Vegan Creamy Tomato Soup

I found this recipe on Notes from the Vegan Feast Kitchen.  I have made it many times now and it is delicious and very easy.  I've also made a few changes to suit my taste - decreasing the oil and leaving out the onions.  You can also make this soup using wheat bread or whatever you have on hand and it is just as good in my opinion.  You can even throw in the crusts unless you are using bread that has a very chewy or crispy crust than won't break down during cooking.  

Vegan Creamy Tomato Soup

2 TBS extra virgin olive oil 

1 medium onion, chopped (optional)

3 medium garlic cloves, minced 

1 bay leaf 

1 (28-ounce) can good quality whole peeled plum tomatoes packed in juice (unsalted) 

2 tablespoons brown sugar (or to taste-- it depends on your tomatoes)

3 large slices commercial Italian bread, crusts removed, torn into 1-inch pieces 

2 cups chicken-style veggie broth

1 teaspoon salt (less if you use salted tomatoes, in which case, salt to taste) 
freshly-ground black pepper to taste 

• Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion, garlic, and bay leaf. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is translucent, 3 to 5 minutes (less if not using the onion).
• Stir in the tomatoes and their juice. Using a potato masher, mash the tomatoes until no pieces bigger than 2 inches remain. Stir in the sugar and bread and bring the mixture to boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until bread is completely saturated and starts to break down, which takes about 5 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf. 
• Transfer the mixture to blender (or use an immersion blender like I did). Process until the mixture is smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Rise out the pot and return the blended mixture to the pot. Stir in the broth. If using an immersion blender you may add the broth to the pot before blending.  Reheat soup to your liking, add salt, and season to taste with freshly ground black pepper. Serve soup in individual bowls.  Yield: about 4 1/2 cups