Smoked Sausage Jambalaya Buttermilk Biscuits

These mile-high jambalaya buttermilk biscuits are stacked with all the savory flavors of New Orleans’ most comforting rice dish.  These tender biscuits are absolutely stacked with Zatarain’s Cajun-Style Smoked Sausage, onions, peppers, and roasted tomatoes. We’re taking big bites of Mardi Gras this year – here’s how!

Friends, we have a bonafide tradition in the works!  As most traditions are around here – it’s DELICIOUS.  Every Mardi Gras for the last two years, I’ve baked Zatarain’s Smoked Sausage into a heavenly dough heap fit for a carnival celebration – whether we’re dancing in the streets of New Orleans or not.  Last year’s  Smoked Andouille Sausage and Cream Cheese Rolls were shockingly pillowy and the way they disappeared on Fat Tuesday – that recipe is a keeper.  Not to mention the humbly epic Savory King Cake that Will now asks for every year.  The surprise of a King Cake that would have taken top prize at our friendly annual king cake contest had I had the wherewithall to arrive on time.

This year’s offering is a flaky buttery biscuit, stacked with layers of Zatarain’s Smoked Sausage, sauteed onions and peppers, and roasted tomatoes. Think: jambalaya without the rice, extra biscuit.  Think: pocket friendly jambalaya (for all the street dancing we do).  Think: an elite Mardi Gras weekend treat.

These biscuits are inspired by a Creole-style Jambalaya like this Creole Jambalaya made with tomatoes.  If you’re more inclined to a Cajun-style like this Chicken and Sausage Cajun Jambalaya, feel free to skip the roasted tomatoes.

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make these Jambalaya Buttermilk Biscuits:

•  Zatarain’s Andouille Smoked Sausage or Zatarain’s Cajun Smoked Sausage – perfectly seasoned and spiced pork sausage

•  cherry tomatoes with olive oil, salt, and pepper for roasting

•  yellow onion, diced

•  green bell pepper, diced

•  all-purpose flour

•  baking powder and baking soda

•  granulated sugar and kosher salt

•  buttermilk

•  cold unsalted butter, cubed

•  flaky sea salt, back pepper, and cajun seasoning

These biscuits come together in stages.  Don’t think of it for the time and dishes. Think of yourself building and layering flavors.  First layer – in the spirit of Creole Jambalaya, we’re roasting tomatoes to concentrate their juices and flavor.

Slice up the Zatarain’s Cajun-Style Smoked Sausage and mingle the rounds in a small saucepan with diced onion and green peppers.  This is IT! The onions sweeten, the green peppers have their subtle bitter bite, and the sausage adds a smoky spice inherent to a classic jambalaya.

With our jambalaya ingredients coaxed by the heat and transferred to a bowl, allow the mixture to quick chill in the freezer while we make the biscuit dough.

To bring together the biscuit dough we’ll first whisk together our dry ingredients (including a little sugar that balances the savory sausage), and add our cubes of cold butter.

I like to use my hands to break the butter down into small sheets or pea-sized butter bits.  A pastry blender is also a great tool if you don’t want to get your hands too dirty (though our hands are getting dirty as we knead the dough so don’t be shy about getting in there).

If you find whole milk buttermilk at the grocery – buy it immediately. It’s so much more lux than 2% buttermilk and these biscuits deserve it.

My best buttermilk substitutions include my favorite sub that uses milk and whole milk yogurt, so if buttermilk feels like a splurge – there are ways around it!

Whisk an egg into whatever buttermilk you have and pour it into the buttery flour mixture.

The dough will come together into a shaggy mess, to which we’ll add a bit more mess: our cooked and cooled jambalaya filling.

Dump the shaggy and loaded biscuit dough onto a floured counter.  Admittedly, this is where things get chaotic.  Flour your fingers and press the dough into a relatively cohesive rectangle.  It might take a few good sprinkles of flour but press and fold the dough into a thickthick brick.

With a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a 1-inch thick rectangle.  We’re going to laminate the dough by folding the dough with an envelope fold. The bottom third of the dough will come up two thirds of the dough, and the top third will fold over.  Use a bench scraper to divide the dough in half and stack em!

By stacking the dough, we’re also stacking sheets of butter and flour that will create tall fluffy layers in the hot oven.  But just to be sure we’ve got our layers locked, we’ll roll and fold once more.

Again roll the buttermilk biscuit dough to 1-inch thickness and fold into thirds.  Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the freezer for 15 minutes while the oven preheats to screamin’ hot.  This chill time is key. We want the butter to re-chill so it creates those flaky lifted layers.

After the dough is chilled, roll for the last time, to a 1-inch thickness and slice into 8 large biscuits.  If you’d like smaller biscuits, you can certainly go for 12 small squares.

Place the biscuit dough on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and brush with buttermilk before sprinkling with salt, pepper, and Cajun seasoning.  Now we bake.

Bake until the biscuits are golden brown and the kitchen smells like a savory smoked sausage dream home. And just to guild the lily, we’ll brush melted butter over the warm biscuits.  Sprinkle with chives for a fresh touch.

All biscuits should be served warm, with dignity, and these are no exception.  Your instinct might be to tuck a second in your pocket and you have my full support.  If you see me in the streets come Fat Tuesday, best believe I’ll have a Jambalaya Buttermilk Biscuit in my pocket.  For sustenance because you don’t know what the Mardi Gras streets may bring.

Happy Baking, friends! Most importantly, Happy Mardi Gras!

Leave any recipe questions or comments in below.

Jambalaya Biscuits

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 6 reviews

• Author: Joy the Baker
• Prep Time: 40 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: about 1 hour
• Yield: 8 biscuits 1x
• Category: breakfast, mardi gras
• Method: baking

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Description

A tender, savory, and stacked Mardi Gras biscuit!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the Jambalaya Filing:

• 1 heaping cup cherry tomatoes, halved and roasted until bubbling with a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
• 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
• 7 ounces (1 sausage link) Zatarain’s Cajun-Style Smoke Sausage, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds

For the Biscuit Dough:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup cold buttermilk, plus more for topping the biscuits
• Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper, for topping
• Melted butter and chopped chives, for topping

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Instructions

1. First make the jambalaya filling. In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and peppers and cook until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add the sliced sausage and toss to combine, about 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl along with the roasted tomatoes and refrigerate while you make the biscuit dough.
2. In a large bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the cold butter and work into the dry ingredients into smaller butter chunks using fast hands or a pastry blender. Butter will be the size of peas when broken down. Place the mixture in the freezer for 15 minutes to re-chill.
3. In a small bowl whisk together egg and cold buttermilk. Keep chilled.
4. Take the flour mixture out of the freezer and drizzle in the buttermilk. Stir into a shaggy dough. Add the chilled jambalaya filling and toss to combine. Turn the dough out onto a clean counter and gently knead together into a cohesive rectangle.
5. Gently roll the dough into a 1-inch thick rectangle on a lightly floured surface. At the short end of the dough closest to you, fold the dough over until the edge of the dough meets the center of the dough. If it feels like there are chunks of meat everywhere – yes, that’s right. Fold the top edge of the dough towards the center over the first fold. An envelope fold. Slice the dough in half through the vertical center, stack the two pieces of dough and again gently roll the dough into a 1-inch rectangle and repeat the folding process again. Loosely wrap the envelope of dough in plastic wrap and freeze for 15 minutes.
6. Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
7. Remove the dough from the freezer and roll to a generous 1-inch thickness. Use a sharp knife to slice into 8 squares. Place a few inches apart on the prepared baking sheet and brush the top of each biscuit with buttermilk. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
8. Bake for 15-18 minutes until golden brown. Set aside for a few minutes to cool slightly before serving. I like to brush with butter and sprinkle with a bit of chives before serving.
9. Biscuits are best enjoyed the day they’re made but keep, well wrapped, in the refrigerator for 2 days. Just wrap in foil and toast in the oven before serving.

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