At MUNCHIES, we’re lucky to be just a hop and skip away from Sunday in Brooklyn, one of Williamsburg’s favorite new brunch spots, where fat stacks of pancakes are drizzled with hazelnut praline and rich, flaky maple-cheddar biscuits pop fresh from the oven all day. After all the buzz, we’re stoked to have chef Jaime Young visit to walk us through their ever-popular biscuits and gravy.
Going out to brunch might be your weekend tradition, but there’s no reason you shouldn’t keep an all-star breakfast recipe in your back pocket, too. Whether you want to channel your inner Ina Garten to host a bomb-ass brunch party or impress your boo with breakfast in bed, make this biscuit recipe your new go-to. To take it next level, top them with spicy sausage gravy and a poached egg—because duh, this is brunch.
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RECIPE: Maple Cheddar Biscuits and Gravy
As Young sets up in the Test Kitchen on a cold winter day, we quickly realize the secret to their irresistible biscuits: a shit-ton of butter. Though Young credits the biscuits to his executive sous chef Mallory Cayon, he knows the tricks, too, and he’s down to share them.
A flaky biscuit is all about the keeping the butter as cold as possible, Young says. He incorporates the butter into the dry ingredients in a food processor. If you don’t have one, use a fork or pastry cutter, since your hands will melt the butter and prevent flaky layers from forming. “Visually when [the dough is] right, you’ll see chunks of butter,” he says. “When it bakes, [the butter] creates that flakiness, and those pockets of steam give the biscuit more lift.”
Young adds the wet ingredients and mixes until just combined. He rolls out the dough to about an inch thick and folds it into thirds. He cuts that dough into square biscuits, then puts them on a lined baking sheet and freezes them for an hour. “The colder the butter, the slower the melt, so it gives you more flakiness and lift,” he says. (You can leave them wrapped up in the freezer for longer, then bake as needed for future brunch seshes.)
While the biscuits chill, make the sausage gravy. Young cooks the sausage and transfers it to a bowl once brown and crispy. Then, he cooks the peppers and onions in the sausage fat. When the vegetables have softened, he adds flour and cooks it until it’s tan. He pours the milk in slowly while stirring. “Ideally, to avoid the lumps, your milk is room temperature,” he recommends, before seasoning with salt, pepper, and sambal for a little kick.
At this point, the biscuits go into the oven to bake. In another pot, Young simmers water to poach eggs. If you’ve ever attempted poached eggs and ended up with an ugly mess, he’s got a fix for that: add enough vinegar to the water that you taste acid, and then swirl the water with a spoon right before you drop in the egg. Once the egg is in, he continues to move the water lightly. “The motion will wrap around the yolk, and you want the yolk to set before the water stops,” he says. After about two and a half minutes, he takes the egg out with a slotted spoon.
To serve, take a biscuit, cut it in half, and top with a generous ladle of sausage gravy. Add a poached egg and a dash of chopped chives, then drizzle on some hot sauce if you’re feeling spicy.
Congrats, you just crushed the homemade brunch. Don’t forget to show it off before you dig in.
