I wanted a sweet biscuit, but found that the more sugar I used, the heavier they would be. I started experimenting with a basic rolled biscuit recipe from The Joy of Cooking, and came up with this. The way you handle the dough is important, and be sure to use a sharp cutter to cut the rounds, so all of the edges puff up. A preheated oven and an insulated cookie sheet are necessary. If you don't have an insulated sheet, put two regular sheets together. Recipe is easily doubled. I've served this as shortcake with strawberries and whipped cream, and we also like it at breakfast with apple jelly.
06Gently turn the dough until all sides are covered with flour.
07Knead by gently rubbing the dough into the flour, a scant 8 to 10 turns.
08Pat the dough into a 1 inch thich slab.
09Cut into rounds with a sharp round biscuit cutter- I use a 2 1/2 inch cutter-- you can push the scraps together to make room to cut a few more, try not to knead it too much.
10Place on insulated cookie sheet about 1/2 inch apart.
11Put in HOT oven and bake for 12- 15 minutes.
12You can test by lifting the top layer of the center biscuit; if it's done it will look dry inside and the edges will be golden.
13(I get 9 biscuits when I use a 2 1/2" cutter).