• Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a small pot. Gently place the 6 cold eggs into the pot, cover. Reduce the heat to medium and steam the eggs for exactly 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the stove and immediately fill the pot with cold water to stop the cooking. Let the eggs cool in the water for 5 minutes then place in the refrigerator to cool completely.
• When you're ready to make the muffin batter, put the eggs into the freezer while making the batter (up to 1/2 hr). Cook the bacon slices until crisp, chop into small bacon bits. Grease a 6-cup jumbo muffin tin with butter or bacon fat, then flour.
• Preheat the oven to 375 °F.

Make the batter

• Whisk together 12 ½ oz all purpose flour, 7 ½ oz yellow corn meal, 2 teaspoons table salt, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 oz granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Toss 12 ounces bacon bits into the dry ingredients.
• In a separate bowl combine 18 oz buttermilk, 2 oz maple syrup and 4 large eggs. Whisk melted 2 oz butter (or bacon fat) into the buttermilk mixture. Add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix just until combined, don't over mix.
• Fill each each muffin cup ¼ way with batter. Use a spoon to create a well in the middle of each muffin. Take the soft boiled eggs out of the freezer and gently peel each egg. Place one egg, pointed end up, into each muffin tin, nestling it down into the batter.
• Spoon the batter around and over each egg, being careful not to break the egg white.
• Bake for 20 minutes just until the top of the muffin springs back when pressed.
• If you're not sure it's done pick a bit of the crust off the top to see if it's baked. Don't poke a toothpick into the muffin or you might break the egg. Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the pan.
• If a "muffin top" sticks to the top of the pan use the tip of a small knife to loosen the top. Carefully tilt the pan to one side, grasp a muffin by the top and gently shimmy it out of the pan.