Soak dry beans overnight in water to cover.

On the next day, drain beans and cook either in a large pan with a couple of inches of water to cover the beans (30 minutes on simmer) or in an Instant Pot. (I used my Instant Pot and the process took about 40 minutes.) Drain beans and set beans aside. Your beans may not be totally cooked at this point but they will absorb water and juices during the baking process and will soften a bit more.

Chop onions into a fine dice. In a large pot (I used my Le Creuset Dutch oven.), heat 2 T. olive oil and sauté chopped onions for about 10-15 minutes until the onions are tender and are beginning to caramelize. Watch your onions carefully during the sauté. It is easy to burn them rather than caramelize them.

Add your sautéed onions to the cooked beans. Add remaining olive oil, tomatoes, bay leaf, honey and enough water to cover the beans by an inch or two. Heat the bean mixture to a simmer on your stove top, cover it with a heavy lid and then transfer it to a (preheated) 375 degree F. oven where it should cook for about an hour. Check on the beans several times during the hour of cooking to be sure that the water in the pot has not cooked away (mine did) and to stir the beans. If the water has cooked away, add more water.

After the hour of cooking, take the beans from the oven and add a bit more water if necessary. Season with salt and pepper and simmer on your stove until the beans are thick and soft. You can also add more honey (or sugar) at this point. Remove the bay leaf and discard.

Garnish with crumbled feta if you like. Some finely-chopped red onion would be good, too. Drizzle with high quality olive oil and enjoy.