Biscuits

Directions

1. 1
   Preheat oven to 475 F.
2. 2
   In a large bowl combine flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda then sift the mixture 3 times. Add cheese, basil, mustard powder and cayenne to the mix and stir to combine.
3. 3
   Using a pastry cutter or your hands combine the grated butter and dry ingredients until it resembles coarse beach sand. Add almost all of the milk and mix until a sticky dough forms. Only add the remaining milk if necessary (the wetter the dough the lighter the biscuits will be).
4. 4
   To achieve an even crumb to the dough very gently knead the dough 4-5 times on a lightly floured surface.
5. 5
   Pat dough into a 6 inch by 4 inch rectangle and use a biscuit cutter to stamp out (without twisting) the rounds. Combine scraps to stamp out the last biscuit. Or use a floured sharp knife to cut the dough into biscuits.
6. 6
   To have soft sided biscuits place the rounds just touching on a baking dish, or place them further apart to have crisp sided biscuits.
7. 7
   Bake in a very hot oven 8-10 minutes until biscuits are well risen and lightly colored on top. Serve warm.
8. 8
   Recipe adapted from Audax Artifex.