Basic Beer-Cheese Bread

The hardest part of this recipe was sauteeing the onions. So it was pretty easy. I made it and it came together in about 15 minutes to be ready for baking.

The onions were the key to this. It was so flavorful. Both D and I thought it was great. We had with Black Bean-Tomato Soup. Will make again.

Basic Beer-Cheese Bread

Photo by ALB

This savory quick bread pairs well with soup or chili and is ideal for an open house or casual get-together.

YIELD: 16 servings (serving size: 1 slice)
COURSE: Breads

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 garlic clove, minced
13 1/2 ounces all-purpose flour (about 3 cups) --used 3 cups
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 (12-ounce) bottle lager-style beer (such as Budweiser) -- used Bud Light
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons melted butter, divided -- didn't melt...just put the pieces on the dough and let the oven melt it.

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Heat oil in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion to pan; cook 10 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Stir in pepper and garlic; cook 1 minute.

3. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk; make a well in center of mixture. Add onion mixture, cheese, and beer to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.

4. Spoon batter into a 9 x 5–inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Drizzle 1 tablespoon butter over batter. Bake at 375° for 35 minutes. Drizzle remaining 1 tablespoon butter over batter. Bake an additional 25 minutes or until deep golden brown and a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 144; Calories from fat: 28%; Fat: 4.4g; Saturated fat: 2.4g; Monounsaturated fat: 1.6g; Polyunsaturated fat: 0.2g; Protein: 4.3g; Carbohydrate: 20.6g; Fiber: 0.7g; Cholesterol: 10mg; Iron: 1.3mg; Sodium: 257mg; Calcium: 89mg

Cooking Light NOVEMBER 2008