Easter Hot Cross Buns

1. Stir 1/4 cup milk, yeast, and 1 teaspoon sugar together in a small bowl; let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.

2. Whisk 3 cups flour, 1/4 cup white sugar, salt, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg together in a large bowl. Stir yeast mixture, 1/2 cup milk, softened butter, and eggs into flour mixture with a wooden spoon until well incorporated; stir in raisins and marmalade. Dough will be sticky.

3. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup flour onto work surface; turn dough onto surface and knead, incorporating additional flour as needed, until tacky but not sticking to fingers, about 10 minutes. Form dough into a ball.

4. Place dough in a large, lightly-oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover bowl with a clean towel and let dough rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.

5. Deflate dough; divide into 16 equal pieces and form into round buns. Place buns 1 1/2 inches apart on a lightly greased baking sheets; cover with a light cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes.

6. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

7. Whisk egg white and 1 tablespoon milk together in a small bowl. Use a sharp knife to score a deep cross on top of each bun; brush buns with egg wash.

8. Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Remove to cool completely on a wire rack, about 15 minutes.

9. Place confectioners' sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoons milk in a plastic sandwich bag; knead the bag until combined. Snip off one corner of the bag; pipe a cross into the scored lines on each bun.

Cook's Note:

This is my method for forming 16 equal pieces of dough: Cut dough in half. Work with one half at a time. Hand roll into a log; cut in half again. Roll each piece again; cut in half again; repeat once more; you will have 8 pieces. Repeat the process with the other half of the dough for a total of 16 pieces.