#8 - French Bread for French Onion Soup

The Farmer's Market had a good batch of sweet onions just begging to be made into soup this week, so I loaded up.  My recipe is based on this one from Good Eats, though I use a bit more broth and often can't find apple cider, so I have to substitute apple juice. I've used a number of different kinds of wine in the recipe, so it's never exactly the same twice, though it's always excellent!

Of course, French Onion Soup demands a good French style bread, so I once again consulted James Beard and found an excellent recipe. It came out perfect: a little dense with a slightly hard and chewy crust and a great flavor. Definitely a keeper!

If you're susceptible to onion-tears, chopping nearly a dozen onions may seem daunting, but in the end it's well worth it.

French Onion Soup
10 sweet onions (like Vidalias)
3 tablespoons butter
Kosher salt
2 cups white wine
10 ounces canned beef consume
10 ounces apple cider or juice (unfiltered is best)
12 ounces chicken broth
Bouquet garni(1) of thyme sprigs, bay leaf

1 loaf country style bread, cut into thick slices
grated Gruyere cheese

Slice the onions in half and cut into half-moon shapes. Heat a large(2) soup pot over medium-high heat and add the butter. Once the butter is melted, add the onions in layers, topping each layer with a bit of salt before adding the next. Cover and allow to cook for about an hour, stirring every 15 minutes.(3)

Once the onions have reduced and started to turn a nice caramel color, add the wine and boil uncovered to reduce for 10-15 minutes. Add the consumme, broth, apple cider, and herbs and simmer for another 15-20 minutes.

To serve, place a bit of cheese in an oven-safe, wide soup bowl and ladle in soup. Leave enough room to top with a slice of the bread, and add more cheese on top of the bread. Place under the broiler for 1-2 minutes to melt the cheese.(4)

The original recipe for the bread calls for an egg wash on the loaves before baking; I usually like doing that to get a crisp crust, but I left it out this time(5) and it came out just fine.


French style bread
3 1/2 oz (1 1/2 packages) dry yeast
1 tbsp sugar
2 cups warm water (about 100°)
1 tbsp salt
5-6 cups all-purpose flour

Combine the yeast, sugar, and water in your mixing bowl and allow to proof. Add the salt and the flour, one cup at a time, until you have a stiff dough. Knead additional flour in until it is no longer sticky. Place in a buttered bowl to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.

Punch down the dough, then divide and shape into two long round loaves. Place the loaves on a baking sheet sprinkled with a bit of cornmeal. Bake at 400° for 35 minutes.
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(1) A traditional bouquet garni is a bundle tied up with a bit of string, but lacking any string, I used a small cheesecloth pouch instead.
(2) Seriously. 10 onions take up a lot of space when you start out.  By the time it all reduces, you'll only be using half the pot, but initially you need the room.
(3) Don't even try to stir until the first 15 minutes are up. Don't worry about burning, the onions release a lot of water when they cook.
(4) I shouldn't have to mention this, but just to be safe: be careful when you take the bowls out of the oven, they are going to be HOT. I put the bowls all onto a baking sheet for stability and to make it easier to get them in and out of the oven. Make sure your guests know to be careful, too.
(5) OK, I forgot it.