Combine the currants and candied orange peel in a bowl. Pour the hot tea or orange juice over them. Cover and let soak for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight. Drain thoroughly before using — you want the fruit plump but not wet.

In a small saucepan, whisk together the bread flour and whole milk until completely smooth. No lumps.

Heat over medium-low, stirring constantly. The mixture will thicken in 3–4 minutes. You'll see lines forming in the pan as you stir — that's the starch gelatinizing. Pull it off the heat when it reaches 65°C (149°F) or looks like thick mashed potatoes.

Transfer to a small bowl and press plastic wrap directly onto the surface. Cool to room temperature before adding to the dough, about 30 minutes. You can make this up to 24 hours ahead — store in the fridge, covered.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, whisk together the bread flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom, and orange zest.

Add the instant yeast, lukewarm milk, eggs, and all of the cooled tangzhong. Mix on low with the dough hook for 2–3 minutes until a shaggy dough forms.

With the mixer running on low, add the softened butter in small pieces. It'll look rough for a minute. That's normal. Give it time.

Increase to medium-low and knead for 8–10 minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky but pulls away from the bowl. By hand: 12–14 minutes on a lightly floured surface. The dough is intentionally a little sticky. Don't add more flour.

Add the drained fruit and mix on low for 2 minutes until evenly distributed throughout the dough. Don't overwork it here — you just want the fruit incorporated, not crushed.

Shape the dough into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise at room temperature (75–78°F / 24–26°C) until doubled, about 1 to 1½ hours.

Punch down the dough and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Weigh the total dough and divide by 12. Each bun should be approximately 85–90g.

Take a piece of dough and pull the edges toward the center, rotating as you go, to build tension. Flip seam-side down. Cup your hand over the dough and roll it in a tight circle against the surface until it forms a smooth, taut ball. Place seam-side down in the greased pan.

Place the shaped buns in the 9×13 pan in a 3×4 grid, with about ½ inch of space between each bun. They'll grow into each other during the proof and bake — that pull-apart quality is part of the design.

Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Let proof for 45–60 minutes until the buns are visibly puffed and touching their neighbors.

About 20 minutes before the end of the proof, preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) with a rack in the center.

Whisk together the bread flour, water, and sugar until completely smooth with no lumps. The paste should be thick enough to hold its shape when piped but thin enough to flow through a small opening. Add water a teaspoon at a time if it's too thick to pipe.

Spoon the paste into a piping bag or a zip-lock bag with a small corner snipped off. Pipe a continuous line across the entire row of buns, then rotate 90 degrees and pipe across the columns. One continuous motion per direction keeps the lines even. Pipe them slightly thinner than you want — they spread a little in the oven.

Brush the exposed dough (not the paste cross) lightly with the egg wash. The cross doesn't need egg wash — it bakes up pale cream against the golden bun, which is exactly the contrast you want.

Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 20–25 minutes until deep golden brown. The internal temperature should reach 190°F (88°C). The flour paste cross will be a pale cream-gold against the darker bun — that contrast is right.

While the buns bake, combine the apricot jam (or orange marmalade) and water in a small saucepan. Heat over medium, stirring until the jam melts and the mixture is smooth and runny. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve if your jam has large pieces.

The moment the buns come out of the oven, brush the entire surface — buns and crosses — generously with the warm glaze. It will sizzle slightly and soak into the surface. This is correct. Let the buns cool in the pan for 10–15 minutes before pulling them apart.

400°F (200°C), center rack.

Flour paste cross before going in.

Brush exposed dough only — not the paste.

20–25 minutes until deep golden and internal temp hits 190°F (88°C).

Brush with warm apricot-orange glaze immediately on exit.