Maryland Beaten Biscuits

Maryland, Virginia, and Kentucky all lay claim to these small, dry, crisp biscuits, but I must say that Marylanders do seem to have the knack of making them like nobody else. Conceived long before the introduction of baking powder and baking soda (in the nineteenth century) when the only means of leavening was to beat the dough hard and repeatedly with a rolling pin, hammer, or side of an axe till it blistered and turned incredibly smooth, beaten biscuits still must be whacked for at least