Buttermilk Biscuits with Country Sausage Gravy

Ingredients

• 8 servings biscuits 
• 0.8 teaspoon pepper black freshly ground
• 0.8 pound bulk pork sausage 
• 0.3 cup butter cold melted
• 3 tablespoons butter 
• 0.8 cup buttermilk 
• 0.3 tsp cayenne 
• 1 cup flour all-purpose
• 2 teaspoons thyme leaves fresh minced plus more for sprinkling
• 0.8 teaspoon powdered garlic 
• 8 servings gravy 
• 0.5 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 0.5 tsp kosher salt 
• 0.8 teaspoon powdered onion 
• 2 cups self-rising flour 
• 2 tablespoons sugar 
• 0.8 cup whipping cream 
• 1.5 cups whipping cream 
• 1.5 cups milk whole

Equipment

• bowl
• sauce pan
• oven
• whisk
• blender
• toothpicks
• cake form
• wooden spoon
• ice cream scoop
• measuring cup
• slotted spoon
• pie form

Directions

1. Make biscuits: Preheat oven to 45
2. In a large bowl, whisk together self-rising flour, salt, and sugar.
3. Cut cold butter into small cubes and, using a pastry blender, cut butter into flour mixture until pieces are the size of peas. Stir in buttermilk and half-and-half just until incorporated.
4. Put all-purpose flour in a shallow bowl or pie dish. Using an ice cream scoop or measuring cup, scoop 1/8 of dough and drop it into flour, tossing lightly to coat and shaking off excess. Put dough in an 8-in. cake pan. Repeat with remaining dough (biscuits will touch in pan). Reserve 1/4 cup remaining all-purpose flour.
5. Bake biscuits until deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.
6. Let cool 10 minutes.
7. Brush with 2 tbsp. melted butter.
8. Make gravy: Put sausage in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook until lightly browned, 5 to 6 minutes, breaking it into small pieces with a wooden spoon.
9. Transfer sausage to a plate with a slotted spoon, reserving any drippings.
10. Meanwhile, in another medium saucepan over medium-low heat, warm half-and-half, milk, powdered garlic and onion, pepper, thyme, cayenne, and 1/2 tsp. salt.
11. Add butter to sausage drippings and let melt.
12. Add 1/4 cup reserved flour and whisk until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add warm milk mixture, whisking, until simmering. Stir in sausage and season to taste with salt. (For thicker gravy, simmer longer; for thinner gravy, add more milk.)
13. Halve biscuits and put on 8 plates. Top with gravy; sprinkle with thyme.
14. *You can substitute 2 cups all-purpose flour mixed with 3 tsp. baking powder and 1 tsp. kosher salt.