Bacon Cheddar Jalapeno Cornbread

This is the result of combining a number of my favorite cornbread recipes. The first time I made it, I had people begging for the recipe. The problem was that it didn’t exist, as I had just improvised it as I went along. Here’s my attempt to put it down in words.

Original recipe makes 12 servings

Ingredients

5 slices bacon
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup milk
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
3 extra large eggs, lightly beaten
1 (8 ounce) package shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
3 jalapeno peppers, diced

PREP

10 mins
COOK

40 mins
READY IN

1 hr 10 mins

Directions

Fry bacon in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate; reserve remaining bacon grease in skillet. Crumble bacon.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place skillet with bacon grease in oven.
Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk milk, buttermilk, butter, and eggs in another bowl; stir milk mixture into flour mixture until just combined. Batter will be slightly lumpy. Fold in Cheddar cheese and jalapeno peppers. Allow batter to rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.
Pour batter into hot skillet and sprinkle with crumbled bacon, gently pressing bacon into batter.
Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before slicing.