Buttermilk Biscuits with Sausage Gravy

Method

1. 1
   • wheat flour400 g
   • baking powder1 tbsp
   • baking soda½ tsp
   • white sugar1 tbsp
   • salt1½ tsp
   • butter150 g

   Cut in the frozen butter — Heat the oven to 220°C. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and 1 tsp of the salt in a wide bowl, then toss the frozen grated butter through with your fingertips until every shred is coated and still visible.

2. 2
   • buttermilk3 dl

   Fold the dough for layers — Pour in the cold buttermilk and stir with a fork only until a shaggy dough gathers. Turn it onto a floured surface, pat it to a 2 cm slab, fold it in thirds like a letter, and repeat the pat and fold twice more. Those folds become the layers.

3. 3

   Stamp out the biscuits — Pat the dough out to 2.5 cm thick and stamp out 8 rounds with a straight-sided cutter, pressing straight down and never twisting, or the edges seal and the biscuits will not rise. Set them on a tray with their sides just touching.

4. 4

   Bake until tall and flaky — Bake for 14-16 minutes, until they have doubled in height and the tops are deep golden with flaky ridges around the sides.

   ⏱15 min
5. 5
   • sausage450 g

   Brown the sausage — While they bake, brown the sausage meat in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat for about 8 minutes, breaking it into coarse crumbles with a wooden spoon and letting it stick and catch a little for flavour.

   ⏱8 min
6. 6
   • wheat flour400 g
   • milk6 dl

   Thicken the gravy — Sprinkle the 3 tbsp flour over the meat and its fat and cook for 2 minutes, then pour in the milk in a slow stream while whisking. Simmer for 6-7 minutes until the gravy thickly coats a spoon.

   ⏱7 min
7. 7
   • salt1½ tsp
   • black pepper1½ tsp
   • cayenne pepper¼ tsp

   Pepper hard and serve — Season the gravy hard with the cracked black pepper, the cayenne and the remaining salt — it should taste peppery enough to sting slightly. Split the hot biscuits open and ladle the gravy generously over both halves.