Homemade Biscuits

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling biscuits

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup shortening, plus 2 tablespoons for dipping biscuits

2/3 to 3/4 cup milk

Turn oven on to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Melt shortening in small flat saucepan and set aside.

Mix dry ingredients together; then add milk and 1/4 cup melted shortening all at once (save remainder of shortening for dipping biscuit dough prior to putting in oven. Stir quickly just until mixed. Dough will be soft.

Cover counter with a piece of wax paper and sprinkle with flour. Turn dough onto wax paper and knead gently 10 to 12 times. Pat to about 1/2 inch think. Cut straight with a jar or biscuit cutter.

Remove baking sheet from oven. Take each biscuit from wax paper, tap to remove excess flour. Dip both sides in melted shortening and place on cookie sheet. Repeat until done. Put in oven and bake at 450 F degrees for 12 to 15 minutes, until nicely browned.

As a footnote, anyone whoever watched Mom bake biscuits (or cornbread) knows that Mom put the baking pan in the oven with the shortening in it to melt. The oven heated while she was mixing her biscuit dough, and the shortening melted and the pan got hot. This helped create a nice crust on her biscuits.

Occasionally, Mom forgot the pan in the oven. I've seen her pull the pan out of the oven, thick with gray smoke, when she forgot it. She never caught the house on fire, but it was a good idea to keep salt or baking soda nearby, because she did catch the oven on fire a time or two!