Instructions: Baking pan: 1 baking sheet Teflon greased or lined with parchment paper

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. This is a hot oven.

in a mixing or mixer bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Cut in the shortening with your fingers, a pastry blender* or 2 knives or with the mixer flat beater. Pour in all the milk at once. Stir with a fork or beater blade until just mixed. Add more milk if the dough is dry. The dough will be quite wet but able to retain its shape.

Gather the dough into a ball; place on a floured surface and lightly sprinkle with flour, if necessary, to prevent sticking. Work with your hands a moment or so to pull all the dough pieces together. Dust again if necessary.

Roll with a rolling pin to 1/2 inch thickness, cut with a cookie or biscuit cutter**

into 3 inch rounds & place the biscuits on the baking sheet. Knead any scraps gently together and cut again.

If the dough is too wet to roll without sticking, for each biscuit. pinch off pieces of dough Dust lightly with flour and pat into shape on baking sheet.

Bake on the middle shelf of the hot oven for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove the biscuits from the oven and serve right away.

* I usually us a pastry blender

** I think King Arthur is right about their biscuit cutters - mine do rise higher than they did when I was using a glass to cut the biscuits.

NOTES : Mr Clayton starts off with info about various flours & the reason to use shortening./lard for biscuit making (I use shortening, my mom always used lard)

but Ill skip that here & go right into the recipe....

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