Recipe: Scallion Bacon Cornbread

If you have a 9” cast iron skillet then you can prepare this recipe without dirtying many dishes. If your cast iron is a little smaller, fill just ¾ of the way and bake the rest of the batter as muffins.

Scallion Bacon Cornbread

yield: 1, 9” cast iron skillet or 8x8” square baking pan

1 cup Cornmeal

1 ¼ cup All-Purpose Flour

1 ½ Tablespoons Baking Powder

1 ½ teaspoons Salt

1 stick (4 ounces) Butter

¼ cup Honey

4 Eggs

1 cup Milk

½ cup Buttermilk

⅓ cup Scallions, chopped

4 strips Bacon (optional) *skip step 2 if you are omitting the bacon

½ cup Sharp Cheddar, grated

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a 9” cast iron skillet, cook the bacon on both sides until golden brown. Remove the bacon from the pan and place on a paper towel. Once cool, chop into small pieces. Do not discard the fat.
Add the butter to the skillet and melt. Leave in pan and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt.
In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, honey, milk and buttermilk.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients.
Whisk together starting in the center of the well and working your way to the edges of the bowl until all of the dry ingredients are incorporated.
Add the melted butter and bacon fat leaving a slight coating in the skillet. This will keep for cornbread from sticking to the pan. If you are using an 8x8” baking dish, reserve some of the melted butter to coat the baking dish.
Stir the butter into the mixture.
Fold in the chopped scallions and bacon.
Pour mixture into the skillet and top with cheddar cheese.
Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown on top and a toothpick comes out clean.
Best enjoyed warm.