My biscuit bone got itchy and I decided it was time to roll up my sleeves and start rolling some dough! I was aiming for the perfect blend between pillowy and with lots of layers (peelable, if possible), full of savory flavor, crunchy tops and bottoms with soft centers, and a great chew. Going through my ingredient list to start my initial research, I started running through possible changes—the buttermilk and leavener ratio felt solid. Change the salt and sugar balance? Nope. What about the fat? Switch back to shortening? Pass.
I kept going but just went back to the top of my ingredient list. Then I saw the answer staring me down: flour. At the beginning of quarantine I was stocking up on my baking products, and the only flour I could find was bread flour. So, I made a few rounds of biscuits with bread flour and loved the flaky, peelable layers that it brought. But, I missed the pillowy and tender chew that I got from the all-purpose flour. What’s the difference between the two flours, you might ask? In a word: protein. That’s right, protein. I’ll explain. Bread flour is a higher protein type of flour, meaning it is going to result in a more elastic and stretchier dough—and give the ability to have more layers, due to all of the protein structures that bind together! All-purpose flour, however, has a lower level of protein, meaning that the dough will be less stretchy and more pillowy. Blend the two, I thought? A match made in carb heaven.
I now pronounce you the perfect pillowy, layered biscuit. But, the perfect biscuit needs the perfect gravy, so I decided to make up some gravy while my biscuits were in the oven. Honey, let me tell you, you could slather this gravy on an old leather boot and it would be tasty. Recipes for both are below!
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup bread flour
2 teaspoons sugar (this won’t make them sweet, but will aid in browning)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk (if you don't have buttermilk, simply measure out a cup of milk and add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice. Stir and let stand for 10 minutes. Congratulations! You just made buttermilk!)
1 stick of frozen butter, grated on the largest holes of a box grater. I catch mine on parchment paper to make it easy to add!
Method:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, combine flours, sugar, baking powder and soda, and salt, until well incorporated.
Pour grated stick of butter into dry ingredients and mix together. Break down into smaller, pea-sized pieces with fingers, until flour takes on a crumbly texture.
Make a well in the center for the flour mixture and pour in buttermilk and bring together with a spatula until dough begins to come together. If mixture seems dry and does not pull away from sides of bowl, add a touch more of buttermilk, a tablespoon at a time, and mix.
Use a spatula to wipe down sides of bowl while working to combine, mixing until just combined. Once brought together, turn out onto a floured surface. It is going to look shabby and not smooth (don’t panic!).
Knead gently, about 5-7 times, until dough has a smooth consistency.
Then begin the folding portion: flour your rolling pin, and then begin rolling out your dough into a rectangle (short side towards you and the long sides on the left and right). Then, take bottom side of dough, and fold the dough in half. Bringing the bottom edge and the top meet. Next turn the dough, to the right once, so that the fold now faces to the right. Then roll out again (to about half an inch), and then fold in half and turn back to the left, so that the fold comes back to the top. Complete this folding process 3 more times—you are building layers into your biscuits.
For your final roll out, make a rectangle about 9 inches long and 7 inches wide, about 1/2 an inch thick. Taking a sharp knife, clean up the sides to make neat, straight lines. Mark three rows of 4 biscuits, totaling 12 biscuits and cut with knife.
Place on a baking sheet or cast iron skillet, pre-greased with Crisco or butter, with sides touching.
**Remember, biscuits are friendly and LOVE neighbors! Place them next to a neighbor or two on your baking sheet to help them rise.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Brush tops with melted butter immediately out of the oven.
While your biscuits are baking, make something to put on them! Keep scrolling for sausage gravy…
Ingredients:
1 pound pork sausage
2 cups milk
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Method;
In a skillet on medium-high heat, add a drizzle of oil to the pan to help with heat conduction.
Add sausage to the pan and break down into smaller pieces and cook until no longer pink.
Stir in butter and allow to melt.
Add flour to the skillet and mix in until flour is absorbed and no longer smells like raw flour.
Reduce heat to low and add milk.
Stirring frequently, until starting to resemble thick consistency. Add seasonings and salt and pepper to taste.
Once gravy is thick and lovely, serve immediately! (Preferably over a hot biscuit!)