Ingredients:
6 onions
50 grams of olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup plain flour
9 cups vegetable stock
salt and pepper
1 loaf French bread
1/2 cup Gruyere or Cheddar cheese, grated

Directions:
Peel onions and slice into fine rings. Heat olive oil in large pan, add onion and cook slowly over low heat for about 20 minutes, or until very tender.
Add the sugar and flour and cook, stirring, for another 1-2 minutes until mixture is just starting to turn golden.
Stir in stock and simmer, covered, on a low heat for 1 hour. Season soup with salt and pepper.
Preheat oven to 180ºC (Gas mark 4), cut bread into 1 1/2cm slices. Bake for 10 minutes, turning once, until slices are dry and lightly golden. Top each slice with some of the grated cheese and place under a hot grill until cheese has melted. Serve French onion soup topped with toasted cheese croutons. Sprinkle with extra grated cheese, if desired.