BUTTERMILK BISCUITS N SAUSAGE GRAVY

Steps:

• 1. Set the oven temp to 450. Pan Prep: The kind of pan you use makes a difference with biscuits, oddly enough. For example, I do not recommend glass baking dishes for this. If that's all you have, reduce the heat to 400. The biscuits may not brown on the bottom as well. IF YOU HAVE IT, use a large cast iron skillet. Put 1 tbsp of Crisco or shortening in and set in the oven so as it heats and the shortening melts. This is an extra step that gives a crispy outside crust with a fluffy inside. It is not essential and this step can be skipped. Or you can bake them on a stone baking sheet. If so, reduce heat to 425. Or you can use a metal baking sheet. If so, try to double stack the baking sheets, putting one on top of the other to insulate the pan and keep it from burning the bottoms of the biscuits before they are done. Metal pans get very hot.
• 2. Whisk all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Cut the butter into the flour mixture. You can do this with a pastry cutter, 2 knives slashing against each other, you can squish the butter in with your fingers or you can pour it all into a food processor and pulse just a few times. So many options!
• 3. Start to pour in the buttermilk to the dry ingredients, mixing with a fork. You may not need all the buttermilk or you may even need more. You want the dough to be sticky, but not too wet that you cant handle it. If it is too wet, add a little more flour in. NOTE: if you don't have buttermilk, you can use milk. You will need less of it because it is not as thick. And, if you use milk, leave out the baking soda. The baking soda reacts with the acid in the buttermilk and is not needed if milk is used.
• 4. Flour a countertop, cutting board or something like that. Scoop out the dough and sprinkle some flour on it. Fold the dough over itself 2 or 3 times using your hands dipped in flour. Now pat the dough out to about an inch thick. The thicker the dough now, the higher the biscuits. Cut them with a biscuit cutter or a cleaned out empty can. Do not twist while cutting, just dip the cutter in flour, push down on the dough and pull up. If it sticks, just tap it out. Set the biscuits aside. Take the dough scraps, knead them together, pat out and cut out some more biscuits. Throw away any scraps after that.
• 5. When they are all cut, pull the hot skillet out of the oven and carefully(!!!) place each biscuit into the hot oil. You can put them pretty close together, but not touching. The closer they are the more the biscuits, as they start to expand, are forced into going up instead of out. Tall instead of short and wide. Carefully flip each biscuit over so both sides have oil. Place the pan (use lots of oven mitts!) back into the hot oven and set the timer for 10 minutes.
• 6. When the timer goes off, check them. If they are golden brown, remove from the oven. If not, rotate the pan because, remember, the back of the oven is hotter than the front. Keep an eye and they will soon be brown and ready to go.
• 7. SAUSAGE GRAVY: Cook the sausage, breaking it up with a spatula or wooden utensil into small clumps. When it is no longer pink and looks cooked, sprinkle on the flour. Cook this in, stirring for about 1 minute or so. Now add your milk, pouring in slowly, stirring and cooking on medium low heat. It will thicken up as it goes. If it is too thick, add a little more milk until it is the way you like it. Add some salt and pepper to taste.
• 8. Pour this over a cut open biscuit and enjoy!