Daddy loved biscuits and gravy almost as much as he loved Momma. She could make delicious gravy from any meat, but our favorite was from fresh breakfast sausage. We didn’t eat it very often, but it was a treat when we had company.
Momma grew up on a farm in Pennsylvania, and Daddy lived on a ranch in the Sacramento Valley. They were used to working hard and eating well, including a hearty breakfast. Adding gravy was an inexpensive way to stretch the meat and fill all the tummies in large families.
This gravy recipe was never written down, but I’m sharing my best rendition. I learned to make it by watching Momma (who rarely measured anything), and have been recreating it over the years.
Baking Powder Biscuits
2 cups sifted flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup lard or cold butter
3/4 cup whole milk
Preheat oven to 450*.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the solid fat with a pastry blender. Make a well in the center.
Add milk slowly, mixing only until the dry ingredients are moistened. The more you work baking powder, the tougher it makes the finished product.
Roll out dough gently onto a lightly floured surface. Cut with a 2″ biscuit cutter. Momma never had one so we used the rim of a glass dipped in flour. Place on a greased baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes.
Makes 14.
Sausage Gravy
1 lb. bulk breakfast sausage
1/4 cup flour
1 c. whole milk
salt and pepper to taste
Crumble and brown the sausage in a frying pan. Cast iron pans work well because the meat gets crustier than in a non-stick pan. When nice and brown, transfer meat to a plate, but leave the grease in the pan. Add flour and stir well to combine. Add a bit of butter if it gets overly dry. Continue to stir while the mixture comes to a simmer.
“The flour has to cook,” Momma would tell me every time she made it. “There’s nothing worse than raw flour!”
When it begins to bubble and brown a bit more, slowly add in the milk, stirring constantly. It will appear lumpy until you work it a while. Bring the gravy to a boil and add either a bit more flour or milk if the consistency isn’t right. Return the cooked sausage to the pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. We always like quite a bit of pepper, but the seasoning of the sausage varies. Be careful and taste it until you get it right.
