Amazing Raisin Spicy Sweet Hot Cross Buns

Dough

1. Mix the flour, yeast, spices, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl, and add the drained raisins and finely grated peel. Mix well.
2. Lightly beat the milk, egg, vanilla essence, and butter together and add to the dry ingredients.
3. Mix to form a dough.
4. Invert the dough onto a floured surface.
5. Knead it for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. * I use a stand mixer with a dough hook.
6. Put the dough in a bowl well greased with oil and cover it loosely.
7. Let the dough rise for about hours in a warm place, until its volume has more or less doubled.* I put it in a cold oven with the interior light turned on. It takes less than 2 hours to double.
8. Knead the dough briefly and divide it into 12 equal pieces. * The dough will be a bit sticky. I rub oil or butter on my hands to keep it from sticking.
9. Roll each piece into a ball and pack the balls into a medium-sized oven pan (loosely next to each other, not tightly against each other). * My pan is 9×13”. Cover lightly again and leave to rise until the pan is full.
10. Preheat the oven to 180°C / 375°F

Cross

1. Mix the cake flour with a little cold water until it is just runny enough to be able to pipe with a piping bag.
2. Pipe crosses on the rolls.
3. Bake for about 30 minutes until cooked through and golden brown. * If you have an instant-read thermometer, it should read 190F/ 90C.

Glazing

1. Heat the marmalade, water, and whiskey to boiling point and simmer for a minute or two.
2. Brush the glaze over the buns as soon as they come out of the oven.
3. Serve warm or at room temperature with butter.