Heat the oven to 425°F and arrange a rack in the middle.
Whisk together the measured flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl to aerate and combine.
Add the butter pieces and toss to just coat them in the flour mixture. Place the bowl in the freezer for 10 minutes.
Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, and working quickly so as not to soften the butter, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it’s in pea-size pieces.
Drizzle in the buttermilk and stir just until a moist, shaggy dough comes together.
Generously dust a work surface with flour. Scrape the dough out onto the surface and dust the top with more flour. Using floured hands, gently pat the dough into a 1-inch-thick circle.
Using a 2-1/2-inch round cutter (a drinking glass works well) dipped in flour, cut out as many biscuits as possible.
Transfer the biscuits to a baking sheet prepared with non-stick coating. Space them at least 1 inch apart.
Gather the scraps into a ball, pat it into a 1-inch-thick circle, and cut out more biscuits.
Repeat as needed until you have 8 total.
Bake until the biscuits have risen and are golden brown on top, about 15 to 16 minutes. Transfer them to a wire rack. Meanwhile, make the gravy.
for the gravy
Heat the butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until foaming.
Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon, until the meat is no longer pink and is starting to brown, about 5 minutes.
Reduce the heat to medium. Sprinkle the sausage with the flour, salt and pepper, and.
Cook, stirring frequently, for about 1 minute.
Gradually stir in both milks, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
Continue simmering, stirring often, until the mixture has thickened slightly, about 1 minute more (the gravy will continue to thicken as it sits). Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as needed. Keep warm.
To serve, split the biscuits in half horizontally and top with the sausage gravy.
Garnish with paprika.
Notes
Take a shortcut with this southern recipe and use your favorite store-bought biscuits.