Nan's Refried Beans

Directions

1. 1
   ["Place the dried beans in a large bowl and cover with cold water.", "You want enough water to cover by about 3 inches because the beans will swell.", "Let sit for 8 hours or overnight.", "Drain the beans.", "Place them in a large, heavy pot.", "I use a cast iron Dutch oven.", "Add the broth, onions and bay leaf.", "You're not adding any other seasonings because your homemade broth should be pretty flavorful.", "You'll taste for seasoning at the end of cooking.", "Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, then reduce heat to medium and continue cooking for 90 minutes, uncovered, stirring every 20 minutes or so.", "Reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking, uncovered, for 2 hours, stirring occasionally, to reduce the liquid and concentrate the flavors.", "Reduce heat to low.", "Using an emersion stick blender or a potato masher (my preference), mash up the cooked beans while they're still in the cooking pot.", "Might seem like there's too much broth yet, but the beans will absorb more as they're mashed, plus you can cook them down further, if necessary, after mashing.", "Don't try to mash/blend them perfectly smooth; they're best a bit \"lumpy\"".""