Step 1

Preheat your oven to 425°F.

Step 2

Mix together the dry ingredients. With two knives, a pastry blender, or your fingertips, cut or rub the butter or shortening in until the mixture looks like bread crumbs.

Step 3

Add the liquid all at once, mixing quickly and gently for about 20 seconds until you have a soft dough.

Step 4

To make drop biscuits: Drop the dough by the spoonful onto a lightly floured baking sheet; or for tidier shapes, fill the cups of a greased muffin tin about two-thirds full.

Step 5

To make cut biscuits: Pat the dough into a rectangle about 3/4" thick. Fold it into thirds like a letter and roll gently with a floured rolling pin until the dough is 3/4" thick again.

Step 6

Cut into circles with a biscuit cutter for traditional round biscuits. Or, to avoid leftover dough scraps, cut the dough into squares or diamonds with a bench knife or bowl scraper.

Step 7

Bake the biscuits for 15 to 20 minutes, until they're lightly browned. Remove them from the oven, and serve warm.