Preheat the oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Toss in the cubed butter to coat with flour. Using a pastry blender or by rubbing the butter pieces between your fingers, work the butter into the flour until the butter pieces range in size from peas to almonds.
Using a silicone spatula, fold the milk into the flour mixture until most of the flour is moistened but the dough is still crumbly. (Don’t over mix it. It will come together in the next step.) Turn out onto a well-floured surface.
With floured hands, pat the dough to a 1-inch thick rectangle. Fold the dough in half. (A bench scraper or large spatula can be helpful here!) Cut the dough in half crosswise and stack the two halves on top of each other. Pat the dough into a rectangle again. Repeat folding, cutting, stacking, and patting 3 more times.