• In a large mixing bowl, soak the yeast with 1 teaspoon of sugar in lukewarm water for 10 minutes.
• Scald the milk (see directions below the recipe). Remove from the heat and add 1/2 cup sugar, salt and butter and stir to dissolve. Cool to lukewarm.
• Sift 2 cups of flour together with the cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Add the cooled milk mixture to the yeast mixture. Add sifted flour and spice mixture and the whole egg, then beat together well. Add the raisins and 1 1/2 cups flour (reserve remaining half cup for kneading the bread later). Beat and mix, scraping down the bowl.
• Put a bit of oil in a bowl and coat the inside of the bowl with the oil, using your hands. Place the dough in the bowl and use your oily hands to oil the top of the dough. Cover with a towel and let the dough rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours at a warm room temperature. Punch down the dough on kneading board or counter top.
• Cut the dough into 20 pieces and shape into buns. Place the buns on buttered cookie sheets and let them rise again for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Preheat your oven to 375°F.
• Mix the flour and water into a paste. Place the paste into a piping bag or make your own by placing the mixture into a sealable plastic storage bag. Cut of a tiny bit of the end. Squeeze the flour paste out of the cut end on to the buns to make the cross.
• Bake in a preheated oven for about 18 minutes or until the buns are golden brown and hollow sounding when you tap them. Pour the glaze (recipe below) over the buns while they are still fairly hot.

For the Glaze:

• Combine the glaze ingredients. Let the hot cross buns cool just slightly then drizzle the glaze over the hot buns into the cross markings.