• In a saucepan, melt the butter and sugar with the milk. Set aside and let it cool. You do not want it to be warmer than 90 degrees when you add it to your starter.
• In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, place the starter, warm milk mixture, vanilla extract, and egg. Pour the dry ingredient mixture on top of the wet ingredients and mix on low for about 3 minutes. The ingredients should be well mixed at the end of 3 minutes.
• While the dough is mixing, lightly oil a large bowl.
• After the dough has finished mixing, scrape the dough into the large bowl, cover it, and let it rest for 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes you will do your first set of stretches and folds. This is also when you will add your raisins. Sprinkle 1/4 of the raisins into the dough and do a stretch and fold. Pull the side of the dough up and over the middle of it. Then turning the bowl slightly, add another 1/4 of the raisins and do a stretch and fold. Do this by turning the bowl two more times until you have used all of your raisins and have stretched and folded your dough over a total of four times. Cover the bowl and allow your dough to rest for 30 more minutes.
• After the 30 minutes, perform another series of stretches and folds, turning the bowl slightly each time so that you do the stretches and folds four times around the bowl.
• Cover and allow your dough to rise until it is lighter and looks more airy. At a temperature of about 78-80 degrees this should take about 4 hours. If your temperature is cooler, it will take a bit longer, and if it is warmer, it may be faster. This dough will not act like other doughs and double because of the cinnamon. That is ok, just make sure that your dough has risen and looks more airy and light.
• After your dough has risen, scrape it out onto a clean surface. Divide your dough into 12 equal size pieces. I like to measure my entire dough ball using my kitchen scale and then divide it by 12 so that I can keep my pieces the same size.
• Gently roll the dough into loose balls and cover. Let them rest on the counter for 20 minutes.
• Lightly butter a 9x13 baking pan and set aside.
• To shape your rolls, flatten your dough slightly and then pull the corners into each other, pinching off the middle of the ball to seal it. Turn it over so that the sealed side is down and pull the dough ball towards you to create tension and a perfectly-shaped dough ball.
• Place each dough ball into your baking pan about an inch apart so that they have room for the second rise. Cover the pan and place in the refrigerator overnight. I do this to allow the spices to become really infused in the dough.
• About 2 hours before you are ready to bake your buns, remove the pan from the refrigerator and either set it on the counter if your home is around 78 degrees, or if your home is on the cooler side like mine, you can put the pan in your oven and turn on your oven light with the door closed. Do NOT turn on your oven. The light alone will create a warm and cozy environment for your buns to have the second and final rise.
• After about 2 hours, or when you notice that the buns are now touching each other and have gotten bigger in size, remove from the oven.
• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Make the Egg Wash

• While your oven is preheating, prepare your egg wash. In a small bowl whisk together 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of water for the egg wash. Brush the egg wash over the tops of each bun.

Make the Flour Paste for Crosses

• In a separate small bowl, mix together the flour and warm water to make the paste for the crosses. Put the paste into a piping bag and cut a hole at the tip of the bag. Pipe the paste onto the top of the buns, making a cross on each bun.
• Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the buns are golden brown and have an internal temperature of 200 degrees.
• Remove from the oven and let cool slightly while you mix the orange glaze.

Make the Orange Glaze (optional)

• In a small bowl whisk together the orange juice and powdered sugar and brush on top of warm buns.