French onion soup

What's not to like about a steaming bowl of french onion soup with a crusty roll? Spurred on by a recent burst of cold and windy weather, I found myself musing over the delicious french onion soup I was going to make that evening. You might not want to whip this one up all the time as it has a large hit of butter in it, but as an occasional soul-warming treat, it can't be beat. Like most soups, it's very easy to prepare and the aroma as it is cooking is bliss! Enjoy ...

Ingredients
50 g butter
4 large brown onions (although I used 6), halved and thinly sliced
3/4 cup (180 ml) dry white wine (this is not absolutely necessary - I left it out)
3 cups of water
1 litre (4 cups) of vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon of plain flour
1 teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves

Method
1. Melt butter in large saucepan.
2. Add sliced onion and cook over medium heat for about 30 mins or until caramelised. Stir occasionally.

3. In a separate saucepan, bring the wine to the boil, and boil for one minute.
4. Stir in the water, stock and bay leaf and return to a boil. Remove from heat once boiling.
5. Stir flour into the onion mixture. Cook, stirring, until the mixture bubbles and thickens.
6. Bit by bit, add the stock mixture, stirring until the mixture boil and thickens slightly. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 20 mins, stirring occasionally.
7. Remove the bay leaf and add the thyme.