Biscuits and Gravy

During quarantine, I’ve been doing a lot of baking, and experimenting with recipes I’ve wanted to make, but just haven’t. Today I decided to make biscuits. Now I don’t begin to believe I’m a biscuit maker, since all of my In-Laws live in the south, I would never compare my biscuits to theirs!

After reviewing quite a few recipes, watching a few videos, several failed attempts years ago, I think I finally get it.  I had been overworking the dough.  Here’s what I came up with....

Buttermilk Biscuits

Ingredients

• 4 cups bread flour, plus more for the work surface 
• 2 tablespoons baking powder 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 3 sticks salted butter (¾ pound), cold, cut into ½-inch pieces or grated 
• 2 large eggs, beaten, plus 1 large egg for brushing 
• 1½ cups buttermilk, or as needed, plus 1 tablespoon for brushing 
• Pinch flake salt

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the butter and use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour until the pieces are even and about the size of peas.
2. Stir in the beaten eggs with a wooden spoon until combined. Stir in 1½ cups buttermilk until the dough comes together into a sticky mass. If it is too dry, add more buttermilk 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing after each addition, until it reaches the correct consistency. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
3. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
4. Scrape the dough onto a floured work surface. Use your floured hands to press it into a round roughly 14 inches across and about ½ inch thick.
5. Use a floured 2¾- inch round cutter to cut out about 20 biscuits. If necessary, collect and pat out the scraps to cut more biscuits.
6. Transfer the biscuits to the prepared baking sheet, arranging them so that they all are touching.
7. In a small dish, beat together the remaining egg and 1 tablespoon buttermilk. Brush the mixture on the top of the biscuits. Very lightly sprinkle with flake salt.
8. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool slightly in the pan on a rack.
9. Biscuits are best the day they are made (and ideally fresh out of the oven!). Serve with strawberry jam or sausage gravy, if desired. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Oh, yeah....here’s the Sausage Gravy

Sausage Gravy

Ingredients

• 4 oz Sausage (I had frozen patties, so I chopped up 2)
• 2 oz Butter, cut up 
• Flour
• 1 cup Milk (give or take a few ounces)
• Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Fry up the sausage. Once browned, add in the butter, stir until melted. 
2. Reduce temp to med/low. Sprinkle in the flour, and whisk until combined. Mixture should be dry. If it’s not add more flour and continue to stir. You’ll want to continue to cook the flour/butter/sausage for a few minutes to reduce the flour taste. 
3. Slowly add in the milk, and stir to combine.  As the mixture thickens, add in more milk to “thin” the mixture out, until desired thickness.
4. Add pepper to taste. 

  

Oh and a gratuitous picture of Zoey, my sons chef, taster, sniffer and kitchen companion. 

Savory Sausage Bundt "Cake"

Every year we are invited to a friends poker party.  The party is a lot of fun, and we are able to  catch up with old friends, meet some great new friends, but the funny part is neither Craig or I play poker. At the party, Craig helps maintain the buy in table, and keep track of who's in and who's out, while I tend to help keep the kitchen picked up. 

Since there's an occasional alcoholic beverage, we usually reserve a room and our “thanks” is to make breakfast (for those who have crashed or reserved a room. Some times people leave before breakfast, and miss out big time, just sayin!). In years past we've made fig scones, omelettes just to name a few. This year, I came across a recipe for a Savory Stuffed Bundt Cake, and was like, I just have to make this!!

So the recipe goes like this:

Savory Sausage Bundt "Cake"

 

Ingredients

* 1 batch pizza dough (store bought or homemade)

* 2 lb bulk sausage(I used a turkey breakfast, but chorizo would be incredible)

*¾ lb jack cheese, shredded

*¾ lb cheddar cheese, shredded

* 1 fresh jalapeño, seeded & diced fine

* 1 onion, diced fine

* ½ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped, plus more for garnish if desired

* black pepper, to taste

* 5 eggs, beaten

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375.

2. Generously grease the bunds pan.

3. Cook the sausage in a skillet over medium heat, drain as needed

4. While the sausage is cooking, mix the cheese, jalapeño, onion, cheese and cilantro in a medium mixing bowl, add black pepper to taste.

5. Roll out the dough and place in a greased bundt pan, placing the dough so that there is enough lip around the inner column and outer edge to fold together after adding the filling. If your bundt pan is larger, just do your best. You'll have to pinch together the ends anyway.

6. Once the sausage is cooked, add to the cheese, jalapeño, onion and cilantro mixture. Mix together and check seasoning, adjusting as needed.

7. Whisk the eggs and combine with the sausage mixture. Pour the sausage mixture into the bundt pan and distribute evenly.

8. Fold the outer and inner edges of the dough together and press to seal.

9. Bake the bundt cake for 40-45 minutes until the dough takes on a golden color.

10. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting onto a serving platter. Serve warm.

If your not a fan of sausage, you can substitute bacon, ham or even turkey.  Can also be made with vegetarian, using EverRoast “sausages”.  Also, can add additional vegetables as desired,

• blanched broccoli, 

• diced celery, 

• diced potatoes, 

• chopped asparagus…..the list goes on.  

Make it with whatever you would like.  I would recommend that if you change the meat or vegetables, that you use a complementary cheese.  Example:

• Ham/Swiss/Asparagus, 

• Chorizo/Queso Fresco/Cheddar/Potatoes,

• Turkey/Dill Havarti/Broccoli…..(maybe avocado?)

Think ahead….for this, I pre-browned the sausage and made the onion/cheese/sausage mixture the night before. I would highly recommend that you don't assemble the entire mixture ahead, as the dough would become soggy.

Recipe adapted from www.goodiegodmother.com