The Perfect Swim Biscuits & Southern-style Chocolate Gravy

The perfect biscuit is such a personal preference. Some people enjoy soft, fluffy biscuits. Some people enjoy a buttery, layered biscuit. And me? I love a biscuit that is somewhere between my mom’s fluffy biscuits and my grandmother’s buttery biscuits with a crispy crust straight from the cast iron. That’s where these easy swim biscuits come in!

INGREDIENTS

Biscuits:

• 1 stick of butter
• 2-1/2 cups flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 4 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 cups of milk

Chocolate Gravy:

• 3/4 cups sugar
• 1/4 cups cocoa
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 2 cups of milk or water
• pinch of salt (to taste)

INSTRUCTIONS

Biscuits:

1. Turn on oven to 425 degrees.
2. Place stick of butter into your cast iron skillet and put into oven as it is heating. Remove from oven when butter is melted (about 10 minutes). I like to leave it in there until the milk solids start turning golden.
3. In a bowl, combine dry ingredients before adding in milk.
4. Once butter is melted in iron skillet, drop heaping spoons of dough into the melted butter forming individual biscuits. I usually make around 9 large biscuits.
5. Swirl your pan a little so that some of the butter also gets on top and in between your biscuits.
6. Cook in 425-degree oven for about 25 minutes, or until the edges are crispy and the tops are golden brown.

Chocolate Gravy:

1. Sift dry ingredients together into a saucepan.
2. Slowly incorporate water or milk into dry ingredients. (My mom used water instead of milk!)
3. Heat at medium heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture is combined (no lumps!) and has thickened to a gravy consistency.
4. Finish with a tab of butter (and some people add a touch of vanilla, but this was not traditional in our house growing up).

NOTES:

While it is trendy now to call this chocolate gravy and biscuits, these were just “chocolate biscuits” to us when growing up. This treat is a staple for any weekend country breakfast. Since Zach doesn’t like chocolate biscuits, make sure you also make a quick & tasty sausage milk gravy to top those swim biscuits! Add grits and a side of bacon … and you’re home. I love you, kiddos!