Instructions: Using the whisk attachment on your mixer, if you have one, beat the butter, 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar, and the honey for 1 to 2 minutes at low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium high and beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg, egg yolk, and 2 teaspoons milk and continue beating for 1 minute. Mix in the flour, cornmeal, and baking powder. Add 1/2 cup milk and the almond oil and mix at the lowest speed until blended. The dough should be stiff but not heavy. Knead briefly by hand or mixer, sprinkling with additional flour as needed, until buttery, soft, pliable, and slightly sticky.

Shaping:
Line baking sheets with parchment paper or buttered brown paper. Cut the dough into 15 equal pieces (3 ounces or 90 grams each). Flour your hands and roll each piece into a ball. Flatten each ball into a 1/2 inch thick patty, the size of a hamburger and the width of a womans hand. Place on the paper-lined baking sheets.

Glazing:
Brush the tops with water and then sprinkle with granulated sugar, making sure a thin layer of sugar covers each bun. You can shake off the excess sugar by holding on to the paper and shaking the sugar up and over the edge of the pan. Place the confectioners sugar in a sifter or sieve and sift the sugar heavily over the buns so that they look as if theyre lost in a blizzard of sugar. The excess powdered sugar can stay on the paper, because it will not caramelize.

Baking:
Heat the oven to 375 F. Bake until the sugar on top has cracked into an irregular design, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on racks.

Makes 15 buns. -
These sweet buns are a very delicate cross between a corn muffin and a scone. They are particularly appealing because the covering on the top cracks into a pattern that looks like the land after a long dry summer. Meini are definitely a Lombard specialty, and the Milanese traditionally eat them on April 24th as a celebration of the liberation of their countryside from the assaults of a ferocious highwayman and his brigands during the Middle Ages.

NOTES : These are a cross between a corn muffin and a scone. The top becomes crackled due to the sugar.

If you would like to email yourself the recipe for later use, or share the recipe with your friends or family, enter the email addresses below and this recipe will be emailed to you and others as well.