Mom's Baking Powder Biscuits

It is no secret . . . my mother makes the best baking powder biscuits in the world! There is no denying it.



Light, flakey and oh so scrummy . . . with soups, with stews, and on their own . . .
Served up warm with butter and honey . . . or some preserves . . . my . . . my . . . my. You just can't beat them!



There's no surprises here. They're really quite simple, nothing too out of the ordinary, but there are a few tricks to the success of them.



First, light handling. Don't be rough with them. A light touch is the secret behind the flakiness . . . too much handiwork and you get a tough biscuit.



If you want straight sided, tall biscuits . . . pat them out fairly thick, 1/2 inch will do and then cut them with a sharp tap down with the biscuit cutter . . . carefully lift the cutter straight up again. Don't twist, or you'll get lopsided.



Oh they'll still taste delicious, but aesthetically speaking . . . straight sided look oh so much better.



Yep . . . my mom does make the best baking powder biscuits in the world . . . and now you can too!



*Mom's Baking Powder Biscuits*
Makes about 36
Printable Recipe

My mom makes the best baking powder biscuits in the world. Now you can too.

17 ounces plain flour (4 cups)
8 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 TBS granulated sugar
8 ounces white shortening (1 cup)
2 large free range eggs
12 fluid ounces milk (1 1/2 cups)

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. You will need several large baking sheets. No need to grease them.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a bowl. Drop in the shortening and cut it in with two round bladed knives or a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Beat together the milk and eggs until well combined. Add to the dry mixture and stir with a fork until you have a soft dough. You may not need all the liquid. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead a few times. Pat out to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut out with a sharp 2 inch round cutter, giving the cutter a sharp tap straight down and up without twisting. (Twisting will give you lop sided biscuits.) Place onto the baking sheets, leaving some space inbetween the biscuits for crispy all around biscuits, or close together for soft sided biscuits.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until well risen and browned. Serve warm. Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container and reheated in the microwave for a few seconds. These also freeze really well.