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Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
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In a food processor add the flour, baking powder, sugar, orange zest and salt. Pulse to mix together well. (You can just mix the ingredients in a bowl if you prefer the manual method)
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Pulse in the butter until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. (or just use your fingertips to rub the butter through the dry ingredients until the same texture is achieved.)
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Whisk together the milk, egg and vanilla. Reserve a few teaspoons of the liquid to brush on top of the scones. This helps them brown nicely)
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Add the liquid to the dry ingredients along with the raisins and stir in quickly with a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms. It should be a little sticky. Don’t over work the dough or your scones will get tough and not rise well.
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Turn the dough out onto a well floured board or counter top.
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Lightly sprinkle the top of the dough with flour and just using your hands, form the dough into a round about ¾ of an inch thick.
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Using a 1½ inch biscuit cutter, cut out your scones and place them about 2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. (Alternatively, for larger scones, roll the dough into a 7-8 inch circle and cut into 6-8 wedges.)
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Re-roll the scraps and cut out the rest of the scones. Brush the tops of all the scones with the reserved milk and egg liquid.
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Pop the scones into the hot oven for about 12-15 minutes (15-20 minutes for large scones) or until the tops of the scones are evenly browned. Cool on a wire rack. Top with orange glaze.