I have a weakness for cornbread. The crumbly texture, the salty yet somewhat sweet flavor, the fact it is so versatile – all these make cornbread one of my favorite breads. There are plenty of recipes for cornbread, including on this blog, however, I think you’ll agree there is always room for one more.
The version I have here is somewhat on the heavy side, as I’ve decided to add bacon bits to the batter, and substitute the original butter with the rendered bacon fat. The result is hearty, moist and very flavorful bread.
The bread is great on its own any time of the day, or served aside a soup or stew. It can be topped with pan fried garlicky cherry tomatoes, as shown in the above photo, or with poached eggs, sautéed greens, or any other addition you have in mind.
Whatever twist you want to add to it, it is the perfect comfort food. I’m sure you’ll agree, once you’ll try it.
A few notes:
* For a vegetarian version, omit the bacon and use same amount of soft butter, instead of the bacon fat.
* I prefer the coarse texture from stone-ground cornmeal. If you prefer finer texture, use fine ground cornmeal.
* The bread is moist and fairly soft after baking. For a crispy crust, pop it under the broiler, or place in a toaster oven for a few minutes.
* If the amount seems too big for your needs, bear in mind the bread freezes well, in an airtight container, for up to a month. Another option is to cut all the ingredient amounts in half and bake in a smaller pan.
Makes: 16 large squares
Prep time: 30 minutes
Baking time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
For the bacon:
1 lb (450 grams) thick sliced bacon
For the fried onions:
2 medium onions, cut into medium cubes
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbs bacon fat (see step 1)
For the cornbread:
1 cup flour
1 ½ cups stone-ground cornmeal
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1 Tbs baking powder
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
½ cup bacon fat, at room temperature (see step 1)
2 L eggs
1¾ cups buttermilk, at room temperature
½ cup fried onions (see step 1)
1 cup bacon bits (see step 1)
1/3 cup chopped mini peppers
1. The bacon: cut the bacon into big cubes, place in a deep pot (to reduce spatters) over medium-high heat and cook until the water evaporates. Keep cooking, and drain the fat occasionally into a bowl, for about 15 minutes, until all that is left in the pot are crispy bacon bits and in the bowl you have about ¾ cup bacon fat. Keep at room temperature.
The fried onions: mix the cut onions, salt, pepper and 1 Tbs bacon fat in a small pot. Fry over medium-high heat, mixing occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until the onion is golden brown. Keep at room temperature.
2. Preheat the oven to 350F (175C). Line a 12”x8” (20.5cm x 30cm) baking pan with baking paper.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, baking powder and cayenne pepper. Measure ½ cup of bacon fat and add to the bowl, with the eggs and buttermilk. Mix lightly and add the fried onions, bacon bits and mini peppers. Mix lightly and pour the batter into the lined pan. Level the top with a spatula and place in the oven.
4. Bake for 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out almost clean. The bread should still be a bit moist. Holding the baking paper, transfer the bread to a rack to cool to room temperature. Transfer to a large cutting board and cut into large squares. Serve at room temperature.
5. The bread is moist and fairly soft. For a crispier crust, place the cut portion in a toaster oven for 3-4 minutes. Serve as is or top with sautéed garlicky cherry tomatoes.
Yum-Chef Ronit-we sure do love corn bread here too. Sweet and Savory. Looks great! Cheryl x
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Thank you Cheryl! I’m glad to know you too are fans of cornbread. This one was gobbled down so fast I have to make a new batch soon! 🙂
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I have never tried corn bread, so interested to try it now!
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Thank you Faye. I’m glad you’ve found this recipe interesting enough to want to try it. I hope you’ll enjoy it. 🙂
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OY! Cornbread!!! I love it so much, I am always loath to eat the last smidgen. I use coarsely-ground cornmeal as well. It makes an entirely different texture than the finely ground, and is sometimes hard to keep together long enough to get it toasted to a golden brown and then packed into my mouth. But there is just something about the rustic-ness of it that makes it ever so special. Of course it must be dripping down my arms with butter and honey! (Or marmalade – which is less drippy!)
Virtual hugs,
Judie < — making sour cream blueberry pancakes with the last of the blueberries
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Thank you Judie, I’m glad to find another cornbread enthusiast! 🙂
Coarsely ground cornmeal gives such a nice texture and like you I don’t mind the crumbliness at all, even prefer it.
Sour cream blueberry pancakes sound wonderful! Enjoy your breakfast! 🙂
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Where does one draw the line ‘twixt “enthusiast” and “fanatic”? ;->
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It is a very fine line indeed… 😀
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Looks yummy!
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Thank you! 🙂
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Your cornbread version looks amazing! For a spicy kick you could also toss in some chopped green chiles. 🙂
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Thank you, I’m glad you liked the recipe.
I find the cayenne pepper spicy enough, but can definitely see green chilies in there as well. 🙂
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Wonderful recipe Ronit…looks so good!
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Thank you Frances! I’m glad you liked it. It was very tasty! 🙂
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Goodness that looks good!
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Thank you Elmarie! It was very tasty! 🙂
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The cornbread sounds wonderful I never would have thought of adding bacon to it.
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Thank you Sheryl, I’m glad you liked the idea. First I planned to add only bacon fat instead of the butter I usually use, and then I though that while at it, why not add the bacon bits as well… It turned out really great and I will no doubt make it again. 🙂
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Bacon in the cornbread would make my husband very happy, actually the both of us. 😀 Thanks for sharing the recipe, it would go great with a bowl of sautéed greens.
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Thank you Karen, glad I’m glad you liked the idea!
The bread pairs beautifully with so many dishes, and definitely with sauteed greens. 🙂
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I love cornbread, too. We make it in an iron skillet sometimes. Your recipe looks delicious, Ronit.
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Thank you Tonya, I’m glad you liked the recipe. The addition of bacon was a hit. 🙂
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I agree, you can’t have too many recipes for cornbread. Especially one that has bacon and peppers – yum!
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Thank you Rosemarie! Indeed there’s always room for one more cornbread recipe. The addition of bacon and peppers worked great. I will definitely make this again. 🙂
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Fabulous! And I love the way you served it!
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Thank you Mimi! The sauteed cherry tomatoes were wonderful on top of the bread. 🙂
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Looks wonderful – can’t wait to try it!
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Thank you Susan. I’m glad you liked the recipe. I hope you’ll enjoy the results. I’ll be happy to hear your comments. 🙂
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Looks great.. Nice recipe 🙂
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Thank you Monika! 🙂
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Great combination of ingredients and flavours!
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Thank you Liz. It turned out very tasty. I’ll definitely make it again. 🙂
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this looks so good!! Wonderful recipe!
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Thank you Lyn, I’m glad you liked the recipe. 🙂
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most welcome! Looks so good, could go for some right now!
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Looks great! My husband loves bacon!
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Thank you Kendall, I’m glad to know! 🙂
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Welcome!
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I love all versions of cornbread and especially with the addition of bacon. Now, why didn’t I think of that? Another recipe on my “to make list”.
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Thank you Judi, I’m glad you liked the idea. The addition of bacon worked so well I will make it again soon. 🙂
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Such a lovely recipe Ronit 🙂
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Thank you Nandini, I’m glad you liked it. It was very tasty. 🙂
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This recipe sounds like one that I tried a while back. It never seemed to be quite right and I finally gave up trying. I’m more than willing tor y your recipe, Ronit. I’m sure it’s better than what I was doing. 🙂
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Thank you John, I’m glad you liked the recipe. I hope it will work better for you than previous tries. 🙂
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Love the addition of peppers…yum!
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Thank you Antonia. I’m glad you liked the recipe. The peppers add lots of flavor and I’m glad I’ve added them. 🙂
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This looks incredible! Would love to attempt to make this!
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Thank you Ideen! I’m glad to know you liked the recipe. I hope you’ll try it and enjoy the results. I’ll be happy to hear your comments. 🙂
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Wow! Looks really nice. Will def try sometime. 🙂 😀
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Thank you Sakshi! It came out very tasty. I hope you’ll enjoy it too. 🙂
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Bacon baked in a bread is a first for me. How delicious this cornbread must be!
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It was delicious in a dangerous way! 🙂
My only regret was that I didn’t keep a bit of the bacon bits to scatter on top to add more crispiness. I’ll remember next time! 🙂
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You’ve made me weak in the knees, Ronit! Cornbread with bacon?? YES! Thanks for sharing your delectable recipe!
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lol Thank you Nancy, for such a great compliment! 🙂
It came really tasty, and vanished very quickly! Next time I plan to save a bit of the bacon bits and scatter them on top, for extra crispiness… 🙂
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Wow!!! lovely recipe.
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Thank you Anuradha. I’m glad you liked it. 🙂
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