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1
Set the oven to 170 °C. Line two flat baking trays with baking parchment — biscotti di meliga adhere firmly to unlined metal. Fit a piping bag with a 10 mm star nozzle.
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2
In a wide bowl, cream the soft butter and caster sugar together until the mixture is pale, noticeably increased in volume, and holds the trail of the beater. This aeration is the structural foundation of the biscuit; it cannot be recovered later. Butter that is too warm will not trap air — if the bowl feels soft to the touch, refrigerate for ten minutes before proceeding.
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3
Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, ensuring each is fully absorbed before adding the next. Add the vanilla, the finely grated lemon zest, and the Moscato d'Asti. The mixture should be smooth, cohesive, and faintly fragrant.
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4
Combine the farina di mais fioretto and the farina 00 (60 : 40 by weight). Fold the combined flours into the creamed mixture with a spatula in three additions, working gently until no dry flour remains and a soft, just-cohesive dough forms. The dough should hold its shape when pressed but not be stiff.
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5
Fill the piping bag. If the dough has warmed during mixing, refrigerate it for ten minutes — it must be cool enough to hold a piped shape without flowing. Pipe rings or short cylinders directly onto the parchment, leaving 3 cm between pieces. The star nozzle's ridges are essential; smooth rounds are not biscotti di meliga.
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6
Bake at 170 °C for 18–20 minutes. The biscuits are done when they are pale golden at the edges and fully set to the touch at the centre — they should carry almost no colour on the surface. Any deepening of colour beyond pale gold signals that the cornmeal's natural sugars are burning; remove immediately.
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7
Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before handling — cornmeal biscuits are fragile when warm. Once cold and firm, seal immediately in an airtight tin; farina di mais absorbs ambient humidity rapidly and will soften within hours if left uncovered.