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1
Turn the oven on to 450F.
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2
Make sure the rack is in the center of the oven.
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3
With your fingers or a paper towel scoop up a little vegetable shortening and grease a baking sheet.
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4
Put the 1 cup flour in a large mixing bowl.
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5
Add 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons sugar.
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6
Use a fork to stir the ingredients around 5 or 6 times so theyre well mixed.
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7
Measure out 3 tablespoons of shortening and add to the bowl with the flour.
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8
Flour your hands, then turn the shortening around in the flour to make it less sticky.
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9
Break the shortening into 4 or 5 small pieces and roll them around in the flour mixture to coat them so they are easy to handle.
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10
With your fingers, lightly rub the shortening and flour together for about a minute to make little lumps: Plunge your fingers into the bowl and take up a small amount of flour and shortening, rubbing the mixture between your thumbs and fingers and letting the flour and shortening, now lumped together, fall back into the bowl.
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11
Repeat, lifting the loose flour up to the top with your hands and rubbing shortening into it to make more lumps.
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12
Work lightly.
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13
When most of the flour and shortening is combined in little lumps, you have mixed enough.
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14
Add the 1/2 cup milk to the flour and shortening mixture.
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15
Stir the dough with a fork.
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16
It will be sticky.
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17
Sprinkle 2 tablespoons flour on a large board or counter top.
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18
Spread the flour in a circle.
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19
Flour your hands again, then scoop the dough out of the bowl and put it onto the floured board.
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20
Knead the dough about 10 times: Press down on the dough with the palms of your hands, pushing it away from you.
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21
Fold the dough back toward yourself, then give it a quarter-turn.
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22
Sprinkle a little more flour over the dough if it gets too sticky to handle easily.
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23
Keep pushing, folding, and turning the dough 10 times.
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24
Pat the dough into a square about 5 inches on each side.
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25
Keep the edges as thick as the middle so the shortcakes will bake evenly.
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26
Cut the square into 4 equal square biscuits.
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27
Place the shortcakes on the baking sheet about an inch apart.
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28
Put the baking sheet in the middle of the oven.
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29
The shortcakes almost always take 15 to 18 minutes to bake, but set the timer for 12 minutes, and when it goes off, start checking them.
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30
If they have already turned golden brown on top, they are done.
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31
If not, let them bake a few more minutes.
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32
Use pot holders to remove the baking sheet from the oven.
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33
Let the shortcakes cool before serving them.
