In the evening, mix together the stiff levain ingredients in a small bowl and knead it into a round ball. Then place the stiff levain into a clean jar with a lid and leave it to ferment at room temperature overnight until it is doubled to tripled in volume with a domed top.

Prepare the dough in the morning. Start by making the tangzhong. Whisk together the tangzhong ingredients in a saucepan then cook it over low heat, stirring constantly until a thick gummy paste forms after about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and set aside.

Combine the dried fruit with the orange juice and orange blossom water and set aside to soak while the dough is prepared.

Melt the butter and honey together in a small pan over low heat or in a microwave. Then add that mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer followed by the milk, vanilla, orange zest, and spices. Mix them together. The mixture should feel lukewarm to the touch. If it feels hot then let it cool before adding the levain.

Add all of the stiff levain and tangzhong to the bowl and break them up with a fork.

Add the flours and salt then let the stand mixer fitted with a dough hook run on its lowest setting for about 15-20 minutes until a soft tacky dough forms and passes the "windowpane" test, meaning the dough is ready when it can be stretched thin enough to let light through without tearing.

Turn the dough out onto an oiled or water-moistened countertop/breadboard and stretch it out into a large thin rectangle.

Drain the dried fruit and scatter it over the stretched dough. Press the fruit into the dough then fold the dough in thirds like a letter. Then roll the dough up and knead it into a round.

Place the dough into an oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with a shower cap, plastic wrap, or beeswax wrap, and let it bulk rise at room temperature for 8 hours or until it has almost doubled in volume.

Divide the dough into 12 equal portions and shape them into small balls on a lightly floured work surface. Place them into a parchment paper lined 9x13 pan or lasagna pan.

Cover the pan with plastic wrap or a proofing bag and let the buns proof at room temperature for 2 hours then transfer them to the refrigerator overnight.

In the morning, take the buns out of the fridge and let them come to room temperature, and finish proofing if needed.  They should be noticeably puffy and will hold an indentation when gently pressed with a floured fingertip when they are proofed enough.

When the buns are nearly done proofing, preheat the oven to 400˚F/205˚C.

Brush the proofed buns with eggwash and optionally decorate the tops of the buns with edible flowers.

Mix all-purpose flour with 5-6 tablespoons of water to form a thick paste for the crosses. Add the mixture to a small piping bag or Ziploc bag and snip off the point or corner with scissors. Then pipe the crosses over the flowers on top of the buns. Cover the pan with an inverted quarter sheet pan, which would fit the 9x13 pan perfectly or use tin foil.

Bake the buns covered for 10 minutes. Then remove the cover and continue baking for another 10-15 minutes or until the buns are golden on top and their internal temperature reaches 190-200˚F.

Warm the apricot jam/orange marmalade in a small saucepan or in the microwave to loosen up its consistency. Then brush the jam liberally over the tops of the buns. Serve them warm or at room temperature.