My friend Deanna Patee shared this recipe with me in the 1960s. It makes light and versatile biscuits. Versatile, because you can serve them with an egg or sour cream gravy; with a white sauce that has parsley or sausage in it; or with fruit, such as applesauce. The secret to their lightness comes from minimal handling of the dough, and the use of buttermilk.

In a bowl or food processor place:

Be sure that these dry ingredients are mixed together well. Now add:

… and mix until the dough looks like coarse meal. (“Pulsate” if you’re using a food processor). Then add:

... and mix without handling the dough too much. Overhandling the dough will cause gluten to develop, thereby making a tough biscuit!

Place on a floured surface and pat the dough to about 1 inch in height. Cut and place the biscuits on a cookie sheet, leaving space between them so they can brown on all sides. Bake in a 400 degree oven until nicely browned, about 20 minutes. This will make about a dozen mouth-watering morsels.