Cheese & Sweet Pepper Cornbread

By courtneyepowell

Cheese and sweet pepper cornbread is pleasing to look at and also a treat to eat! Dig in!

Ingredients

• 3/4 stick unsalted butter, melted, plus more, room temperature, for pan
• 1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1 3/4 cups low-fat buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (about 3 cups)
• 1 can (4-ounces) hot or mild chopped green chiles
• 5 ounces sweet mini peppers (about 6), cut into thin rounds

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. In a bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together buttermilk, butter, and eggs.

Pour buttermilk mixture into flour mixture and stir until just combined (do not over-mix). Fold in cheese and chiles with juices until evenly distributed. Transfer to baking pan and smooth top. Scatter pepper rounds evenly over top.

Bake until golden brown along edges and a tester inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs, 20 to 25 minutes.

Let cool in pan 5 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack, then invert onto another rack, top-side up. Let cool at least 15 minutes more. Transfer to a cutting board. Cut in half lengthwise, then slice each half into small wedges. Serve warm or room temperature.