Cornbread with Scallions & Bacon

This cornbread has a moist, tender crumb. It gets a nice crisp crust in a cast-iron skillet.

Yield: on 10-inch round bread

Ingredients
4 1/2 ounces (1 cup) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal, preferably stone-ground
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt
1 1/4 cups low-fat milk
2 tablespoons honey
1 large egg
1/3 cup corn oil
8 scallions (white and light green parts only), trimmed and thinly sliced
Freshly ground black pepper
3 thick slices bacon

Directions
1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk the milk, honey, egg, corn oil, scallions, and 2 grinds black pepper until well combined. In a 10-inch ovenproof skillet (preferably cast iron), cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Spoon off all but about a tablespoon of the bacon fat from the skillet. Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until the ingredients are just blended. Crumble the bacon and fold it in; don't overmix.

2. Pour the batter into the hot skillet and bake until the top is golden brown, firm, and springy to the touch, 20 to 25 minutes; a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Turn out onto a rack or serve in the pan, warm or at room temperature.