Make the day before:
Boil the brown sugar (150 g) and water (350 g) with orange (1), peel of and orange (1), juice of, + rum (80 g) (if using).
Add raisins (300 g) and boil for one minute, leave to rest for one day.
Cross mix — make when the dough is proofing:
Mix flour (50 g), cold water (40 g), milk (10 g) and oil (5 g) together gently until smooth, you don't want to create gluten.
Pop the mix in a piping bag.
Preheat oven to 185°C fan bake.
Sieve the flour (500 g) and ground cinnamon (10 g), ground cardamom (5 g), ground clove (4 g), ground nutmeg (4 g) and ground anise (4 g) into a stand mixer's mixing bowl.
Dilute the yeast (10 g) in the water (285 g).
Add the egg (1), water/yeast mix, sugar (40 g) and salt (13 g) to the mixing bowl, then the orange (1), finely grated zest and lemon (1), finely grated zest.
Knead in the mixer using a dough hook until the dough comes away from the side of the bowl and will be stiff (if it is sticky dough), add the butter (45 g) and mix until incorporated.
Strain the liquid off the soaked raisins (300 g) and mix into the dough carefully, trying not to break up the raisins. Cover dough with lightly oiled cling film. Keep the spare syrup on the side.
Leave to rest and proof till double in size, knock back and proof again till doubled.
Cut dough into 120g pieces, roll into balls and place in a tray with approx 3cm high edges. Cover with lightly oiled cling film.
Proof until doubled. Pipe a cross on the top and bake for 25 minutes. Ovens may vary so keep checking on your buns.
Once ready pull them out and brush some of the syrup left from the raisins onto the top to give you a nice shiny sticky bun.
Allow to cool if you have the will power, cut in half, toast and smother with butter or a generous scoop of gelato.