the onions and sugar and sweat for a further 5 minutes or so, or until the onion is golden. pour in the white wine and bring to a simmer, letting it bubble for 10 minutes until reduced by half. add the vegetable stock, bay leaf and sugar and bring back to the boil, allowing it to simmer for 20 minutes.
meanwhile, make the croutons by tearing the bread into postage-stamp sized chunks. melt the butter in a medium pan over a high heat with the garlic and thyme. when the butter starts to foam add the bread and season with salt. keep the bread moving in the pan until it is 