Preheat oven to 425°.

Combine 4 cups of flour, the sugar, salt, and baking soda into a large mixing bowl.

Work the butter into the flour with your fingers until it resembles coarse meal. Add raisins.

Make a well in the centre of the dough and add the beaten egg and buttermilk to it. Mix the dough with a wooden spoon until the dough becomes too stiff to stir.

Dust your hands in flour and knead the dough until it is just formed into a ball. The dough should still be a little loose. Do not overknead past this point. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour.

Transfer your dough to a lightly greased pan or cast iron skillet. The dough will flatten a little; this is expected. Score an X into the dough (as if you were cutting the dough into 4 sections) with a serrated knife to help cook the inside and outside of the bread evenly.

Pop it into the oven for 35-45 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and fully cooked. You can check on its done-ness by inserting a skewer into the centre of the bread and seeing if it comes out clean. (If the top of your bread is browning too quickly, wrap a little aluminum foil over the top.

Serve and enjoy!