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Sausage & Sage Biscuits

Source of Recipe

From "Big Food Big Love" by Heather Earnhardt


Recipe Introduction

"My Aunt Dee-Dee made sausage balls every Christmas. The smell of the ground pork sausage, sage, and cheddar inspired me to make these savory biscuits. You can cut them into large biscuits as directed, or make like Dee-Dee and use a one-ounce scoop for the batter, then roll it gently into balls with your fingers. But don't wait for Christmas or the holidays: serve them at a brunch or potluck, or make a batch and freeze to use at an impromptu cocktail party."

List of Ingredients

â—¦  6 ½ cups flour
â—¦  3 tablespoons sugar
â—¦  2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons baking powder
â—¦  1 tablespoon kosher salt
â—¦  1 tablespoon Sausage Spice Mix
â—¦  1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
â—¦  1 ½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, diced and chilled
â—¦  1 pound cooked breakfast sausage
â—¦  8 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated
â—¦  ½ cup chopped fresh sage
â—¦  3 cups buttermilk, chilled
â—¦  2 tablespoons butter, melted


Recipe

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, spice mix, and baking soda on low speed until combined.

Increase the speed to medium low and mix in the butter until it is the size of small peas. Mix in the sausage, cheese, and sage, and then, with the mixer running, add the buttermilk, mixing just until blended. Do not overmix; the dough will be a bit shaggy with bits of unincorporated dry ingredients.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Using a floured rolling pin, roll it gently into a 1 ½-inch-thick circle. Cut out 12 biscuits using a 3-inch cutter, dipping it in flour between biscuits. Do not twist the cutter; this will seal the sides of your biscuits and they will not rise as high.

Arrange the biscuits on two baking sheets, and brush them with the melted butter. Right before baking, reduce the oven temperature to 425 degrees F. Bake the biscuits until golden brown on top, 22 to 25 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through baking.

Makes 1 dozen 3-inch biscuits,
or 4 dozen 1-inch biscuit balls



Sausage Spice Mix:

â—¦  ¾ cup kosher salt
â—¦  3 tablespoons chili powder
â—¦  3 tablespoons smoked paprika
â—¦  2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
â—¦  2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
â—¦  1 ½ tablespoons white pepper
â—¦  1 tablespoon cayenne
â—¦  1 tablespoon ground coriander
â—¦  1 tablespoon ground cumin
â—¦  ½ tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
â—¦  1 ¼ teaspoons dry mustard powder

Sift all the ingredients into a large bowl and mix thoroughly. The spice mix will keep for up to 3 months stored in a lidded glass jar or ziplock bag.

Makes 1 ¾ cups