Operation Clean Out the Freezer - Day #4

This morning I made biscuits and gravy with the pound of Old Folks breakfast sausage.  Yum!  I even made biscuits from scratch.  Did you feel the earth move? ;)

Sausage Gravy

• 1 lb breakfast sausage
• 1/4 heaping cup whole wheat flour
• 2 cups milk

Brown sausage in skillet over medium heat, breaking into crumbles as it cooks.  Slide cooked sausage to one side of the pan then tilt the pan (while holding back the sausage with the spatula), allowing the grease to collect on the opposite side.  Add flour and stir it into the grease with a fork.  After flour and grease are mixed, stir the sausage into it with the fork.  Brown for about 30 seconds.  Add milk to pan and turn up heat, continually stirring with the fork until the mixture starts to thicken.  Lower heat to simmer and stir occasionally until read to serve over buttermilk biscuits. 

Buttermilk Biscuits

• 2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter 
• 2/3 cup buttermilk 

Stir together dry ingredients; cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Add buttermilk, stirring until dough forms ball. Turn onto lightly floured surface and knead 5-10 times (do not overwork!). Roll out to 1/2 inch thickness and cut into biscuits. Bake on ungreased baking sheet for 15 minutes at 400 degrees, and serve hot!
~ from Whole Foods for the Whole Family


Notes from me, because y'all know I'm not good at following a recipe. :)

1. I used white flour in my biscuits and in my gravy because my hands were too sore too pull the wheat out and grind it.
2. If there isn't enough grease in the skillet from the sausage (this will vary from brand to brand), add a little coconut oil, butter, or olive oil.  There should be about 2 Tbs in the pan before you add the flour.
3. Feel free to use less milk or add more milk to make the gravy the thickness you prefer.  My family prefers a moderately thick gravy, but not so thick it won't come off the spoon.
4. I used 1 tsp of salt because my butter is unsalted.
5. When I use a bland brand of sausage for gravy, I add pepper to the the pan right after I add the flour into the grease.  I've also been known to add a pinch (or three) of onion powder.

These biscuits are good, but not as light and fluffy as the frozen Pillsbury biscuits we all grew so fond of back during that awful year of 2007.  Now that I'm not traveling for basketball all the time I am Determined to learn how to make a decent biscuit.  Good thing the sausage gravy always turns out yummy or my family may starve in the meantime!

Enjoy!