Combine the raisins, golden raisins and rum in a small bowl. Toss to coat the raisins and set aside to soak.

Warm the milk to 100° to 110°F. Combine the sugar, yeast and warm milk in a large bowl or the bowl of your electric stand mixer, Proof the yeast (let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes until foamy). If the yeast is active, it should foam in the bowl. If the yeast does not foam, discard and start again with new yeast.

Combine the bread flour, spices and salt in a separate bowl.

Once the yeast has proofed, add the eggs and melted butter to the yeast and milk mixture and stir to combine. Add the dry ingredients, and once the dry ingredients have been incorporated, stir in the soaked raisins and orange zest. Mix on low speed until the dough begins to come together. The dough should be soft and elastic, but not sticky. Add a little more flour, just a touch at a time, until the dough starts to pull away from, and clean the bowl. Knead the dough with an electric mixer for 5 minutes or by hand for 15 minutes until the dough stretches easily when you pull it.

Grease the inside of a large bowl with oil and transfer the dough to the bowl, turning it over a few times to lightly coat the dough ball in oil. Cover the bowl with a clean damp towel and place it in a warm place to rise for 1 to 2 hours, until the dough has doubled in size.

Grease a 9 x 13 baking pan with butter.

Punch down the dough and divide it into 4 equal portions. Cut each portion into 3 pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a smooth ball and place them in 4 evenly spaced rows in the buttered pan. Cover the pan with the damp towel and let the dough balls rise for 30 to 60 minutes. The dough balls should be touching at this point.

While the dough balls are rising, pre-heat the oven to 375°F.

Combine the ⅓ cup flour and water and stir into a paste. Place the mixture into a zipper sealable plastic bag and cut off the tip (or use a pastry bag). Once the buns have risen, pipe a cross on top of each bun.

Transfer the pan to the oven and bake the buns for 20 to 25 minutes until they are golden brown on top.

To make the glaze whisk the apricot preserves with just enough very hot water to thin it and make it easily spreadable. Pass the glaze through a fine strainer to remove any apricot pieces if necessary.

Brush the glaze on the hot cross buns when they come out of the oven and transfer the pan to a cooling rack for 5 minutes. Remove the buns from the pan and serve warm or at room temperature.