Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Put the unsalted butter in the freezer for at least 20 minutes and keep the whole milk ice cold until ready to use.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and sea salt until evenly combined.

Grate the very cold butter into the dry ingredients using a box grater. If you don’t have a grater, cut the butter into small cubes and cut it into the flour with a pastry cutter or two knives. Toss to coat the butter with flour and then work it in until the butter pieces are about pea-sized—do not overwork.

In a large measuring cup or small bowl, whisk the whole milk and honey together until the honey is incorporated.

Pour the milk-and-honey mixture into the flour-and-butter mixture. Gently stir with a spatula or spoon until a shaggy, slightly chunky dough forms and most of the dry flour is moistened. Do not overmix.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gather it into a rough rectangle. If sticky, dust lightly with flour. Gently press the dough out into a rectangle about 1 inch thick, fold it over onto itself, rotate 90°, press out again, and repeat the fold/press sequence a total of 4–5 times to build layers. Handle the dough gently.

After the final fold, press the dough to about 1 inch in height. Use a biscuit cutter (press straight down without twisting) or another round cutter to cut biscuits. Place the cut biscuits on the prepared baking sheet (placing them close together will help them rise taller). Gather scraps, press gently once, and cut remaining biscuits.

If desired, brush the tops lightly with a little cold milk or melted butter.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 12 minutes, or until the tops are a very light golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet a few minutes before serving.

Makes about 6–8 biscuits, depending on cutter size.