Onion and Fontina Beer Batter Bread......New Year, New Food with The Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club

It's a new year.  A new beginning.  A fresh start.  A chance to try new things. 

New Year / New Food:  That's the January theme for the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club.  Every month, I join 4 other bloggers to create a themed menu based on Cooking Light recipes.  Mary Ann from Meet Me in the Kitchen chose the theme this month.  We had to pick a recipe with an ingredient or food item that we have never made before.  

There are many "first time" ingredients I could have chosen.  It was hard to choose because there are many things that I want to try.  I decided to make a beer batter bread with Fontina cheese.  I love cheese but have never had Fontina cheese.  I asked my deli to cut me a 4 oz. chunk of Fontina and I grated it at home.  Of course I had to try a piece.  It's salty, creamy and has a soft texture.  It was very good and I'm looking forward to using it in other recipes.

The Onion and Fontina Beer Batter Bread was a delicious savory bread.  It was easy to prepare.  No kneading dough required.  We loved the crunchy outer crust.  The onion, cheese and beer gave this bread such a great flavor.  I paired it with this Spicy Sausage Chili.  (another Cooking Light recipe)

What new things did the other Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club members cook up? 

Mary Ann (Meet Me in the Kitchen) - Farro Minestrone with Brussels Sprouts, Butternut Squash & Chestnuts

Val (More Than Burnt Toast) - Quinoa with Roasted Garlic, Tomatoes and Spinach

Sandi (Whistlestop Cafe Cooking) - Rosti Casserole with Baked Eggs

Jamie (me) - Onion Fontina Beer Batter Bread

Helene - (La Cuisine d'Helene) - could not join us this month but wanted to make Vanilla Caramel Flan

Click here for printable recipe on Myrecipes.com

Onion and Fontina Beer Batter Bread

Recipe by Cooking Light



Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup diced onion
3 cups all-purpose flour (about 13 1/2 ounces)
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (4 ounces) grated fontina cheese
1 (12-ounce) bottle beer (such as amber ale) -  I used Corona Light
Cooking spray
1/4 cup butter, melted and divided

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion, and sauté 6 minutes or until tender. Cool to room temperature.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Add onion, cheese, and beer; stir just until moist.

Spoon batter (batter will be thick) into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray; drizzle evenly with 2 tablespoons butter. Bake at 375° for 35 minutes; brush with remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Bake an additional 23 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Enjoy!

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson:  Fontina Cheese is a semi-soft cow's milk Italian cheese.  It is mild, creamy, with a somewhat nutty flavor and melts well.