Bake on a middle to high shelf for 12-15 minutes or until well risen and the tops golden-brown. Remove from the oven. Eat immediately.
Preheat the oven to 425F. Move a shelf to the high middle of the oven.
Set aside 2 tablespoons of the flour in a small bowl. (see Ann's Tips) Dust a 1/2 baking sheet with a little of it. Set aside.
Sift together the remaining 1 7/8 cups of flour and the baking powder into a large pastry bowl. Whisk in the sugar and salt.
Tip the diced butter into the bowl. Quickly rub it into the flour mixture with your fingertips until it has the look of coarse breadcrumbs with a few big pieces. Stir in the sultanas if using until well distributed.
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and gradually pour in the milk, mixing it in quickly with a knife as you pour until you have a soft sticky dough. Flour your hands and quickly form it into a ball.
Tip the ball of dough onto a floured work surface. Flour your rolling pin and quickly roll the dough into a round about 1" thick. Do not roll it out too thin. Cut the round into 6 wedges. Place the wedges on the prepared baking sheet leaving enough space around each one for it to spread. Bake on a middle to high shelf for 12-15 minutes or until well risen and the tops golden-brown. Remove from the oven. Let cool 5-10 minutes on a rack. Eat immediately.
You may find you need more flour than the 2 tablespoons put aside to roll the scones out. Keep the bag of flour handy in case.
These scones will not keep. If you want to freeze them, do so as soon as they are just cool and defrost in the microwave rather than in the body of the fridge.
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