Combine yeast and lukewarm milk, mix until the yeast is dissolved and let it sit for 10 minutes to activate the yeast.
Add the eggs, spices, vanilla extract, orange zest, and salt to the yeast mixture and combine very well.
Sift the flour and add it to the wet ingredients. Combine everything until you don't see dry flour particles. Let it rest for 20-30 minutes
Start kneading with the paddle attachment until the dough starts coming off the sides of the bowl.
Change to the hook attachment and knead for a few minutes or until you see it's starting to be elastic and add the butter little by little
Keep kneading until the dough is no longer sticky, it comes off the bowl completely and it's very elastic. It should pass the windowpane test.
Add the drained fruits and knead just until they are incorporated into the dough
Place the dough into an oiled container, cover and let it ferment until it almost doubles in size.
Deflate the dough very well and divide it into 12 portions of equal weight.
Roll each portion into a ball an place them into a 16x12in pan lined with parchment paper. Cover and let them rise until they're puffy and touching each other.
Preheat your oven at 375F
Brush the buns with egg wash and with a piping bag make the crosses.
Bake the buns for about 22 minutes or until they're golden brown. Keep an eye on them after 20 minutes.
Take the buns out of the oven and wait 5 minutes before taking them out of the pan.
The night before combine the fruits with the rum, syrup, and water in a container. Close it and shake it once in a while to redistribute the liquid
Drain the liquid before adding the fruits to the dough
Mix the flour and the icing sugar
Start adding the milk little by little until you get the right viscous consistency. Whisk the mixture well until there are no lumps.
The glazed cherries are completely optional, I like to add them because of their intense color.
The nutmeg is optional too. I like how it can intensify other aromas, but the buns can be perfectly fine without it too.
For best storage wait until the buns cooled down completely and put them into a sealed plastic bag. Keep at room temperature