Step 1

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Step 2

In a medium bowl whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together.

Step 3

Grate cold butter with a cheese grater.

Step 4

Add the butter to the flour mixture, use a pastry cutter to cut butter into the flour mixture, until small crumbs are formed, it'll look "grainy" and crumbly with no large pieces of butter left, just small pea-sized crumbles.

Step 5

In a small bowl whisk buttermilk, egg and vanilla together.

Step 6

The next part you'll want to be GENTLE and do not over mix or you'll wind up with tough scones.

Step 7

Pour the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture then stir it with a spatula folding in the dry mixture to the wet mixture just until it's combined, not fully mixed, blended, it won't be smooth, it won't be holding together, it'll be crumbly and that is what you want.

Step 8

Place the mixture onto a sheet of wax paper or lightly floured work surface.

Step 9

Fold the mixture with floured hands so it doesn't stick, you'll only fold it 4 or 5 times, try to keep it in a square to a rectangle shape.

Step 10

Pat, it gently into a rectangle.

Step 11

Cut it into 4 triangles by cutting the rectangle in half then each half into two triangles.

Step 12

Place the scones on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Step 13

Brush the tops of the scones with buttermilk.

Step 14

Bake for 15-18 minutes at 400° until a toothpick comes out clean.

Step 15

Allow scones to cool for 5-10 minutes.

Step 16

Mix icing, place the powdered sugar in a bowl, then mix in the buttermilk and lemon juice, add more buttermilk or powdered sugar until it's the consistency you want, I used a thin icing to drizzle over the scones.

Step 17

Serve scones with icing alone or slice and add butter.