BAKING POWDER BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425° F. Grease two 8-inch cake pans. 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. 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. 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.