How do you make Biscuits and gravy from scratch?

Question

I'm an American living in New Zealand and they've never really heard of this dish here. I'm experimenting with making buttermilk biscuits here and could use some help in that area too :-)

Answer 1

Biscuits and Gravy

For the biscuits:
2 cups all purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
3 oz. cold butter, diced, REMEMBER COLD
8 oz buttermilk

Combine and sift the dry ingredients. Gently knead in the butter. Add the buttermilk and knead on a floured board just enough to bring the dough together. It is vital that you knead gently and no more than is necessary or you will develop the gluten in the flour and make the biscuits tough. Good biscuits are as much a function of technique as ingredients. Form a flat mass with the dough and cut out biscuits with a biscuit cutter. Don’t make them too high or the outside could become over browned by the time the inside is cooked. Place them on parchment paper on a sheet tray and then into a preheated 400-degree oven. Start the gravy immediately. It should be done close to the same time as the biscuits, which is when they are golden in color.

For the gravy:
½ pound ground breakfast sausage.
2 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons all purpose flour
3 cups cold milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Sauté the sausage until it is cooked and has released as much of its fat as possible. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon and do NOT drain the grease. You’ll need it to make the roux. (I said this was delicious, not health food). You should have about 2 tablespoons of rendered pork fat. Add the butter and melt it. Then add the flour a little at a time over medium heat, constantly whisking. Cook for about 2-3 minutes. Now start adding the cold milk a little at a time, whisking incessantly. Toward the end of the milk add the sausage back in. When you reach the desired consistency add salt and pepper to taste. Cut the biscuits in half, pour the gravy over them, and enjoy one of the most embracing and comforting taste sensations known to man.

A few points here. The perfect roux has equal amounts of fat and flour. If for some reason your sausage renders noticeably less or more than two tablespoons of fat, adjust the amount of flour accordingly. If you end up making more roux you will need more milk so have extra on hand. Make sure the roux is cooked on no more than medium heat. We do not want to burn or brown the roux, just cook out the floury taste. Four things are necessary to assure a smooth, lump-free gravy. You must constantly whisk the roux and the gravy throughout the process. You must add cold milk to the hot roux. You must incorporate the milk a little at a time. And finally, keep the heat at no more than medium. You can adjust the consistency however you like, but a thick creamy gravy is the target viscosity.

Answer 2

Buttermilk Biscuits With Milk Gravy
Yield: 15 Servings

Ingredients

2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 ts soda
3/4 ts salt
2 ts baking powder
1/2 c shortening
1 1/2 c buttermilk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450. Mix flour, soda, salt, and baking powder. Cut in
shortening with a pastry blender. Add buttermilk and mix quickly until
dough forms a ball. Turn out on a floured surface and knead a few
times. Pat or roll out to a 1/2-inch thickness; then cut with a
floured biscuit cutter. Bake approximately 12 mintes on an ungreased
baking sheet. Yield: approx. 15 biscuits MILK GRAVY: Save 4
tablespoons of pan drippings (or butter) and place over low heat.
Stir in 4 tbs. of flour and continue stirring until smooth and
bubbly. Add 2 cups milk and stir until thickened. Salt and pepper to
taste and serve piping hot.

Answer 3

In New Zealand you would be best to use English Bangers for that or any country suasage (mild), not hot or full of garlic, first to make the gravy I was a chef for many years in Canada, and if you cook the sausage to get the fat and scrunchin's on the bottom to flavour the gravy, the make the roux with depend on the amount of sausage, a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of plain flour added to the fat and cooked to a light blonde, depending on the sausage, all beef or half beef and chicken broth can be used, if you use straight milk it can get gummy at first.

Adding the stock first, them mellowing it out with plain milk or single cream, lots of fresh ground pepper, sage or thyme, salt to taste depending on the stock you use.I would taste it, a little cayenne is nice if you like spicy foods.

The biscuits can be made from scratch, but I have a chef friend form New Zeaand and he said there is a packaged biscuit mix, similar to the American/Canadian brand known as "Bisquick", it is easier and once your there and find you niche, biscuits are a fine technique.

Here in Canada we have an American chain, called Dennys that serve them as a regular menu item, not my cup of Bovril, but it is something to impress the friends with, Good Luck, just watch the cholesterol???

Answer 4

Biscuits

6 to 7 cups flour
1 cup Crisco
1 tblsp. salt
3 tblsp. baking powder
3/4 cup milk

Mix dry ingredients together. Cut in Crisco until particles are fine.
Stir together, Knead lightly. Pat out to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut into 2 inch rounds. Bake at 450 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden.

Sausage Gravy
1 lb. sausage
flour
milk


Brown sausage in skillet until done. Add flour to cover sausage, add milk. Stir constantly on medium/high heat. When it starts to thicken, turn off. Serve hot!!

Answer 5

For the gravy

1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
6 hard-boiled eggs
1 pound good whole hog sausage
4 heaping Tablespoons flour (more or less)
6 cups milk (more or less)
Salt and pepper to taste

The key is the gravy. Put eggs on to boil. Next, cook sausage in a pot (you'll use only one pan this way). As sausage nears brown, add onion and pepper. Stir and cook until tender. Mix in flour. You'll want enough flour to thicken the gravy. Stir in most of the milk and simmer and stir until the gravy thickens. If too thick, thin with more milk. Season to taste. Slice eggs and stir carefully into gravy.

For the biscuits
The recipe calls for White Lily all-purpose flour, which is made from an extra finely ground softer wheat than regular all-purpose flour and results in a lovely, tender texture.As I don't think you'll getiit in New Zealand use the best flour available to you.

4 2/3 cups White Lily all-purpose flour* (not self-rising)
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup COLD vegetable shortening
About 2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
1 stick (1/2 cup) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces and softened to room temperature, plus additional 1 tablespoon melted butter for brushing.

Preheat oven to 450°F.Sift together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt into a bowl, then blend in shortening with a pastry blender or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 1 3/4 cups buttermilk and stir, adding up to 1/4 cup more, a little at a time, if needed, to form a soft but not sticky dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently 10 times.
Pat out dough on floured surface into a 14- by 10-inch rectangle. With a short side nearest you, spread top two thirds of dough evenly with 3 tablespoons softened butter, leaving bottom (the third closest to you) unbuttered. Fold dough into thirds, like a letter (unbuttered bottom third up, then top buttered third down over dough).
Turn dough 90 degrees (so a short side is nearest you) and pat into a rectangle about 12 by 9 inches. Spread top two thirds of dough evenly with 3 more tablespoons softened butter and fold like a letter again.
Turn dough 90 degrees (so a short side is nearest you) and pat into a rectangle 12 by 9 inches. Spread top two thirds of dough evenly with remaining 3 tablespoons softened butter and fold dough like a letter once more.
Pat out dough 3/4 inch thick and cut out biscuits with floured cutter, then arrange 1 inch apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Gather scraps and pat out once more, then cut out rounds and transfer to baking sheet. Lightly brush tops of biscuits with melted butter and bake in middle of oven until golden and cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes.

Biscuits and gravy should both come hot from the stove to the table.