Cheddar, Bacon, and Scallion Cornbread Recipe

After working through loaf after loaf of sweet Northern-style cornbread trying to find the best recipe, I thought I'd be all cornbread-ed out. Instead, I found myself just wanting more of that super-moist, cakey bread, especially since I'd thought of so many ways to doctor it up.

It probably would have been smart to wait until actual Thanksgiving, when I'd have a hungry audience, to try out my variations. But I actually wound up sitting in my kitchen one cold Saturday night, churning out one cornbread after another, combining sweet, savory, and spicy flavors until I had five iterations that really clicked, each taking an already excellent cornbread recipe to grand new heights. In addition to this savory cheese and bacon cornbread, try maple walnut, orange cranberry, roasted pepper, and jalapeño.

Bringing a little breakfast spirit to my cornbread, I went with a cheddar, bacon, and scallion mixture in this loaf. I started by frying up six slices of diced bacon, leaving a couple of tablespoons of bacon fat in the pan after removing the meat. The skillet then went into my preheated oven while I made the rest of the bread.

I kept the base recipe mostly the same here, except I cut back the salt to account for the saltiness of the bacon. I added six ounces of coarsely grated sharp cheddar and half a cup of finely sliced scallions along with the bacon.

When the batter was ready to go, the bacon fat was nice and hot, sizzling as I poured in the batter. The crust began to set immediately, and the rest of the bread was cooked during its 20-minute stint in the oven.

The resulting cornbread is incredible. The bacon gives it a smoky, meaty, and salty flavor; the cheddar adds some creaminess and a sharp bite; and the scallions lend their mellow, oniony freshness. It's sweet and savory, and I love it—I can imagine eating this at any meal, anytime. My wife, on the other hand, thinks it suffers from a bit of an identity crisis, so if you're not as into the sweet-and-savory mashup as I am, you can cut the sugar by half (or more) to bring this one further into the savory realm.