Grandma Johnson's Scones

I absolutely love breakfast foods (except eggs). My little sister once made these with a friend and then passed the recipe on to me.   I don't make them often, but they are a nice mix up for breakfast.  I have no idea who Grandma Johnson is, but she sure does make a mean scone!

Grandma Johnson's Scones
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
1 egg
1 cup raisins (optional)*

Directions
In a small bowl, blend the sour cream and baking soda, and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a large baking sheet.
In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, cream of tartar, and salt.
Cut in the butter.**
Stir the sour cream mixture and egg into the flour mixture until just moistened.
Mix in the raisins.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead briefly.
Roll or pat dough into a 3/4 inch thick round.
Cut into 12 wedges, and place them 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.***
Bake 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown on the bottom.

* Per my sister's suggestion, I replaced the raisens with frozen blueberries.  You could really use anything that satisfies your taste buds.
**  Freeze the butter and grate it into the mixture with a cheese grater.  This helps to "cut in."
***  I like the idea of a round scone better than a triangle (who knows why?).  I use a circle cookie cutter or the mouth of a glass to form circles (and my 4 year old daughter loves to turn them into hearts with her own cookie cutter).