For best results, chill your butter in the freezer for about 20 minutes before beginning this recipe. For the flakiest biscuits, the butter must be very cold.

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Mix well and set aside. Remove the butter from the refrigerator or freezer.

Cut it into very small pieces and add them to the flour mixture.

Or use a box grater to shred the butter into small pieces right into the flour mixture.

Using a pastry cutter, combine the butter with the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Add the milk. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to stir until combined. Be careful to not overwork the dough.

Transfer the dough to a well-floured surface. Use your hands to gently work the dough together. Form it into a small rectangle. If the dough is too sticky, add a bit of flour until it is manageable. 

Once the dough is cohesive, fold it in half over itself and use your hands to gently flatten the layers together. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and fold it in half again, repeating this step 5 to 6 times. Take care to not overwork the dough.

Use your hands to flatten the dough to 1" thick. Do not use a rolling pin. Lightly dust a 2 ¾" round biscuit cutter with flour. 

Making close cuts, press the biscuit cutter straight down into the dough. Do not rotate the cutter. Drop the biscuit onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until you have shaped as many biscuits as possible. They can be placed on the baking sheet as close as a half-inch apart from each other. Gently re-work the dough and cut another biscuit or two until you have at least 6 biscuits.

Bake at 425°F for 10 to 12 minutes, until the tops are beginning to just turn lightly golden brown.

Brush with melted salted butter immediately after removing from oven. Serve warm and enjoy.