Ingredients

2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2/3 cup milk

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 425° F. Grease two 8-inch cake pans.
2. Put the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar in a bowl. Cut the shortening into the flour with two knives or a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the milk all at once and stir just until the dough forms a ball around the fork.
3. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board and knead 14 times. Pat until 1/2 inch thick. Cut into rounds with a 2-inch cookie cutter.
4. Place touching each other in the cake pans and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Crusty Baking Powder Biscuits:
Roll biscuits to 1/4 inch thick and place 1 inch apart. Bake in a 450° F oven for 12 minutes. This will yield almost twice as many biscuits.

Buttermilk Biscuits:
Use 2/3 cup buttermilk instead of sweet milk and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, cutting the amount of baking powder in half, to 2 teaspoons.

Cheese Biscuits:
Add 1/2 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese to the dry ingredients.

Drop Biscuits:
Add an additional 1/3 cup milk and drop by teaspoonfuls onto a buttered baking sheet.