All-Purpose Biscuits

Directions

1. 1
   Preheat oven to 425.
2. 2
   Sift flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into a large mixing bowl.
3. 3
   Transfer to a food processor.
4. 4
   Cut butter into pats and add to flour, then pulse 5 or 6 times until the mixture resembles rough crumbs.
5. 5
   (Alternatively, cut butter into flour in the mixing bowl using a fork or a pastry cutter.)
6. 6
   Return dough to bowl, add milk and stir with a fork until it forms a rough ball.
7. 7
   Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and pat it down into a rough rectangle, about an inch thick.
8. 8
   Fold it over and gently pat it down again.
9. 9
   Repeat.
10. 10
    Cover the dough loosely with a kitchen towel and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.
11. 11
    Gently pat out the dough some more, so that the rectangle is roughly 10 inches by 6 inches.
12. 12
    Cut dough into biscuits using a floured glass or biscuit cutter.
13. 13
    Do not twist cutter when cutting; this crimps the edges of the biscuit and impedes its rise.
14. 14
    Place biscuits on a cookie sheet and bake until golden brown, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.