Creamy Homemade Sausage Gravy Made with Fresh Milled Flour

Sausage gravy made with fresh milled flour is a delicious twist on a classic southern comfort food.

Fresh milled flour adds extra flavor and a creamy texture, making this homemade gravy perfect for any meal. With a little patience and the right approach, you can achieve smooth, lump-free results every time.

3 Tips you need to know before you get started:

1.    Use soft white wheat berries. Soft white wheat berries produce the best results for thickeners and gravies. If you don’t have soft white wheat berries, you can make gravy with almost any other type of wheat berry. However, I’ve noticed the texture is slightly more gritty and less creamy.

2.    Cook slightly longer on lower heat. Freshly milled flour needs a few minutes longer to cook than store-bought flour would need.  This allows the wheat bran and germ to absorb the liquid resulting in a creamier gravy. To achieve this slightly longer cook time without burning the gravy, simply reduce the heat. 

3.    Understand you need to balance the temperature of your skillet and the rate at which you are adding the liquid.  Keep reading for more details about this balance, and don’t forget to watch my video for a visual on how to make homemade sausage gravy with fresh milled flour.

Ingredients:

595-615 grams milk (approximate depending on thickness of gravy)

90 g soft white wheat berries (1/2 cup)

1 pound of ground sausage

1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

¼ teaspoon pepper (or to taste)

How to Make Sausage Gravy with Fresh Milled Flour

Step 1:

Measure 90 grams of soft white wheat berries.  Mill on a fine setting.  I have a NutriMillHarvest so I can get a full 90 grams of flour one-for-one out of my grain mill.  If you have trouble getting all the flour to move through your mill, you may need to weigh out one or two grams extra of wheat berries.  This will account for any loss you may experience in the milling process.

Step 2:

Warm your skillet over medium heat.  I like to use a cast iron skillet for making sausage gravy with fresh milled flour, but any skillet will work fine. Next, over medium heat, brown 1 pound of ground sausage, chopping into small chunks as it cooks. After the sausage is fully cooked, reduce the heat to medium low.  Then, add the freshly milled flour and stir until all the flour is fully absorbed by grease.  Cook for 1-2 minutes more.

Step 3:

Next, slowly add approximately 1/3 of the total amount of milk.  Be sure to stir as you add the milk. Then, slowly add the remainder of the milk, stirring until it reaches your desired consistency.  If the gravy is thickening up too fast, reduce the heat to low. 

Tip:

When making sausage gravy, it’s important to understand you need to balance the temperature and the rate at which you are adding the liquid.  If the liquid is going in too fast or if the temperature of your skillet is too hot, you’ll get lumps.  The best way to avoid the lumps is to stir in the liquid slowly at a lower heat. If it starts to get lumpy you need to quickly adjust either the heat, or the amount of liquid.  Then, stir out any lumps. There’s a little bit of an art to this balance but after practicing just a few times, you’ll be able to perfect the technique in no time.  See my video for a visual on what this looks like.

My family likes thick sausage gravy.  If you don’t like your gravy thick, simply add more milk until you reach your desired consistency.

Step 4:

Finally, add salt and pepper to taste, then on low heat cook for another 1–2 minutes, stirring until the milk is heated throughout.

Mastering sausage gravy with fresh milled flour takes a little patience and practice, but the result is a creamy, flavorful dish that’s perfect for breakfast or dinner. By balancing heat and liquid, and using soft white wheat berries, you’ll achieve a smooth, delicious gravy every time. Enjoy it over my “Easy Biscuits Made with Fresh Milled Flour” recipe for a comforting homemade meal.