Buttermilk Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread
The best part about this cornbread is the incredibly crisp crust you get from baking it in a hot cast iron pan. You heat the pan with butter and oil right in the oven, so when you pour the batter in, it sizzles and starts frying immediately. This creates a crunchy, buttery edge that's a great contrast to the moist, cake-like center.
Ingredients
For the Cornbread
- 1 1/2 cups fine yellow cornmeal plus a couple of extra tablespoons if needed
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 cup freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 3/4 cup buttermilk room temperature
- 1/2 cup full-fat Greek yogurt room temperature
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 3/4 cup canned creamed corn
- 1 large jalapeño finely diced
For the Pan Coating
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
For the Honey Butter
- 1/4 cup salted butter room temperature
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F with 10-inch cast iron pan inside.
- Dice jalapeño and grate cheddar while oven heats.
- Whisk dry ingredients in large bowl: cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, paprika. Stir in cheese. Make well in center.
- Mix wet ingredients in separate bowl: maple syrup, buttermilk, yogurt, eggs, creamed corn.
- Remove hot pan from oven. Add butter and oil, swirl to coat. Return to oven 1 minute.
- Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients well. Whisk until almost combined. Fold in jalapeños.
- Pour batter into hot pan. Spread evenly.
- Bake 20-25 minutes until golden and toothpick comes out clean.
- Flip cornbread onto plate, then flip upright onto cooling rack.
- Mix honey butter: beat softened butter with honey until smooth. Spread on warm cornbread.
Notes
If batter seems too wet, add 1-2 tablespoons extra cornmeal. Batter should be thicker than pancake batter but pourable.
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