French Onion Soup + Garlic Bread. You might think this is some crazy concotion but LET. ME. TELL. YOU. The magic is in the caramelised onion; it adds an amazing umami sweetness to your garlic bread which makes it so delicious and more-ish.

If you’ve never tried French Onion soup before, it’s a hearty soup from France that’s slow-cooked and served with cheesy bread. Since it’s slow-cooked, the onions get super caramelised, sweet and packed with umami. It’s very popular in the bistros of France but if you can’t go to France easily, i also have a French Onion Soup recipe for you to try and recreate at home!

Now back to this delicious garlic bread, trust me it’s too good to miss out.

The ingredients you’ll need for this recipe and some tips!

1. The onions: I know caramelising your onions can feel like a process that takes a whole eternity but wait! I have a hack for you! If you add water to the onions and boils it down first then it cuts down on half of the time. Boiling it down makes it go softer quicker, releases all its sugars quicker and therefore allowing you start the caramelising process much quicker than in oil/butter.
2. Red wine vinegar: adds acidity to the soup to cut through the richness of sweet onions – adding another layer of complexity to the soup!
3. White wine: this adds flavour to the soup. However, if you don’t drink/consume wine, you can replace it with more stock!
4. Beef stock: traditionally made with beef stock with the depth of flavour, i don’t recommend you replace this with any other stock/ water. Best if you could make the stock yourself at home, however if it’s too time consuming, please use high quality beef stock as it makes up the majority of your soup.
5. Thyme: for added flavour and herbiness. Recommended that you use fresh thyme but if this option is not available to you, please use dried.
6. Bread: i used a good ol’ crusty Pane di Casa. I think any good crusty white loaf will be great for this recipe. I generally stay away from sourdough for these types of recipe as the crust is a bit too chewy and dense for me, but if that speaks to you then please go for it!
7. Gruyere Cheese: this is a French cheese that is traditionally used for Onion Soups so this is needed to achieve the authentic flavour. However, if this is not accessible to you, then you could use Fontina or Swiss cheese.
8. Garlic Butter: it’s butter, garlic, parsley, salt and pep; do i need to say more?
9. Storage: i highly recommend you consume the garlic bread fresh out of the oven while it’s still warm and crispy, and within 1 hour for best taste. If this is not possible, you could store it in an air-tight container and in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. Remember that while storing bread in the fridge extends the freshness of your bread for longer, it also dries out your bread. When you’re ready to consume it again, just pop it onto a baking tray and place it under the broiler for a few minutes or until warmed through and crispy. You can also do this in an airfryer.

Ingredients

1 loaf of crusty bread (i used pane di casa)
Gruyere cheese, grated

French Onion
4 medium onions, sliced
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/3 cup white wine
1/3 cup beef stock
3-4 sprigs thyme

Garlic Butter
3-4 tbsp butter, softened
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
parsley, chopped finely

Method

1. French Onion: In a pan over medium heat with a drizzle of oil, add in your onion slices, 1/3 cup of water, salt and pepper. Cover and bring it to a boil. This hack allows your onions to soften and the process of caramelisation to start quicker.
2. Once the onions are soft, uncover, let the water evaporate and stir frequently until the onions are caramelised (should take around 30 minutes). Add in the red wine vinegar and white wine and stir to cook off the wine and allow it to evaporate. Add in the beef stock and thyme and again, stir to evaporate. Remove the thyme, and set aside to cool.
3. Pre-heat your oven to 180C/350F on broil/grill setting.
4. Prepare you garlic butter but combining all the ingredients into a bowl and mix well.
5. Cut your bread in half length-wise. We’ll only be using 1 half, save the other half for another recipe/croutons/sandwiches etc.
6. Spread the garlic butter mixture onto your bread evenly and broil for around 5-10 minutes or until it’s slightly golden.
7. Top your slightly toasted bread with the French Onion mixture and grated cheese. Broil for another 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Top with fresh thyme leaves. Cut and serve