In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and if using sugar throw that in now too, if using honey wait until the wet ingredients, whisk is together a bit.
Next add the honey if using and the butter.
Use a pastry blender to blend the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles course sand. If you don't have a pastry blender you can just use your fingers, just be sure to place the mixture into the fridge for about 15-20 minutes to harden up the butter again when you are through. Cold butter makes for flakey biscuits and your fingers will warm the butter up.
Then add the buttermilk and use a fork to gently toss the mixture a bit until the flour is just wet but not homogenous.
Then dump the dough out onto a floured surface and with floured hands, very gently knead the dough 2-3 times to bind it.
Then you can use a rolling pin or I just use my hands to press the dough out flat, you have to sprinkle it with flour to keep from sticking, you want it about 1 inch thick, maybe a tad thicker.
Then take your biscuit cutter (or round cookie cutter, I use a 2" cutter) and cut out rounds and place them on an un-greased baking sheet.
Repeat until all the dough is used up.
Bake about 16-20 minutes, until golden brown. TO MAKE THE GRAVY
While the biscuits are baking get that gravy made up, brown your sausage in a medium to large skillet over medium high heat.
Once browned, reduce the heat to medium and sprinkle the flour over the sausage and then stir it around so the sausage is all nicely coated in flour.
Then pour in about a ¼ cup of the milk and stir until thick, continue slowly adding milk until the gravy is a good loose consistency and then add the heavy cream, salt, pepper and pepper flakes if using.
Once the biscuits come out of the oven, slice in half, butter and top with gravy.
Recipe by Foods of Our Lives at https://www.foodsofourlives.com/2014/06/biscuits-and-gravy/