Vegan Biscuits and Gravy - A Rich and Comforting Breakfast Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the gravy in biscuits and gravy made of? ›

This Biscuits and Gravy recipe, sometimes called Sawmill Gravy, uses flour, butter, milk, and sausage, staple ingredients found inexpensively at your local grocery. Here are more reasons why we love it: Simple to make so it's perfect for beginner and seasoned chefs alike.

Scones and Gravy: The English Equivalent

In England, the closest counterpart to biscuits and gravy would be scones and gravy. However, it's important to note that the gravy in this context refers to a savory sauce, rather than the creamy, sausage-infused gravy that is synonymous with the American version.

The dish consists of soft dough biscuits covered in white gravy (sawmill gravy), made from the drippings of cooked pork sausage, flour, milk, and often (but not always) bits of sausage, bacon, ground beef, or other meat. The gravy is often flavored with black pepper.

According to many food writers and culinary historians, biscuits and gravy originated right here in the Southern Appalachia in the late 1800s. During the lumber industry era, biscuits with “sawmill gravy” were considered a cheap and high-calorie fuel for workers who had to lift and carry lumber all day long.

Unfortunately, this comforting and heavy breakfast or brunch can quickly knock out your calorie intake for the whole day. Biscuits and gravy are high in calories and saturated fats and low in nutritional benefits.

Your gravy might taste doughy or chalky if you didn't cook the flour enough when making your roux. You'll want to cook the flour for at least five minutes, until it smells nutty and begins to turn light brown. But if you don't notice until it's too late and you've already added your broth, bring the gravy to a simmer.

The challenge was recreating my memory of those pitch-perfect versions in my own kitchen. Made in a skillet with drippings, sausage gravy is creamy and savory and often served with tender, flaky biscuits for breakfast in the southern United States.

In the US, what us Brits call a biscuit, Americans would call a cookie - whilst an American biscuit is something resembling a British scone… making a name like Biscuiteers seem rather confusing!

It is a simple, basic tomato sauce in New Orleans. In the Italian American communities it refers to a complex long- and slow-cooked tomato sauce, frequently with meats and vegetables, although the distinction between "sauce" and "gravy" in the Italian tomato world is debated.

Like many other Southern favorites, biscuits and gravy were born out of necessity. The dish has been found on tables for decades, and quickly became a staple of Southern diets. The hearty, high calorie dish made a delicious, filling and inexpensive breakfast dish for laborers.

Why do they call it sawmill gravy? ›

The term "sawmill gravy" comes from early logging camp food and old-time sawmills. It was originally made with cornmeal, bacon drippings, milk, and seasonings. This resulted in a somewhat gritty gravy; in fact, rumor has it that the loggers would accuse the cooks of putting sawdust in the recipe!

If you're in the U.S., a biscuit is a round, flaky, buttery piece of leavened bread. In the U.K. a biscuit is a crisp cookie often enjoyed at tea time. A scone is a quick bread that is denser than a biscuit and can be either savory or sweet. Scones come in many shapes, like round or triangular.

The fat and drippings are combined with flour to make a roux, and milk is typically used as the liquid to create the sauce, however cream is often added or may be the primary liquid. It is frequently seasoned with black pepper and complimenting herbs and bits of meat may be added such as sausage or diced chicken liver.

At the most basic level, gravy is a simple pan sauce that requires liquid and a thickener. Traditional turkey gravy usually has fat, flour, and stock. You can make excellent turkey gravy with just those ingredients, plus salt and pepper for seasoning.

'Chip shop gravy' is just a thick brown gravy served in chip shops to be poured over your chips or more rarely, for dipping your chips in. It is usually made from mixing commercial gravy powder with boiling water, very few chip shops make it from scratch.