Pre-heat the oven to 350°. Sift the dry ingredients together into a bowl.  Add the butter or other shortening and using a wire pastry cutter, cut into the flour until all is well blended.  When finished the size of the shortening should be no larger than peas. 

Add the buttermilk and using a table fork, stir into the butter and flour mixture until all the dry ingredients are moistened. Do not overwork or the resulting biscuits will be tough. Gather the dough together into a ball and working on a lightly floured surface, pat out into a disk that is about 1 inch thick. Don’t worry if the surface is a bit cracked and lumpy looking. Cut biscuits with a two inch cutter. 

Place about an inch apart on a baking sheet that has been lined with bakers parchment.  Place in the center of the pre-heated oven and bake for twenty to twenty-five minutes or until golden brown and flaky.  Remove from the oven and serve at once with much more butter than you should ever eat. You can hear your arteries slamming shut with every bite.