Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Grease a 8" round layer cake pan. Sift dry ingredients together (except for the extra flour). Put in mixing bowl. place shortening on top, it should be quite cool. Cut in with a pastry blender or two knives. Pour in the cup of buttermilk and stir lightly with a fork. The batter must be very moist! If it is not then add up to another 1/4 cup of buttermilk. The combination of a very hot oven, a small baking pan and very wet batter creates much steam within the biscuit which makes them rise to great height and wonderful lightness. Empty the wet batter into the shallow bowl over the cup and a half of flour. You will be preparing your biscuits right out of this bowl. Flour your hands real good and scoop out a very large heaping tablespoon of batter into your hands( you should end up with about 10 biscuits). Roll the piece of batter around in your hands just till it takes on a round shape. Keep your hands very floury so it (the batter) doesnt even get a chance to stick) Kind of shake off the excess flour and put the biscuit in the prepared pan. The biscuits should be nestled quite snugly together. Put the pan on a rack that has been placed in the lower center of the oven. Close quickly and bake for about 12 minutes till they are high and golden brown. serve immediately and enjoy! *note* If you dont have the buttermilk, simply exchange it for sweet milk and skip the pinch of baking soda. Proceed just the same. typed 4 u by Mary Riemerman NOTES : This recipe was lost to me and Barry Weinstein was the one who finally found it for me - blessmmmm! Posted to Bakery-Shoppe Digest V1 #459 by Hatch Batch on Dec 18, 1997