Pan de mej

After 5 years in Milan, my sweet tooth has led me inside pretty much ever bakery I walk by, and as someone who loves corn flavored anything, I’ve been in search of pan de mej. Large, soft corn cookies, the first time I discovered them, they were dry (likely old) and uneventful. Pan de MEH. One of the few sweets alongside panettone, from the Lombardy region, I went searching for more. With no luck, the lockdown in Lombardy felt like the right time to make something to celebrate Northern Italy.

Considered a 16th century classic also called ‘pan meino,’ they are made in Lombardy on San Giorgio Day, April 23rd. Once known as the day shepherds and dairy farmers met to discuss the harvest, they were served with a tall glass of cream. The cookies may have also been another means to use the winter flour surplus that could be damaged by high temperatures and insects as higher temperatures arrive.

Round, cake-like on the inside, they were once made with millet flour but now are made with corn flour. This makes sense as we also eat lots of polenta in Lombardy. I found recipes online on a few different Italian websites (Cucina Italiana and Giallo Zafferano) and chose to follow a book, Lombardia in Cucina’s recipe. With low expectations, I was really excited by the result. Once the lockdown is over, I can’t wait to try Pasticceria Besuschio di Abbiategrasso’s version touted by one of my favorite Milanese food writers Margo Schachter as the best in Lombardia since 1845. 

Ingredients for 9 large cookies:

100 g (3/4 cup) all-purpose or 00 flour 150 g (1 1/4 cup) corn flour (cornmeal will produce a much coarser cookie) 1 tsp baking powder Pinch of salt 75 g (3 oz) cold unsalted butter 75 g (6 tbs) sugar 1/2 tsp vanilla 1/2 tsp Lemon zest 3 eggs Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 185 celsius/365 fahrenheit. Mix all the dry ingredients except for the sugar and salt. Place the butter (soft but cold), sugar, salt and vanilla in a bowl and mix either with a stand mixer or hand mixer. A whisk also works, it just takes a bit more time. Your mixture should be fluffy; add one egg as a time. Lastly add the dry ingredients. Use an ice cream scoop to form scoops on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle the top with plenty of powdered sugar, then press cookies down lightly with the bottom of a flat glass. Bake for 12-14 minutes. For large rounds, increase oven temp by 5-10 c / 40-50 f.