Preheat oven to 375° F. 

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

Dump it on the counter or on a large wooden cutting board. You can also make this in a large bowl with a pastry blender or your hands. 

Sprinkle the cold butter cubes over the flour mixture and cut in with a bench scraper or rub them in with your hands until the butter pieces are almost indiscernible. 

Slowly add the buttermilk, scooping the flour over the buttermilk and working it in. Do this gently. 

First, use the bench scraper to mound the flour on top of the buttermilk until it is absorbed before adding a little more. 

After the dough begins to form, use hands to knead in the buttermilk until a cohesive dough forms. There shouldn’t be any dry patches, but it shouldn’t be sticky either. At this point gently, but quickly, knead in the raisins. You can always use a little more or a little less buttermilk. 

You want to knead it as little as possible so that it doesn’t become tough.

Shape into a round loaf and make two cuts in the shape of a cross on the top of the dough. 

Make sure they are ½ inch deep for the prettiest loaf. 

Place in a cast iron skillet or on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until a wooden skewer comes out clean.