Spectacular hot cross buns

"I think these might be the best hot cross buns I have ever eaten." - Leong Chan, baked goods connoisseur.

The recipe is Dan Lepard's:
Spiced Stout Buns
325ml tin stout, preferably Mackeson
1½ tsp each ground ginger, cinnamon and mace
1½ tsp dry instant yeast
875g strong white flour, plus extra
325g raisins
175g mixed peel, or finely chopped dried apricots
250ml hot black tea
1 large egg
50g melted butter
50g caster sugar, plus extra
1½ tsp salt
The night before, mix the stout, spices, yeast and 325g flour in a deep bowl. Put the raisins, peel and tea in another bowl. Next day, mix the egg and butter with the fruit, then stir into the beer and spice batter. Mix in 550g flour, the sugar and salt, and leave for 10 minutes. Lightly oil your hands and a 30cm patch of worktop. Knead the dough for 10 seconds, leave for 10 minutes, repeat twice more at 10-minute intervals, then leave for an hour.
Divide the dough into 100g pieces, shape into balls and place, touching, on a tray lined with nonstick paper. Leave for 90 minutes. Mix a little flour with water to a paste, and pipe crosses on each ball of dough. Bake at 200C (180C fan-assisted)/390F/gas mark 6 for 25 minutes. Mix a tablespoon each of caster sugar and boiling water, and brush over while hot.
danlepard.com/guardian

I might possibly have been too impatient to wait a whole night for hot cross buns and not done the first stage overnight, but rather over about three hours, using a little more yeast (one sachet) and keeping the batter in a warm place.  Next time I might use sultanas instead of raisins, just because I like 'em better.