Baking Powder Biscuit Mix

8 cups flour
1/3 cup baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
4 teaspoons sugar
2 cups shortening, butter or margarine

Prepare-ahead mixes save time, and this mix is a great shortcut for biscuits as well as for several cookie recipes, including peanut butter cookies, chocolate chip cookies and crisp sugar cookies.

Process 4 cups flour, baking powder, salt, cream of tartar, sugar, and 1 cup
shortening in a food processor until the mix is the consistency or cornmeal. Pour into a large bowl. Process the remaining 4 cups flour and 1 cup shortening and using a wire whisk, mix thoroughly with the other batch. Refrigerate. This recipe makes 12 cups of mix (or enough for 48 biscuits).

To make 6-8 biscuits, combine 1 1/2 cups mix with 1/3 cup cold milk. Stir well with a fork until a slightly stiff dough forms. Drop biscuits from a tablespoon onto a baking sheet sprayed with oil. Bake in a preheated 450�F oven for 12-14 minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown.

Variations:
To make biscuits for creamed chicken or turkey, add 1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning to the mix before adding milk.

For shortcake biscuits, add 1 tablespoon sugar to the dry mix before adding milk.