Preheat oven to 425 deg.  Line a cookie sheet pan with parchment paper.

Using large mixing bowl, add butter, sliced into 1/2 TBSP slices or cubed which makes it easier to blend into flour

Using a fork or pastry cutter, combine butter with all the dry ingredients until it has a pebbly texture. If there are visible balls of butter, this is OK.

Add the cinnamon and currants to the dry ingredients, if using.

Mix the egg and milk together in a separate bowl until combined.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, add the milk/egg mixture.

Using a fork, start pulling the flour mixture into the egg mixture turning the bowl as you go until a dough forms.  Toward the end, use your hands to combine completely or pour onto a floured counter surface to completely blend.  Knead a few more times to fully incorporate to form a ball of dough.

You can use a cookie cutter or do free form shaped scones.  For today's version I used a round 3" scalloped edge cutter.  

Cookie-cutter version:  Using your hands press dough until it is about 1/2 thick.  Use the cookie cutter to cut out the shapes.  I get about 6 from the first round, then I repeat and get another 4, then I free-formed the last two into a ball and pressed into flat disks.

Free-form version:   You can divide dough in half, make two disks and divide each into 6 triangles.  

Place on the lined sheet pan, about 1-2" apart, bake for 12-15 min until golden brown.

Let cool on pan, but not for too long, as these are so delicious when warm with a gentle slather of butter and a dollop of jelly.