Great Baking Powder Biscuits from In Julia's Kitchen with Master Chefs
Source: In Julia's Kitchen with Master Chefs by Julia Child, Companion to the PBS Series
From: Leah Chase
Makes 12 biscuits

2 cups self-rising flour, plus 1 more cup for forming the biscuits
2 heaping teaspoons double-action baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup vegetable shortening, at room temperature
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and set a rack on the middle level.

Preparing the dough:
Measure flour into a mixing bowl and stir in baking powder and sugar. Add shortening to the dry ingredients and cut it in with your hands or a pastry cutter until the mixture looks like a mass of small peas. Slowly pour in the milk, working it in with your hands or with a wooden spoon. The mixture should be sticky to the touch.

Forming the biscuits:
Flour your work surface and pour the dough out onto it. Knead it gently by folding it over toward you and patting it lightly; fold and pat, adding enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the counter or your hands. Five or seven folds should be enough to work in the flour and make a smooth dough. Gently pat it into a rectangle 3/4 inch thick. Cut circles as close to each other as possible. When you pick up a circle to place it on the baking sheet, puff it up by squeezing and patting the sides as you gently rotate it. Place the circles close together on the pan, but not touching. Pat any leftover dough back into a rectangle and continue to cut out as many circles as possible, using up all the dough.

Ahead-of-time note:
The biscuits may be loosely covered and refrigerated overnight at this point--ready to provide the family with hot biscuits for breakfast.

Baking:
Place the biscuits in the preheated oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Note: Baked biscuits may be frozen--freezing preserves them better than refrigerating them, even for a short time.