Baking Powder Biscuits

1/3 cup shortening
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk

Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Cut shortening into flour, baking powder and salt with pastry blender until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in just enough milk so dough leaves side of bowl and rounds up into a ball. (Too much milk makes dough sticky, not enough makes biscuits dry.)

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead lightly 10 times. Roll 1/2 inch thick. Cut with floured 2-inch biscuit cutter. Place on ungreased cookie sheet about 1 inch apart for crusty sides, touching for soft sides. Bake until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. About 1 dozen biscuits.

Cheese Biscuits: Stir in 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese.
Drop Biscuits: Increase milk to 1 cup. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. (If desired, first drop dough into sesame seed; coat all sides.)
Stir-n-Roll Biscuits: Substitute vegetable oil for the shortening; stir in all at once with the milk. Roll dough between sheets of waxed paper on dampened surface.
Whole Wheat Biscuits: Substitute whole wheat flour for the all-purpose flour.