In a medium bowl mix together all the dry ingredients.
Cut in the butter until it resembles coarse bread crumbs.
Stir in the milk and mix to form a dough ball. Dough should be a little sticky.
Place the dough ball on a floured pastry board and let sit for a couple of minutes. divide the dough into 2 or three dough balls and pat out the dough ball to about 1/2 inch.
Place the biscuits on a parchment-lined baking sheet and chill for 20-30 minutes before baking.
Bake for about 12 minutes.
Notes
Work fast to keep the butter from melting, keep the cubed butter and milk in the refrigerator until ready to use. During cooking, the butter will melt and create a beautiful fluffy biscuit. Cold butter will create pockets in the dough when it melts in the oven, leading to a flaky texture. Some bakers even chill their flour.
Don't overwork the dough, mixing with your hands will warm the dough too much. Every time you interact with the dough by kneading or folding you are developing the gluten. Kneading the dough too much can make biscuits tough.
When cutting the fat into the flour you should use a pastry cutter, try not to use your hands too much. The correct way to use the cutter is by chopping back and forth using a rocking motion.
If you like layered biscuits, fold the dough over itself a few times before cutting them out. Similar to making puff pastry, this technique will give you flaky layers.
When cutting out your biscuits, use a sharp biscuit cutter and press straight down without twisting.
Ensure your oven is preheated to the proper temperature before the biscuits go in, as a hot oven sets the biscuit's structure and helps it rise. Also, placing the biscuits close together on the baking sheet can help them rise upwards instead of spreading outwards.