In a soup pot, sauté the onions in the butter until soft. About 5 minutes.
Add the minced garlic and sauté until just fragrant.
Add the cubed bread and sauté lightly. (As if you were making fancy croutons, which you sort of are.) Add more butter if needed.
Remove a few bread cubes and set them aside to use as garnish.
Add the broth, milk, bay leaf, thyme sprigs, nutmeg, clove, salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil and then immediately lower the heat to a light simmer.
Allow the soup to simmer until the bread is meltingly soft, about 8 minutes.
Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs.
If you want a smooth velvety soup, you can purée the soup now. But if you prefer a more rustic version, you can skip this step.
Serve soup immediately with a garnish of the reserved croutons, fresh chopped chives or parsley, and a hearty amount of freshly grated cheese.