On the first day of Breadmas my Baker gave to me, Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread! We’re starting off Breadmas with a buttery classic! I adore cornbread. There are so many great varieties, and they’re always a good side dish for autumn feasts, and summer BBQ. This recipe is simple, quick and oh so yummy!
Baking with corn isn’t a new thing by any means. Long before folks in the southern U.S were making the cornbread we know today, humans were baking with corn. South American culinary traditions are full of corn recipes, for both fresh corn and dry or ground. But the cornbread that most people are familiar with came about in the early life of what is now the U.S.A.
Sweet or Not Sweet Cornbread
There’s a divide in the South about whether cornbread should be sweet or not, and debates can become heated about it. Here’s a great article about the racial and cultural divides around the subject.
Personally, as someone who is not at all from the South, and who comes from Scottish and English roots, I prefer my cornbread savoury, or only a touch sweet. I say prefer, because lets be honest, if you don’t have a horse in that race, both are pretty darn tasty!
This recipe has a touch of honey in it to help ease the spice of the jalapenos, and we love it with a drizzle of honey if we’re eating it on it’s own. Otherwise, it gets dipped in chili, and munched alongside ribs in the summer. It’s great for soaking up the excess sauce!
The Cast Iron Skillet
This is the one thing that I do sort of insist on. Cooking cornbread in a cast iron skillet really does give it a super tasty crust. I cook up the bacon in the skillet first, drain the excess fat. (But grease the pan with it before adding the batter) and then pre heat the pan in the oven. It’s divine.
If you haven’t checked out the Breadmas Prep Post, you can do that here. And stay tuned for the next 11 days of yum!
Jump to Recipe
Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread
Equipment
- Cast Iron Skillet
Ingredients
- 4 pcs Bacon
- 1 cup Cornmeal
- 1 1/4 cup Flour
- 1 Tbsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- 3 Eggs lightly beaten
- 1 cup +2 Tbsp Buttermilk
- 3/4 cup Melted Butter
- 2 Tbsp Honey
- 2 Jalapenos Diced
- 1 cup Sharp Cheddar Grated
- Extra Melted Butter for brushing after baking
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 425F
- Begin with the bacon. You'll be using some of the bacon fat to grease the pan for the bread, so cook your bacon strips in the cast iron pan until crisp. Drain off the fat, but reserve 1-2 tbsp. Put the pan into the oven to pre heat.
- While the bacon cooks; combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Melt the butter and honey together. Prep the other ingredients.
- When the pan has been heating in the oven for about 10 minutes, combine the batter. Add the cheddar, and jalapenos to the flour mixture. Crumble in the cooked bacon. Stir to combine and evenly coat all the chunks.
- Add in the buttermilk, egg, butter and honey. Stir to combine, but don't over stir.
- Remove the pan from the oven, and grease it all around the inside with the reserved bacon fat. Use a brush or a paper towel.
- Pour the batter into the skillet, and spread it around with a spatula, and even out the top. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until evenly golden, and a skewer inserted in the certain comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for about 30 minutes before gently removing it to a cooling rack. Store in a sealed bag in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for 2 months.
LizaLeigh
