Ingredients

makes about 20

　　5 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

　　2 tablespoons sugar

　　2 tablespoons baking powder

　　1 tablespoon coarse salt

　　3/4 cup cold lard or vegetable shortening, cut into pieces

　　1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus 1/4 cup melted butter

　　1 3/4 cups whole milk

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Work lard and butter into flour mixture with a pastry cutter or your fingers until largest pieces are the size of small peas. Add milk, and stir with a fork until a dough forms.

　　

Step 2

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and pat out to 1 inch thick. Cut out rounds with a floured 2 1/4-inch biscuit cutter. Space 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Gather together scraps, and repeat.

　　

Step 3

Brush tops with melted butter. Bake until light-golden brown on top and cooked through, about 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool 5 minutes before serving.

　　Reprinted with permission from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The New Classics by Martha Stewart Living Magazine, copyright © 2007. Published by Clarkson Potter, a division of The Crown Publishing Group.Buy the full book from Amazon.