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Buttermilk

Sausage, Cheddar, and Chive Biscuit Bread

by:
March  5, 2015
4.3
3 Ratings
Photo by Bobbi Lin
  • Serves 8
Author Notes

Call me Southern, but I do love a good sausage biscuit. What's just as good as a sausage-and-cheese biscuit is this recipe for sausage, cheddar, and chive biscuit bread. Each bite is packed with cheesy, chivy, sausage-y (I'm inventing words here) biscuit-rich perfection. It's super easy to make, too, and a savory alternative to your brunch classics. —Mary Catherine Tee

Test Kitchen Notes

This recipe is the ultimate in absolute comfort food. While very simple to prepare, the end result is warm, soft, and flavorful. I wish the recipe had provided me more details as to how to cut the sausage so it would sit well in the bread. Additionally, while my bread browned on the outside, the inside was still a little soft—I probably should have left it in for a bit longer. However, this would make an excellent addition to any brunch party as it hits both breakfast- and lunch-type flavors. I would absolutely make this again. —Sami Simon

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Ingredients
  • 10 ounces bulk breakfast sausage
  • 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1/4 cup chives, chopped
  • 2 cups self-rising flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/3 cup butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup half-and-half
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 375° F.
  2. Brown breakfast sausage over medium heat until cooked through, making sure to crumble as it's cooking. Once done, transfer sausage to a paper towel-lined plate to drain some of the fat. You don't want all that fat to weigh down the dough.
  3. Meanwhile, if you haven't done so already, chop the chives and shred the cheese.
  4. Sift flour, sugar, pepper, and salt into a medium-sized bowl. Cut the chilled butter cubes into the dough using your fingers, a fork, or a pastry cutter until the butter is about the size of peas.
  5. Stir in the buttermilk. Once well-stirred, stir in the half-and-half. The dough will resemble cottage cheese more than it does bread dough, but keep the faith, people. Keep the faith!
  6. Fold in the sausage, cheese, and chives, being sure not to over-mix. Once everything is slightly incorporated, transfer mixture to a buttered loaf pan.
  7. Cook at 375° F for 40 minutes or until the top is nice and browned and the inside is cooked (the toothpick test works just fine here).
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I’m an old soul. My favorite Saturday morning activity is watching birds on the feeder while drinking strong, black coffee out of my favorite hand-thrown mug. My favorite place to kill time is in antique stores. The less organized the better. I like full-bodied red wines and bitter IPAs. I live for feeling the warmth of sunshine and hearing the stillness of freshly fallen snow. I can thank my stint in Alaska for that. I have salt water in my veins, having grown up in Eastern NC, and (shhh…don’t tell any of my Mainer friends this about me) I prefer blue crab over lobster.

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18 Reviews

Write a Review
Analise S. May 28, 2019
I love this recipe! Quick, delicious and always reliable! I like to make mine into a Louisiana version by mixing a homemade creole seasoning into the breakfast sausage, it's delicious! I also usually double the recipe to make a couple dozen muffins. Thank you for posting it!
Mary C. June 5, 2019
Analise, thank you so much for this comment. It hugs my heart to know my recipes are being enjoyed and adapted. The addition of creole seasoning sounds delicious--I can't wait to try it!
Diane V. October 9, 2017
I wonder how this would go as a savory French toast? I think it has possibilities.
Mary C. October 10, 2017
I'm afraid it wouldn't hold up to an egg wash because the crumb is, well, crumbly. I think the idea is brilliant! If you try it, please let me know how it turns out! :-)
Deedledum February 27, 2018
Bet it would be good as a savory bread pudding
Allison March 4, 2016
I tested this recipe, but didn't get it done in time to submit.

Southern-style sausage balls in a loaf! The crusty exterior is perfect. Instructions are well written. I used table salt and the level was perfect. I am definitely interested in trying these in muffin for more crusty exterior per serving. Great job!
Mary C. March 4, 2016
Thanks for testing and for the nice review, Allison! Given a handful of folks have asked about the muffin option, I'll give it a shot in coming week or two and let you know how they turn out!
Mary C. March 6, 2016
The muffin test worked! The recipe makes 12 muffins (about 1/2 cup batter per muffin tin) and I baked it at 375 for 30 minutes. The outside was golden and crusty and the inside was soft and buttery, just as a biscuit should be. Note: you could probably make the outside even more crusty if you prepared the muffin pan with a healthy pat of butter. Prepared as stated above, the outside is crusty but it could stand to be a little more so.
Allison March 7, 2016
Yay! I will make a batch and then freeze them so I can have this whenever I want!
Michelle D. February 28, 2016
I tested this recipe this morning- here are some of my observations
1. Brands: KA flour self-rising flour, Jimmy Dean mild breakfast sausage, kosher salt. Bosch 800 series oven, standard 9" x 5" loaf pan.
2. Prep times: 25 mins from the time I started pulling out the ingredients to putting loaf into oven. 45 mins baking. 10 mins cool in pan, then turned out onto cooling rack. My measuring spoons were put away in the wrong place, so actual prep time was more likely 20 mins.
3. Accuracy/ usefulness of recipe: very. The recipe clearly outlines the steps for successful construction, and assuages the most likely concern of the cook- the batter really does look like cottage cheese, but after you add the sausage, cheese and chives all is fine. I have different size loaf pans, so specifying which size would have been useful. This recipe was very easy to follow, it could easily be assembled by a novice cook.
4 . Baking. I found moving the pan to the top rack after 35 mins helped to brown the top. The toothpick test is essential. I pulled the loaf with a couple of wet crumbs as I didn't want an overly dry loaf. I should have baked it a few minutes more - it wasn't quite done in the very middle (that was my error, I take responsibility).
5. Taste. Ah, southern sausage balls are a guilty favorite of mine and this recipe does them proud. Nice flavor, good texture. I will definitely make it again. I suspect that my family will demolish it in a day and clamor for more
6. Potential changes. I would suggest a bit more salt- maybe another 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon of kosher. If I had used table salt the quantity would probably have been spot on. I am a fan of spicy food, so next time I prepare this recipe I will probably double the amount of black pepper or use a spicier breakfast sausage. But that is a personal preference - I assure you it is very flavorful as is. Enjoy!

Sarah D. February 26, 2016
Can you use a muffin pan instead of a loaf pan? If so, what is the cooking time for it? Please advise.
Mary C. February 26, 2016
I've never tried it, though I definitely thought about doing it myself. I do think it would work because the batter is really wetI'd cut the cooking time back to 25-30 minutes. If you try it, let me know how they turn out!
Mary C. March 6, 2016
The muffin test worked! The recipe makes 12 muffins (about 1/2 cup batter per muffin tin) and I baked it at 375 for 30 minutes. The outside was golden and crusty and the inside was soft and buttery, just as a biscuit should be.
LeBec F. February 19, 2016
hey mc, NICE JOB! Eggs and this and I am one happy camper! Th you!
Mary C. February 21, 2016
Thank you! We are kindred spirits--eggs and anything related to a biscuit makes me a happy camper, too. :-)
Mary C. July 5, 2015
I've never tried it, though I definitely thought about doing it myself. I'd cut the cooking time back to 25-30 minutes, maybe. I do think it would work because the batter is really wet. If you try it, let me know how they turn out!
Elizabeth July 5, 2015
Thoughts on putting this in a muffin tin instead of a loaf?
Mary C. March 6, 2016
The muffin test worked! The recipe makes 12 muffins (about 1/2 cup batter per muffin tin) and I baked it at 375 for 30 minutes. The outside was golden and crusty and the inside was soft and buttery, just as a biscuit should be.