Preheat the oven 375 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar in a large bowl. Cut the cold butter into the flour mix--I use cold hands to rub it in, until you have what looks kind of like gravel, with butter no larger than pea-sized lumps. Mix in the raisins and caraway seeds.

Whisk together the egg and buttermilk. Whisk in the baking soda. Fold the liquid mixture gently into the flour mixture until evenly moistened--do not worry about lumps.

Set some extra flour out in a shallow bowl. Flour your hands thoroughly and remove about 1/6 of the dough. Pat into a circle and place on the prepared cookie sheet. Repeat, including the flouring of your hands, until you have 6 large balls on a baking sheet.

With a sharp knife, slash an X into the top of each ball. Sprinkle granulated or sanding sugar over each ball.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the soda bread is golden brown and its internal temperature registers 170 F.

These scone-ish soda breads will last for 24 hours, but are best fresh.