French Onion Blooming Bread Bowl

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Cut a circle in the center of the bread and remove, setting the top aside for later. Cut a larger circle around the center, and then gently cut down around the edges of the bread to create the slices that people will tear after baking. They might get pushed down a bit as you cut, but you can push them back into place easily once you're done cutting. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the softened cream cheese and beef broth until well-combined. Add in the Worcestershire sauce and cornstarch and whisk again to combine. Fold in the shredded cheeses, reserving about a quarter for later, then fold in the caramelized onions. Set aside.
4. In a small bowl, add the beef base, garlic, butter, and thyme. Cover loosely and microwave to melt. Slice the top of the bread that was cut off earlier into thin pieces, and place them on the baking sheet, crust-side up.
5. Spoon or brush the butter mixture onto the tops of the bread slices. Also spoon the butter mixture between the cuts in the bread and brush the remaining butter mixture all over the bread.
6. Fill the bread bowl with the french onion cheese mixture, making sure not to overfill (you will likely have excess dip, depending on the size of your boule). Stuff the remaining shredded cheese between the cracks in the bread.
7. Bake the bread for 10 minutes on a rimmed baking sheet, or just until the cheese is melted. Stir the cheese, remove the bread slices if they've already crisped, and continue to bake the bread bowl until the cheese begins to brown on top, about 25 minutes.*
8. Once baked fully, top the dip with chopped chives and serve warm with the bread slices, and broccoli.