The pan de mej (pan meino) is a typical dessert from Lombardy. It is usually cooked to celebrate St Giorgio, on April 23. The Pan Meino, also called “pammeino” or “pangiada”, is made with wheat flour, cornmeal and millet flour. People from Milano call this flour “Mej” in their dialect and that’s why this dessert has this name.
Pan de mej (cornmeal bread)
Pan de mej (cornmeal bread)
Ingredients – 4 people
  • 150g butter
  • 150g 00 flour
  • 200g cornmeal
  • 150g millet flour
  • Yeast (1 packet)
  • 100g dried figs
  • 3 eggs
  • 150g sugar
  • Elderflowers
  • 1 pinch of salt

Use milk instead of eggs if you want it to be softer and less friable.

How to cook Pan de Mej, traditional recipe

  • Melt butter in a little pan. In the meantime, put eggs and sugar in a bowl and mix them accurately with a whisk. Add the different flours, yeast and melt butter (still lukewarm), keeping mixing.
  • Mix all with hands and when it is uniform, put it on a counter covered with flour.
  • Form little balls and flatten them with the bottom of a glass until they are 3/5 millimeters thick.
  • Put them on a backing tray covered with backing paper and turn the oven on (180°). While the oven is getting warm, top them with elderflowers, granulated sugar and with powdered sugar.
  • Put the tray in the oven for 20 minutes.
  • Then, let them cool down and garnish with whipped cream to taste.