Description
This skillet cornbread bakes perfectly in a cast iron with crisp edges and a tender center studded with smoky bacon. The combination of floral honey and savory bacon brings a delightful sweet-and-savory balance that complements the classic cornmeal base beautifully.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat
- 6 slices applewood-smoked bacon, finely chopped
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup medium-ground yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
Wet Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
- ⅓ cup honey, plus more for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven and skillet: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat to warm.
- Cook bacon: Cook the finely chopped bacon in the preheated skillet until it becomes crispy. Transfer the cooked bacon to paper towels to drain, reserving 1 tablespoon of the rendered bacon fat in the skillet.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together cornmeal, all-purpose flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda to combine evenly.
- Mix wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, melted butter, and honey until smooth and well combined.
- Combine mixtures: Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir just until moistened and combined without overmixing. Fold the cooked bacon into the batter gently.
- Prepare skillet and bake: Swirl the reserved tablespoon of bacon fat around the bottom and sides of the warm skillet to coat it evenly. Pour the cornbread batter into the skillet.
- Bake until golden: Place the skillet in the preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes or until the cornbread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Serve: Remove the cornbread from the oven and serve warm with an additional drizzle of honey on top.
Notes
- If you don’t have buttermilk, create a substitute by stirring 1 tablespoon of lemon juice into 1 cup of whole milk and allowing it to stand for 10 minutes before using.
- Use a cast iron skillet for best results to achieve crispy edges and even baking.
- Adjust the amount of honey to suit your desired level of sweetness.
- For a spicier twist, consider adding a pinch of cayenne pepper or chopped jalapeños to the batter.
- Make sure not to overmix the batter to keep the cornbread tender.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/8 of recipe)
- Calories: 280 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 350 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 65 mg
