Preheat your oven to 425°F.

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

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

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.

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. Brush the tops of the biscuits with milk, to enhance browning.

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

Store any leftover biscuits, well wrapped, at room temperature for several days. Freeze for longer storage. Biscuits are always best when theyre rewarmed before serving.

* Substitute buttermilk, light cream, or heavy cream for the whole milk, if you prefer.