In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the warm milk, yeast, and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 to 7 minutes until the yeast is activated and the mixture is fragrant and foamy.
Add the raisins to a heatproof bowl. Add enough boiling water to cover the raisins. Allow the raisins to soak for 5 minutes. Drain well and set aside the plump raisins.
Add the remaining sugar, eggs, and melted butter to the stand mixer bowl. Whisk to combine until well incorporated. Attach a dough hook to the stand mixer.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. With the mixer running on low speed, add about 1/3 of flour mixture. Once incorporated, add the remaining 1/3 of the flour mixture. Add the drained raisins, followed with the remaining flour mixture. Once the dough has formed, increase the speed to medium-high and knead the dough for 3 to 5 minutes until the dough no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl.
Transfer the dough to a greased bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Allow the dough to sit covered at room temperature for 60 to 70 minutes until the dough has doubled in volume.
Remove the cover and gently delate risen dough by pressing it down with your hand. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions. Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll into round balls. Place on a parchment lined 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Repeat with the remaining dough. Cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Let the dough rest at room temperature for 30 to 40 minutes until the balls of dough have risen enough to touch each other.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
PREPARE THE PASTE:
In a small bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, milk, and water until a wet paste forms. Transfer the runny mixture to a piping bag with a small round tip, or a small zip top plastic bag with the corner snipped off.
Pipe straight lines vertically and horizontally across the risen buns to create crosses.
BAKE:
Bake the buns in a preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush cream over the buns. Return to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes until the bread is golden brown on top and the internal temperature of the buns registers at least 185 degrees F on a kitchen thermometer.
ADD THE GLAZE:
In a small bowl, mix together the apricot jam and water until smooth. Use a pastry brush to lightly coat warm buns with glaze.
Enjoy hot cross buns warm, fresh from the oven. Alternatively, warm up and toast room temperature buns. Bread will keep covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.