I wrote on my homepage about the nickname my husband has given our sons... “the biscuit brothers”.  To be honest, I don’t think he even knows why he calls them that.  They’re just crazy, silly boys, and “biscuit brothers” seems to sum them up in some strange, yet wonderful, way.  It really has nothing to do with biscuits, but it could, especially when it comes to these biscuits and gravy.  My oldest two boys have often requested this meal for dinner - birthday dinners, even! 

I have never made this meal for guests without receiving a request for the recipe.  Men, especially, go nuts for these.  My grandmother, mother, and maybe even further back through the generations than that, have made these biscuits and gravy.  It’s how we all got our men.  Okay, maybe not, but seriously girls, this is a man-pleasin’ breakfast! (And I happen to enjoy them myself!  Country breakfast at it’s best.)

The beauty of this recipe is how simple it is.  Homemade biscuits certainly are great, but early in the morning, I’d rather just open up a box of Bisquick.  And you know what?  People rave about these things!

Just follow the directions on the box for “drop biscuits” - no kneading or rolling required.  I usually double or even triple the recipe, so we’ll have extra for honey biscuits (Mmmm!).  Just add enough milk to the mix to make a thick, yet fully moistened, dough.  If you want to measure it out, use 2/3 c. milk to 2 1/4 c. Bisquick, or if doubling, 1 1/3 c. milk to 4 1/2 c. Bisquick.  I know you can do the math... I’m just trying to be clear.

Drop by large spoonfuls onto a parchment paper or silicone mat-lined baking sheet. 

Bake in a preheated 450 degree oven for 8-10 minutes, until big, fluffy, and golden brown.  Don’t let ‘em burn!  My silly middle son, Hayden, has often yelped while running barefooted on hot, scalding pavement, “My biscuits are burnin’!  My biscuits are burnin’!”  I don’t want to hear you yelling this in your kitchen!

While the biscuits are baking, you can get started on the gravy.  Crumble a 1 lb. package of breakfast sausage into a large pot.  I happen to prefer Jimmy Dean Regular sausage, but feel free to use what makes you happy!

Cook it up over medium-high heat until it’s all brown and sizzly, then add about 1/3 c. flour to make a roux.  Sorry, you don’t drain the grease.  A roux is a mixture of flour and fat (in this case, sausage grease), used for thickening gravies and sauces.  By doing it this way, the flour has a chance to coat every little piece of sausage and absorb the grease, and you won’t end up with lumps.  No one wants to end up with lumps... in food or otherwise.  The grease is what will give your gravy that southern-style, man-pleasin’ flavor.

Add 4 cups of milk.  Whole milk will produce a creamier gravy, but if you are already worried about the fat content, you are welcome to use 1% or 2%.  But c’mon y’all, this is biscuits and gravy.  Were you really expecting low fat?  On that note, though, I have used the reduced fat Jimmy Dean sausage, and it was good!  My general rule of thumb for low-fat alternatives is to use them for my everyday family cooking, but to give guests the full-fat version.  I’m sorry, friends - if you’ve ever eaten my cooking, you are cursing my name right now, but I just want you to experience the full flavor each recipe has to offer.  It’s not like it’s an everyday indulgence, right?  Just feel the love.... feel the love.

Continue to cook and stir the gravy over medium heat, until it comes to a boil.  Stir often, or the milk will burn on the bottom of your pan.  Not good.  When it comes to a boil, this is the “thickening point”.  Now you can make adjustments if you prefer a thicker or thinner gravy.  If you want it thinner, just add milk.

If you want it thicker, whisk a little flour and milk together in a separate bowl, then stir into your gravy.  When it returns to a boil, you’ll see if the thickness is to your liking, or if you need to add more.

Salt and pepper, to taste.  When I serve this, most people like to add fresh-cracked pepper themselves.  Or if you’d like, you can approach each person with the pepper grinder, asking “Fresha peppa? You lika the peppa, no?” (Any SNL fans out there?)

We prefer to break our biscuits into big fluffy hunks, rather than cutting them in half.

Ladle the gravy over the biscuits, and dig in.  This was a hard dish to get an appealing photo of... despite the gloppy mountain o’ lumps that this picture portrays, one bite will have you digging in for more!  Save room for that honey biscuit in the end, though.... just slather a little butter and golden honey on a warm biscuit for the perfect ending to your meal!

printable recipe