Onion, Fontina & Mushroom Beer Batter Bread

An easy "to go" bread - bake it before you leave town or mix dry ingredients, saute onions and mushrooms and grate the cheese in advance, then bake the loaf on-site. Found this on an Italian Cooking Site on the net.

• Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins
• Serves: 16
• Yields: 1 loaf

Ingredients

• 1  tablespoon olive oil
• 1  cup  diced onion
• 2  cups mushrooms, chopped
• 3  cups all-purpose flour
• 3  tablespoons sugar or 3  tablespoons Splenda sugar substitute or 3  tablespoons  other sugar substitute
• 2  teaspoons baking powder
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1  cup  freshly grated Fontina cheese
• 1 (12 ounce) bottle beer, such as amber ale
•  cooking spray
• 4  tablespoons butter or 4  tablespoons margarine, melted & divided

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.
3. Add onions and mushrooms, and saute about 6 minutes until tender and all moisture has evaporated.
4. Cool to room temperature.
5. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; make a well in center of mixture.
6. Add onion, mushrooms, cheese and beer; stir just until moist.
7. Spoon batter into a 9x5" loaf pan coated with cooking spray; drizzle with 2 tablespoons butter or margarine.
8. Bake for 35 minutes; brush with remaining 2 tablespoons of butter.
9. Bake an additional 23 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
10. Cool 5 minutes in pan on a wire rack.
11. Then remove from pan.
12. Cool completely on wire rack.