Brown rough chopped bacon in a heavy bottom stock pot on medium high heat until crisp, remove cooked bacon and set aside, drain excess fat from pan leaving about 2 tablespoons to sauté onions. Cook chopped onion until translucent, add cold water, chicken base, bay leaf and chopped potatoes, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and add salt and pepper to taste.

Cook for 30 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender, gently mash the potatoes with a potato masher to thicken soup making sure to leave about half of the potatoes chunky.

Reduce heat to low, add table cream and 5 cups cheese, reserve ½ cup for garnish and stir until cheese has melted, do not boil. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

Cut a hole in the top of the bread rounds, set topper aside, create a reservoir in the bread round by pinching out the soft center, leaving a 1/12 inch thickness.

Ladle hot soup into bread bowls and garnish with remaining cheese and crumbled bacon.