Raisin Scones - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 pinch salt
8 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup buttermilk (approximately)
glaze
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon lukewarm water

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Combine the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt in a mixing bowl.
Cut in the chilled butter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. (I prefer to grate in frozen butter).
Add the raisins, beaten egg, and enough buttermilk to make a soft dough.
Knead very lightly on a floured board to just combine the ingredients, handling gently to retain air needed for scones to rise.
Roll out to a 1/2 inch thickness.
Cut the dough into 8 thick wedges with a sharp knife.
Place the scones on 2 greased baking sheets, leaving a 1/2 inch space around each one.
To glaze, combine the egg yolk and water in a bowl and brush onto each scone (be careful not to drip any of the glaze onto the pan or the scones will stick).
Bake for 12 - 15 minutes, or until golden brown.