To test the viability of yeast before beginning, warm the milk and mix in the yeast along with one tablespoon of the sugar. Leave it to sit for 5-10 minutes. If it becomes foamy, it's good to go.

In a saucepan, warm the orange juice until simmering. Take it off the heat and add in the raisins. Leave them to sit and hydrate while the dough is mixed.

Add the yeast, milk, remaining sugar, flour, salt, spices, and egg in a stand mixer bowl fitted with a dough hook. Turn the mixer on low and combine until it forms a thick but slightly sticky dough. Add in the room temperature butter and keep mixing until the butter has been incorporated.

Turn the mixer on medium speed and keep it mixing until the sticky dough strengthens, comes together, and pulls away cleanly from the sides of the bowl. This can take around 10-15 minutes. Proper gluten development will allow you to stretch the dough so thin you can almost see through it. This is called the 'window pane' effect. To test this, leave the dough to rest for 5 minutes before grabbing a small piece and stretching it.

Drain the raisins and add them to the dough and the fruit zest. Mix it to incorporate the raisins. If doing this by hand, you will notice this brings extra moisture back into the dough. Don’t worry. Keep kneading it gently until the raisins are incorporated.

Pull the dough from the bowl onto a bench and form it into a ball. Place the dough ball into a clean bowl, cover it with a lid or plate or a damp tea towel, and let it in a warm spot for 1.5- 2 hours until doubled in size. If making overnight hot cross buns, the dough can be covered and placed in the refrigerator overnight.

After proofing, pull the dough onto a clean bench and cut it into nine even pieces (use a scale for exact measurements). Use your hands to form each piece into a tight ball. Line a 9x9 inch square baking dish with parchment paper.

Place each ball into the baking tray, then cover with a damp tea towel and let them rise until doubled in size. You can create a warm rising spot by gently preheating an oven to 104°F/40°C, turning the oven off, and placing the buns there.

Preheat the oven to 350°F/ 180°C standard oven. Mix the ingredients for the crosses into a paste. Scoop it into a piping bag with a small tip and pipe the crosses onto the buns.

Bake the buns for approximately 25-30 minutes until golden brown. While the buns are baking, mix the glaze ingredients. Use a pastry brush to brush the hot baked buns with glaze when they come from the oven. Leave the buns to cool for about 20 minutes before eating.