INGREDIENTS 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup lard or vegetable shortening
2/3 to 3/4 cup buttermilk or sour milk
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Sift together the dry ingredients. Cut in the shortening, using a fork, pastry blender, or 2 knives. When the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, slowly add buttermilk, just enough to hold it all together.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead it for about 30 seconds. Pat it out to 1/2-inch thickness and cut into rounds, using a 2-inch biscuit cutter or the floured rim of a glass (which is the only way I ever saw my grandmother make biscuits).
Place biscuits, just touching, in 2 well-greased round cake pans, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Serve immediately.
Makes 16 to 20 biscuits.