Southern Biscuits and Gravy

An early gift I received this year was The Lodge [Cast Iron Company] Book of Dutch Oven Cooking. It's a very thoughtfully constructed book for the most part, with insightful tips on how to use a Dutch oven, how to build the best kind of fires for them, how to dig a bean hole the right way, what woods are best, etc. However, one page of recipes -- 'Southern biscuits and gravy' -- is ridiculously bad. Every part of the biscuit recipe is wrong, and the gravy recipe directs you to mix a package of a particular brand's gravy mix with water!

So, since I share recipes sometimes, here's my recipe for biscuits and gravy. This sort of thing causes fights among Southern cooks, as it is a matter of great pride to do it right, usually meaning -- as indeed I do mean -- "the way my grandmother taught me." Any of you who are Southerners whose family recipe differs are not hereby declared wrong; I have room for a diversity of opinions (and please leave your own version in the comments). This one is from the mountains of Tennessee, as you'll intuit from the brand recommendations: White Lily is located in Knoxville, and Tennessee Pride is from Nashville (their 'farmboy' character has appeared on the Grand Ol' Opry).

Southern Biscuits

2 cups White Lily Self-Rising flour (or White Lily regular flour plus baking soda and powder, if you prefer; but White Lily for certain because they are the only flour that produces soft enough biscuits because they use 100% soft winter red wheat, which will make tender biscuits).

1/4 cup bacon grease, reserved from the last time you made bacon (my grandmother made biscuits and bacon every morning)

3/4 cup buttermilk or sour milk (i.e. whole milk plus a bit of lemon juice, wait five minutes after combining before mixing)

Combine until moist. On a well-floured surface knead not more than five-seven times, fewer if you can mange it. (Kneading produces gluten, the protein that makes bread stiff; biscuits are meant to be soft and tender.) I like to press the dough out into a layer, fold a quarter of it onto itself from each end, and then fold the two parts at the middle of the dough so it looks like you're closing a book; this will create layers. Cut into biscuits with a knife or biscuit cutter. Bake at 450 until they are golden brown on the top; remove and brush with melted butter (or I often use a refrigerated stick of butter, as they will be hot enough to melt it).

Gravy

First, make a pound of sausage (Tennessee Pride Hot is the family favorite here). In the grease thereof, make a roux; typically I mix two tablespoons of flour (all purpose is fine for this) with about a half a cup of cold water, then add it to the grease and mix. Thin with whole milk (not sour or buttermilk) and then cook until it thickens again. Salt and black pepper to taste.