Super easy, irresistible cornbread made with sweet corn kernels and crumbled bacon

Cornbread baked in a cast iron skillet

Delicious cornbread freshly baked in a cast iron skillet

This cornbread recipe is adapted from one I found in the 1903 edition of The Settlement Cookbook. It’s super simple and produces a sweet, moist, and delicious bread that’s great at breakfast, lunch or dinner. If your house is like mine, when family and friends are over for dinner or a barbecue, the cornbread will be the first thing to run out, so make sure to bake extra!

Note: I highly recommend baking the cornbread in a cast iron skillet. I’ve used baking dishes and the skillet, and the skillet always works better (plus I get to use that cast iron skillet I just had to have).

Ingredients
  • ¾ cup cornmeal
  • 1-¼ cup flour
  • ¼ cup cooked bacon (4-6 pieces) crumbled
  • 4 tablespoons sugar
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup sweet corn, kernels off the cob
  • 2 tablespoons bacon grease (you can substitute unsalted butter if you want)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 375 deg. Coat an 8-inch cast iron skillet or baking pan with butter, oil or cooking spray.
  2. Mix the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Stir in the crumbled bacon.
  3. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, bacon grease, and corn kernels. Pour into the dry ingredients and stir until everything is well-moistened and the corn and bacon are spread throughout the mixture.
  4. Pour into the cast iron pan (or baking dish) and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the top is a golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the cornbread comes out clean. Let the bread cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.