What is the difference between beef broth and consomme?

It's many years since I made this but do not recall having to use consomme which is a very clear brown liquid. I don't see the point really as the soup will be full of bread and cheese.

When I "au paired" in France, this is how my boss lady made it: roughly cut up masses of onions, in a pot with olive oil and garlic,slowly soften it all. Then put it all into a large casserole dish, add a bit of stock, and on top put sliced-up rounds of French bread. This was all put in the oven so it would all soak and heat together. At some point cheese was put on top of that to all melt into everything. Sorry I can't help with times and heat settings, but it was all very casual. The soup was VERY thick and delicious but careful the cheese can burn your mouth like pizza.It was more of a rubbery Swiss cheese.

Consomme is made from soup stock that has been highly refined; when it is cool it sets like a gelatin, it is smooth and clear when warm/hot. The gelatin in consomme and stock comes from cooking the bones along with meat, herbs and veggies when it is being prepared. Broth is made by simmering mostly meat, herbs, veggies with few or no bones. It is not as thick as stock or consomme, and it is more highly seasoned. So; you can substitute broth for consomme; but you will need to adjust the seasonings in the recipe a bit. The consomme isn't as highly seasoned as the broth; so you may need less salt or less of the other seasonings the recipe calls for. Also; broth won't be as thick as the consomme would be, so if the consistency of the recipe is important, then you might need to either use less broth or use something else to thicken the recipe.