Baking Powder Biscuits

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. With fingers or paper towel, scoop up a
little vegetable shortening and smear just enough to cover sides and
bottom of 8- or 9-inch-diameter round baking pan. Put flour, baking
powder and salt in large mixing bowl and mix well with fork. Add
shortening and stir in, cutting it into flour repeatedly with fork
tines or by hand until mixture has texture of coarse sand. Add milk
to flour and shortening mixture and stir with fork just until milk is
mixed with other ingredients and there are no dry streaks of flour
left. Don’t mix too much. Dough should remain moist and sticky, which
will make these biscuits rise high and have tender texture. Sprinkle
about 1/4 cup flour on large cutting board or smooth counter top and
spread out in circle. Coat hands with flour, then scoop dough from
bowl and place on floured surface. Knead dough until smooth and pat
into rough circle about 8 inches in diameter and 1/2-inch thick. You
can cut biscuits into any size or shape you like. I use a 2-inch
round cookie cutter. If you don’t have one, use rim of small drinking
glass to cut dough. You can also pat dough into square and use knife
to cut square biscuits. Press cookie cutter firmly into dough at edge
of circle, and then lift straight up. Repeat this step, cutting next
circle close to first, until you have cut as many biscuits as
possible from dough. Place rounds in greased baking pan, leaving a
little room between them. When you have cut as many circles as you
can from dough, you will have some scraps left. Gather together and
pat dough (do not knead) into small circle, same thickness as before,
and cut out as many biscuits as you can. Add to baking pan. Put pan
on center rack of oven and bake. After 12 minutes, check to see
whether biscuits are done. They should be golden brown on top. Break
1 open to see if it is cooked through and not sticky in center. If
dough feels sticky and damp, continue to bake another 3 to 5 minutes.
Take biscuits out of oven and let sit about 3 minutes to cool just
slightly. Remove from pan with spatula and either serve immediately
or store, tightly wrapped, for later use. Biscuits should always be
served warm, so if they have cooled, reheat in preheated 350 degree
oven 5 to 6 minutes. Yields 16 (2-inch) biscuits.

Each biscuit: 98 calories; 221 mg sodium; 4 mg cholesterol; 5 grams
fat; 12 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.04 gram fiber