The Meliga pastes they are typical biscuits of the Piedmontese tradition, widespread especially in the area of ​​the city of Wedge. They are prepared with Fioretto corn flour, which is a very fine corn flour, together with 00 flour, butter, eggs, sugar and baking powder. They are flavored with lemon zest and are characterized by a crumbly consistency, which melts in the mouth. Originally born as a poor recipe, to be made with the corn flour that all the farmers had at home, nowadays they are particularly refined biscuits in Piedmontese pastry shops and throughout Italy. Also called “honey biscuits”, it is very easy to make them at home and you won’t even need to knead them by hand, because the consistency of the dough is very creamy and you will only need a spatula. If you want to try other Piedmontese biscuits, also prepare Baci di dama and Krumiri!

Preparation

1

Pour the soft butter into a bowl with the grated zest of the untreated lemon, previously washed and dried.

2

Add the granulated sugar and mix with a whisk until you obtain a smooth cream with the consistency of an ointment.

3

Break the eggs and add them whole to the mixture. Mix until perfectly incorporated. There is no need to assemble them.

4

Add a pinch of salt and the corn flour and baking powder.

5

Also add the previously sifted 00 flour and start mixing it with a spoon until it is perfectly absorbed.

6

The mixture should be rather soft, it is not a compact dough, but will have a creamy consistency. Pour it into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and start making circular movements on a baking tray lined with baking paper.

7

You will need to obtain donuts with a diameter of approximately 5 cm. Create the donuts by placing them on the baking paper at least 2 cm apart from each other, so that they do not rise excessively as they grow. Cook in a preheated static oven at 180°C for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the biscuits cool completely.

Tips and tricks

THE Meliga biscuits they must be left chill for at least 30 minutes before being touched, because otherwise they risk breaking.

Check the color during cooking: if they are still too white, continue cooking for another 5 minutes. On the contrary, if you see that the color has browned too much, remove them from the oven immediately.

You can also use vanilla or limoncello to flavor Meliga pastas. In particular, limoncello can give them a truly delicious touch, together with the grated lemon peel.

Conservation of Meliga pasta

Meliga pastas are stored in one airtight box for 10 days. They cannot be frozen.