French Onion Soup

1 cup unsalted butter
8 onions, sliced
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 fresh thyme sprigs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 cups red wine
6 tablespoons flour
4 quarts vegetable broth
french bread, thinly sliced and cut into halves if needed
16 ounces grated Gruyere
Directions
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and salt and pepper and cook until the onions are caramelized, ( for about 30 minutes). Add the wine, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the onions soak up all of the wine and are dry. Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Dust the onions with the flour and stir. Turn the heat down to low and cook for 10 minutes. Now add the vegetable broth, bring the soup back to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
When you're ready to eat, preheat the broiler. Arrange the slices of bread on a baking sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle the slices with the Gruyere and broil until bubbly and golden on top, approximately 1 to 2 minutes.

Serve the soup in bowls and float the bread slices with Gruyere on top.
Serves 6 to 8