and allowed people to scoop up the soup with the bread.
On a white plate with a fork, buttermilk biscuits are topped with homemade sausage gravy.
This savory sausage gravy is traditionally served over flaky homemade biscuits in the South, but it's also delicious with breakfast burritos, roasted potatoes, hash browns, or a breakfast hash.
This sausage gravy is even good on plain toast. Isn't everything better with gravy?
A variation on the theme is SOS or Shi* on a shingle. Over toast, gravy with peas is served. For a long time, this had been a military staple with the US military.
One of the most appealing aspects of biscuits and gravy is the flexibility of preparation; for example, you can make the gravy ahead of time and refrigerate it. You can make the biscuits ahead of time and store them in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, combine them and heat them in the oven or on the stovetop. This allows you to take it on hikes and camping trips without needing to bring the raw ingredients with you. If the wind is blowing across your campsite, it can be difficult to prepare a meal with flour in the woods!
Okay, enough about why biscuits and gravy are such a good idea; let's get started! Biscuits and gravy are the two main components of this meal. To make things easier, I'll go over these two separately. First, I'll go over the gravy, and then I'll go over some different biscuit recipes you can try.
Preparation Instructions
You can make the sausage gravy ahead of time and reheat it the next morning. Simply reheat it in a skillet with a little extra milk, as it tends to thicken in the fridge overnight.
You can even make a big batch of gravy and freeze it in individual portions for reheating during the week.
Prep Time - around 10 minutes
Total Time - about 10 minutes
Servings 2 cups
Ingredients that I used - Keep in mind, I used "more or less" - so these are approximations.
Ingredients in sausage gravy
Pork sausage: I like to buy tubes of original Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage, but almost any pork sausage, like hot or maple, will work.
Flour: All-purpose flour is a classic gravy thickener, and the amount in this recipe is perfect for a silky gravy without getting too thick and gummy.
Whole milk: or half-and-half, heavy whipping cream, or even 2%.
Spices: Salt and pepper are a must, but a few extra seasonings like thyme and garlic powder help make this gravy perfect.
4 to 8 round sausages, or ground loose sausage, your choice OR
1/2 to 1 cup meat grease - use bacon or other meat greases.
5 to 10 tablespoons of all-purpose flour, not self-rising flour.
1 1/2 to 2 1/2 cups milk or heavy cream, your choice.
Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
Biscuits - See the previous post for instructions.
Gravy Instructions - In Short
-Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat.
-Cook the sausage and break it up while it cooks into small chunks.
-Once the sausage is completely cooked, sift in the flour and let it come to a boil for 2 minutes, Stir and mash down constantly with a stirring utensil.
-Let the flour cook, do not be in a hurry.
-Slowly stir in 11/2 cups of the milk or heavy cream and bring back to a light boil.
-Continue stirring until the mixture is smooth and reaches the desired consistency, about 2 to 3 minutes.
-Note, if necessary, add more milk or water to thin the gravy.
-Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
-Serve hot over biscuits by spooning out the gravy and sausage mix, or using a spatula.
Detailed step-by-step instructions follow for making homemade sausage gravy.
Brown the sausage.
If you have a cast iron skillet, use it to brown the sausage, cooking it over medium-high heat and breaking the sausage up as you go. Any large pan will work, really, but there is something extra about making sausage gravy in a cast iron pan. The sausage or meat you can use is very flexible.
Do not drain the fat from the sausage unless there happens to be a lot of it. A couple of tablespoons of drippings help absorb the flour in the next step.
Cook the flour.
This is the key to perfect gravy without lumps! Decrease the heat to medium, then sprinkle the flour over the browned sausage and stir it in, letting it cook for a minute. The grease from the sausage will absorb the flour and thicken the gravy perfectly!
Add the milk.
Season the sausage with salt, pepper, and spices, then stir in the milk. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until it has thickened to your liking. We usually only do ours for 3-5 minutes, but the longer you cook it, the thicker the gravy will get.
It will continue to thicken some as it cools. If you find you've cooked it a little longer than you meant to and it's thicker than you like, just thin it out with a little additional milk.
You now have your gravy! Congratulations!
And now onto the Biscuits -
 |
| Buttermilk Biscuits Baked in a Cast Iron Skillet |
The Easiest Way -
There are a couple of different options when it comes to biscuits for this recipe. The first is the simplest.
You can purchase premade biscuits in most grocery stores. These come in a tube and are easily handled. They can be refrigerated and pulled out at the last minute, and you can have fresh buttermilk biscuits in less than 15 minutes.
To make the store-bought biscuits, heat up the oven, and place a cast iron skillet in the oven to warm. Remove the refrigerated tube, peel away the outside wrapper, and break open the tube where it is indicated. When the oven is heated up, remove the cast iron skillet from the oven, place the biscuits around the inside of the skillet, and return the skillet to the oven. Bake for 11-12 minutes, until browned on top. Remove the skillet, take the biscuits out from inside the pan, and place them on plates. Cut each of the biscuits open and pour your gravy over top. Serve hot.
 |
| Grands Southern Homestyle Biscuits |
Homemade Method -
Nothing beats the simple pleasure of flaky, homemade buttermilk biscuits with fluffy, buttery layers and a generous helping of honey, sausage gravy, or jam to go with them! These homemade biscuits are the perfect way to start the weekend!
Making biscuits can be a team effort, and some people will enlist the assistance of their children. Sharing food and eating it together has a special meaning.
If several people are working together, some can mix while others roll out the dough and cut it with the cookie cutter. Spread the joy!
This is a simple buttermilk biscuit recipe, but it's the technique that makes the difference between tough and light, fluffy biscuits. Biscuit recipes vary and have several variations, but the basic ingredients are the same.
Ingredients for homemade biscuits
2 cups regular flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (optional) very cold, unsalted European butter
3/4 cup of whole milk, buttermilk, or 2% milk will also suffice.
Equipment Suggestions
Biscuit cutter
Box grater
What can I use instead of buttermilk?
In about five minutes, you can make an easy buttermilk substitute. Fill a 1 cup measuring cup halfway with milk, then add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar (preferably whole milk). Stir, then set aside for 5 minutes before using it as a buttermilk substitute in almost any recipe!
Making Buttermilk Biscuits
In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a large food processor, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Add the grated butter and mix well. The butter can also be cubed and cut in with a pastry cutter, or pulsed into the dry ingredients in a food processor until the size of crumbs.
Mix in the buttermilk until everything starts to come together in a shaggy dough, but don't overmix. Place on a lightly floured surface and shape into a roughly rectangular shape.
Fold one side of the rectangle into the center, then the other, similar to how you would fold a letter. Pat the dough flat again, then turn it and fold it again. Flatten the dough with a rolling pin or your hands until it is 34- to 1-inch thick.
Remove the biscuits. One tip is to push the cookie cutter straight down and avoid turning it back and forth while cutting.
In a preheated cast iron skillet, place the cutout biscuits. You can have the edges touch or remain separate.
Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
Use cold ingredients for light and flaky biscuits.
This is not the time to take out the butter and soften it to room temperature. When everything is added to the biscuit mixture, it should be cold. If you plan ahead of time, you could even freeze your flour for 30 minutes.
Avoid overworking the dough.
It's fine if the dough is still a little crumbly when you add the buttermilk. As you press and fold the biscuit dough with your hands, it will come together.
The flaky layers are created by folding the dough.
This is the real secret to getting those wonderful, flaky layers you see in the photos. The cold butter is spread thinly as the dough is folded. When the biscuits bake, the cold butter quickly melts, forming pockets and the many layers that we love in buttermilk biscuits!
Don't twist! Use a sharp biscuit or cookie cutter!
I know it's tempting to twist the cutter while cutting out the biscuits, but this tends to seal the edges, causing them to rise less. Using a sharp cutter and pressing straight in and out makes a huge difference.
Bake them together or separately.
This is a personal preference, but I like to bake my biscuits so that all sides are exposed. Some people prefer biscuits that are tightly packed together and then pulled apart for softer sides. Baker's preference.
Plain milk, which will work almost as well but will not have the same flavor as biscuits made with tangy, rich buttermilk, is another option for this recipe.
Freezing and making ahead instructions
Freezing after baking: Biscuits freeze well for up to 3-4 months after baking. Store them in a freezer-safe zip-tight bag, then thaw them overnight and reheat them in the microwave or oven when you want to eat them.
Freezing without baking first: The biscuit dough can be frozen as well so that you can bake up fresh, hot buttermilk biscuits whenever you like! Prepare the dough by folding and cutting it out. Then freeze individually on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 1-2 hours.
Once frozen, you can toss the biscuits into a freezer-safe zip-tight bag to store and just pull out however many you want to bake up at a time. The biscuits can be frozen like this for 3-4 months.
When ready to bake, pull out the biscuits and set them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to thaw for 45 minutes or so before baking.
Enjoy!
Cheers!
@lovecastironcooking
#castironcooking
Comments
Post a Comment