Method

• 1.
  Place sugar, yeast and 1 cup (250ml) lukewarm water in a bowl. Cover and stand for 10 minutes, or until frothy. Stir through egg yolks, butter, nutmeg and 2 tsp salt flakes. Stir through flour, then turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 10 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Place dough in a clean greased bowl, cover and stand in a warm place for 2 hours, or until doubled in size.
• 2.
  For the cinnamon butter, combine all ingredients in a bowl.
• 3.
  Grease a large round pizza tray or baking tray and line with baking paper.
• 4.
  Place dough on a work surface, divide into 8 even pieces and cover. Roll out one piece of dough at a time to a 3mm-thick rectangle. Spread with some cinnamon butter, then with some fig jam. With a long edge facing you, roll dough into a log and cut in half lengthways.
• 5.
  With halves cut-side up, twist together. Fold the 2 ends of the resulting braid in and around themselves to form a ‘knot’. Repeat with remaining dough, cinnamon butter and fig jam. Arrange buns in a round, 2cm apart, on prepared tray, placing final bun in centre. Tuck a fig piece into each bun. Brush with extra egg. Scatter with extra caster sugar. Cover and stand in a warm place for 30 minutes to prove.
• 6.
  Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced.
• 7.
  Bake bun for 35 minutes, or until golden and cooked through.
• 8.
  Brush with extra fig jam and serve with extra butter.