Homemade Tomato Soup and Croutons

Make sure to use canned whole tomatoes that are not packed in puree; you will need some of the juice to make the soup.

Ingredients
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 (28 ounce) cans whole tomatoes (not packed in puree), drained, 3 cups juice reserved, tomatoes seeded – I use two quart bottles of home bottled tomatoes
1 onion, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
2 Tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream

Instructions
Melt the butter, add drained tomatoes, onion, brown sugar and tomato paste. Cook until the onion is softened and the tomatoes begin to caramelize, about 15 minutes.
Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute. While whisking, gradually add chicken stock and stir in reserved tomato juice. Cover; bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, to blend flavors, about 10 minutes.
Puree the soup in batches in a blender until smooth. (Use small batches so you don’t have an unpleasant explosion!) Return pureed soup to pot and stir in cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

We love to serve this soup with homemade croutons. A easy and delicious way to use home bottled tomatoes!

Garlic Croutons – You’ll want to at least double this!

2 large cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed through garlic press
1/4 teaspoon table salt
3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups bread cubes (1/2 inch, about 4 slices of good quality bread)
Adjust rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine garlic, salt, and oil in a bowl. Add bread cubes and toss to coat. Spread bread cubes in an even layer on rimmed baking sheet and bake, stirring after 10 minutes, until golden, about 20-25 minutes. Cool on baking sheet to room temperature. (Can be covered and stored at room temperature up to 24 hours.)

American Sandwich Bread – (Quick Bake Version)

1 cup whole milk, warm
1/3 cup water, warm
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 Tbsp honey
3 ¾ cups unbleached flour
1 Tbsp yeast
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp Gluten (optional)
2 tsp Dough Enhancer (optional)

Mix milk, water butter and yeast. Add other dry ingredients and mix for 10 minutes in mixer. (You'll know you have enough flour if the dough cleans itself off of the side of the bowl.)

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Spray pans with oil and put a small amount of oil on the counter. Put dough on counter and briefly knead it into a cylinder and place in pan.

Bake for 20 minutes. Without opening the oven, turn up heat to 350 degrees and set timer for an additional 20 minutes. Check and cook another 10 minutes if needed.
(If doubling, it will make 3 loaves)

Options –

Buttermilk Sandwich Bread - Substitute buttermilk for milk.

Oatmeal Sandwich Bread – Bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Add 1 cup of old-fashioned oats and cook until softened, about 1 minute. Cool until just warm. Omit the water in above recipe. Add the oatmeal with the dry ingredients.