Just why so many housewives fail to make a good biscuit seems strange, for this dough is one of the easiest mixtures to make. Perhaps failure is due to inaccurate measurements and too slow an oven. This type of dough requires a hot oven. Too often the amount of ingredients are a matter of guess work rather than of measurement, and, unless one is a skilled cook, the results of guesswork are usually indifferent.

When sweet milk is used always remember that 2 level teaspoonfuls of baking powder are used to each cup of sifted flour. This never changes, no matter how many cups of flour you are using.

There should be no taste of baking powder in the finished product. If there is, then your measurements have not been level, or you are using a very poor quality of baking powder.

When using sour or buttermilk, then soda will be your leavening agent. In that case remember that 1/2 a teaspoon of soda is used to each cup of sour milk. Or you can use 1/4 teaspoon of soda, to neutralize the acidity of 1 cup of sour milk and 1 teaspoon of baking powder to each cup of flour.

Do not dissolve soda in the sour milk, as that process releases the gases too soon and the dough will be less light. Always sift the soda with the flour for biscuit doughs. Sour milk can be substituted for sweet milk in any recipe if these rules are followed.

Perhaps you have never stopped to consider the possibilities of the ordinary biscuit dough. This mixture is easily adaptable to variety.

It is quickly mixed and baked and has the advantage of being one of the most inexpensive mixtures to make. Many very palatable desserts can be prepared from this dough, besides several varieties of bread.

When the berry season begins come visions of old-fashioned shortcake, the kind made from biscuit dough, covered generously with crushed strawberries. These old-fashioned shortcakes may be made of any variety of fruits, fresh or cooked, but the strawberry is queen of them all.

However, you must bear in mind that biscuit mixtures, to be at their best, should be served while fresh, generally direct from the oven. A heavy biscuit is usually due to inaccurate measurements and too slow an oven. This class of dough takes a hot oven.

In the accompanying recipes the term shortening means fat, any kind you may prefer. Half butter and half lard always give satisfactory results, but as butter is very expensive, and many people do not like lard, most any of the substitutes for either one will be found satisfactory.

Desserts made of biscuit doughs will be found under hot desserts.