• Cut ends off of onions. Set onion up on one of the flat ends and cut in half. Remove core, skin, and tough outer layer. Cut into ½" strips, cutting from root to tip (julienne). Repeat with all onions.
• Heat stock pot over medium-low heat. Melt butter and rendered fat from stock. If your stock has a layer of fat that has floated to the top, this is the fat you use. If you don't have any, you can use all butter instead.
• Add onions, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme to pot. Stir to coat in butter/fat. Cook for approximately 1 hour, stirring every 3-5 minutes or until onions are soft and golden brown. Keep a close eye on them or they will burn.
• Add sherry to pot and bring to a simmer. Simmer until onions have absorbed most of the liquid, about 10 minutes.
• Sprinkle flour over onions. Stir to coat. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Add stock to pot. Bring to a boil. Taste the soup once it is heated and add salt and pepper as needed. I used ¾ teaspoon each but the amount you need will depend largely on the flavor of your stock. Simmer for 20-30 minutes.
• Preheat oven broiler on low. Arrange sliced sourdough baguette on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan. Sprinkle approximately ½ oz cheese over each piece. Broil for 3-4 minutes or until cheese is melted and starting to brown. Alternatively, if you have oven safe bowls, you can put the whole bowl of soup in the oven with the bread and cheese.
• To each bowl, scoop 1 cup soup and top with 2 slices of bread. Enjoy!

Freezing Instructions:

• Place soup into quart or gallon sized zipper bag depending on how much you want to freeze. Squeeze air out of bag and seal. Lay flat on sheet pan and freeze until solid. Freeze for up to 3 months.
• To have French onion soup completely at the ready, you can also freeze the bread and cheese. Place bread and cheese in separate vacuum seal bags and vacuum seal them. Seal the bread before it gets too squished. Freeze for up to 3 months.
• When ready to use, thaw ingredients under refrigeration. Cut an air hole in the cheese and bread bags before thawing to help them come back to their original shape. Heat soup on stove or in microwave and follow instructions for broiling bread and cheese.