AFTERNOON RUBY TEA BISCUITS

2 cups sifted all purpose flour
2 tbsp sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
3/4 cup milk
red jam for centers

Place oven rack in center of oven, preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Measure 2 cups of sifted flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into large mixing bowl. Mix well with fork. With a pastry cutter or two knives, cut in shortening until mixture looks like coarse bread crumbs.

Add milk and mix into flour with a fork just until the mixture forms a a soft ball. Place ball of dough on well floured surface and knead with floured hands, 12 times.

Roll out dough with floured rolling pin. Roll to 1/4 inch thickness. With 2 inch biscuit cutter, cut circles, close together, in the dough. USE A STRAIGHT DOWNWARD MOTION - DO NOT TWIST!

With spatula, lift half of the circles of dough, one at a time, onto a cookie sheet. Arrange them about 1 inch apart. With floured 1 inch biscuit cutter, cut a hole in the center of the remaining circles, making rings. Lift out the centers with a spatula, setting them aside.

With the spatula, carefully place the rings on top of the large dough circles (the ones already on the cookie sheet). Put 1/2 teaspoon of jam or jelly in the middle well of each biscuit.

Bake at 425 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes, until puffy and golden. Immediately lift the tea biscuits from the cookie sheet with the metal spatula.

Bake the small circles (biscuit centers) for 11 to 12 minutes. This will give you many small biscuits to serve with the others.

Makes 12 biscuits
Source: Victoria magazine