2 cups flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon salt
1 scant Tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
5 Tablespoons cold, unsalted butter
1 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Sift flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into large bowl. Cut shortening with dry ingredients. Mix in milk and for into dough.
Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and pat it down into a rough rectangle, about an inch thick. Fold it over and gently pat it down again. Repeat. Cover the dough loosely with a kitchen towel and let it sit for 30 minutes.
Gently pat out the dough some more, so that the rectangle is roughly 10 inches by 6 inches. Cut dough into biscuits using a floured glass or biscuit cutter. Do not twist the cutter when cutting; this crimps the edges of the biscuit and impeds its rise. Glaze the tops of the biscuits with beaten egg.
Place biscuits on a cookie sheet and bake until golden brown, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
