It makes about 20 biscuits.
• 2 cups white flour
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• ¾ tsp. salt
• ½ cup butter
• ½ to ⅔ cup cold milk
1. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Slice the butter while it is very cold, add it to the dry ingredients, and cut it in with a pastry blender or two knives until it is in bits the size of split peas. The texture of this mixture should be a little more coarse than that of a short-crust mixture before the liquid is added. This could be done in a food processor, but blend for only a few seconds.
2. Sprinkle½ cup of cold milk over the flour and butter, and stir it in quickly with a fork. Add only as much more of the milk as is necessary to make the dough hold together.
3. Gather the dough up into a ball, working it together with your hands very briefly, and then roll it out½ inch thick on a floured board. Cut out small rounds and place them on ungreased baking sheets. If you aren’t going to put them in the oven immediately, chill them in the refrigerator until ready to bake.
4. Bake the biscuits in a preheated oven at 450 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes, or until puffed and lightly browned on top. Serve them hot with butter.
