Mexican Layered
Cornbread

This recipe takes the traditional cornbread recipe and turns it up a couple of notches.  The jalapenos, cheddar cheese corn make this cornbread bread a meal in and of itself.
(from Paula Deen)

INGREDIENTS:

Butter or non-stick cooking spray, for greasing pan
1 cup all-purpose cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
2/3 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 (14-ounce) can creamed corn
1 cup grated Cheddar
1 cup chopped jalapeños peppers


DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease an 8 by 8-inch or 9 by 9-inch square pan with softened butter or nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.  (Note: You can also make this recipe in the hot cast iron skillet - see Cornbread Recipe)

In a large bowl, mix together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, milk, eggs, salt, and oil. Stir in onion and creamed corn. Pour half of batter into prepared pan. Top with cheese and peppers, spreading onto batter. Pour remaining batter on top of cheese and peppers. Bake for about 35 minutes or until golden on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool slightly before cutting into squares.
 

Cornbread

Cornbread is a generic name for any number of quick breads (a bread leavened chemically, rather than by yeast) containing cornmeal. As maize (also known as corn) is native to North America, it is not surprising that the various kinds of cornbreads are more prevalent in the New World. However, in Italy, the corn-based mush known as polenta is sometimes fashioned into a fried form resembling cornbread.

Native Americans were using ground corn for cooking long before the European explorers arrived in the New World. Cornbread was first discovered by Europeans during the European exploration of North America. Europeans who had to use the local resources for food, fashioned cornmeal into cornbread. Cornbread was popular during the American Civil War because it was very cheap and could be made in many different forms. It could be fashioned into high-rising, fluffy loaves or simply fried for a fast meal.

Types of cornbread
Cornbread is a popular item in soul food enjoyed by many people for its texture and scent. Cornbread can be baked, fried or, rarely, steamed. Steamed cornbreads are mushy, chewier and more akin to cornmeal pudding than what most consider to be traditional cornbread.

Baked cornbread
The most common variety, skillet-baked cornbread (often simply called skillet bread or hoecake depending on the container it's cooked in) is a traditional staple of rural cuisine in the United States, especially in the Southern United States which involves heating bacon drippings, lard or other oil in a heavy, well-seasoned cast iron skillet in an oven, and then pouring a batter made from cornmeal, egg and buttermilk directly into the hot grease. The mixture is returned to the oven to bake into a large, crumbly and sometimes very moist cake with a crunchy crust. This bread will tend to be dense, meant more as an accompaniment than as a bread meant to stand on its own. In addition to the skillet method, such cornbread can also be made in sticks, muffins or loaves. In some parts of the South it is crumbled into a glass of cold buttermilk and eaten with a spoon. In rural areas of Virginia in the mid 20th century it, accompanied by pinto beans or honey, was a common lunch for poor children. It is often served with homemade butter.

Unlike fried types of cornbread, baked cornbread is a quick bread that is dependent on an egg-based protein matrix for its structure (though the addition of wheat flour adds gluten to increase its cohesiveness). The baking process gelatinizes the starch in the cornmeal, but still often leaves some hard starch to give the finished product a distinctive sandiness not typical of breads made from other grains.

From Wikipedia