Units Scale

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Measure flour and sift with the baking powder, baking soda and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the lard pieces and work gently into the flour with your fingertips or a pastry cutter, until all is mixed together and the texture is fine and crumbly.
Stir in the buttermilk with a spoon until well-mixed. (Do not overbeat or you’ll toughen the dough.) On a lightly floured board, turn out the dough and knead gently with your hands for about 2 minutes. Roll out with a rolling pin to about ½-inch thickness.
Using a 2-inch cutter, cut out the biscuits. Do not twist as you bring the cutter through the dough. Place about ½ inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Poke through each biscuit several times with the tines of a fork. Brush the tops of the biscuits with the melted butter.
Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, until risen and golden. Serve immediately with butter or preserves.
Note: To make single-acting baking powder, mix ¼ cup cream of tartar, 2 tablespoons baking soda and 3 tablespoons cornstarch in a small bowl. Stored in a glass jar with a lid, it will keep a month or more. Makes about ½ cup.