Making good biscuits from scratch is a difficult task for some people. With a little practice, you can easily make these delicious breakfast favorites.

Before beginning we urge you to read all the tips following the recipe below. And...if cooking is just not your thing, ignore your pride and jump over to our biscuits for dummies recipe.

Ingredients

* 2 cups all purpose flour
* 4 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon baking soda (leave out if using regular milk)
* 3/4 teaspoons salt
* 1/2 cup Crisco shortening
* 1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Combine the dry ingredients. Using a pastry cutter or fork (or your fingers), gently cut in the shortening until the mixture looks like "meal" (a very course powder)
3. Add the buttermilk a little at a time, stirring GENTLY until a dough starts to form. You may need more or less than the 1 1/2 cups milk.
4. When you get a "sticky" dough ball, turn out on a floured surface and form a flat mass with your hands.
5. Roll out the dough to 1/2 - 1 inch thickness. Cut out the biscuits with a biscuit cutter.
6. Place the biscuits on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. If you do not have parchment paper just use an ungreased cookie sheet.
7. Place biscuits into the preheated oven. Bake until tops are a golden brown (about 10-12 minutes). Note: Closely watch the bottom of the biscuits by lifting one biscuit and observing. Some cookie sheet materials tend to burn the bottoms quickly. If bottoms are getting too brown, turn oven to broiler setting, leave oven door open and watch until tops are brown. Do not walk away with broiler on, they will burn quickly.

Yields 8-10 biscuits according to the size of biscuit cutter you use. Serve with sorghum molasses and butter. (Combine equal parts soft butter and molasses in a small plate and mix with a fork into a paste.)

NEW

It's not Southern, but we recently discovered a change in the recipe that makes the most heavenly biscuits. Instead of using 1 1/2 cups buttermilk, substitute with heavy cream (whipping cream) in step 2 above and omit the baking soda. You won't believe the results. (However, the cream leaves the biscuits with a moist interior...if you like dry insides, stick with the above recipe).

TIPS

Tip 1: If you like big (circumference)) biscuits, fine...but we have found that using a 2 inch biscuit cutter makes biscuits that seem to rise better. Actually my cutter measures a little under 2 1/2 inches.
Tip 2: Obtaining the correct consistency of the dough takes a little practice. Just add the buttermilk a little at a time and watch for the dough to form a ball as you stir. You may need more or less milk than called for in the recipe.
Tip 3: Do NOT handle the dough any more than necessary. Over handling will make tough biscuits. When you turn the dough out on your board, try to double the dough over on itself only three times while flattening it out.
Tip 4: Use buttermilk rather than regular milk. If you do not have buttermilk, you can make a substitute by adding 1 tsp white vinegar in 1 cup regular milk. Stir and allow to sit for 1 minute before use.
Tip 5: Make sure to preheat the oven. Never start your biscuits in a cold oven.
Tip 6: When cutting out the biscuits, push straight down and back up with the biscuit cutter. Do not push down and "twist" or turn the biscuit cutter. This can cause uneven cooking.
Tip 7: If you want fluffy biscuits, leave a 2" space between the biscuits on the cookie sheet. If you want crispier biscuits, place the biscuits with their sides touching.
Tip 8: Here is probably the most important tip to avoiding flat biscuits: USE FRESH BAKING POWDER! Regardless of the expiration date on the container, if your baking powder has been opened over a month, don't use it. It is relatively inexpensive so why risk a batch of flat biscuits. You don't have to throw away the old baking powder, just don't use it for your biscuits.