4 cups flour

4 teaspoons cream of tartar (Bakewell Cream)

2 teaspoons baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup shortening (Crisco)

1 ¼ cups skim milk

Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and cream of tartar.

In a medium sized bowl, use a pastry blender to cut in the shortening. (Some cooks also use two knives). Work the shortening into the flour until the mixture resembles a coarse meal and is crumbly. Stir in the milk. Don’t worry if the dough is a little too wet.

Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and knead it until it is smooth. Roll it out to about 3/8 inches thick and cut into biscuits. Place the biscuits on a greased pan and bake in a 400 degree oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Makes 12 biscuits