Santa Fe (Railroad) French Toast

Galley Wench's Note:

People have been making fun of the railroad for years, but no one jokes about their legendary French Toast. The train might have run late, but when indulging in a breakfast like this, who cared? I realize the cream adds calories, but suggest that you resist the temptation to use milk! It's worth the extra time on the treadmill! NOTE: Besure to use stale bread otherwise you're french toast may be soggy!

• Total Time: 25 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 6 slices firm white bread (day old, I use leftover sourdough) or 6 slices challah, 3/4 inch slices cut in half diagonally
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• vegetable oil (for frying)

Garnish

• confectioners' sugar
• warm maple syrup

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Position rack in middle of the oven.
2. Arrange bread in a single layer in a baking dish.
3. Whisk together cream, eggs and salt and pour over the bread.
4. Soak bread, turning once, until most of liquid is absorbed but bread is not falling apart, about 2 minutes.
5. With a slotted spatula, carefully transfer soaked bread to tray.
6. Heat 1/2 inch oil in a heavy skillet over moderate heat until registers 325 degrees.
7. Fry bread 3 or 4 pices at a time, turning once, until golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes per batch, maintaining 325 degrees.
8. Transfer to paper towel to drain briefly then arrange in a single lager on baking sheet.
9. Once all bread is fried, bake toast until puffed, about 4 minutes.
10. Dust with confectioners sugar and serve with syrup or honey.

Reviews

[jadelabyrinth]

This is a fantastic recipe! I loved it. I used wheat bread and added about a 1/2 tsp of nutmeg. It is so rich and wonderful tasting, thanks for the recipe!

[Shelby Jo]

This was yummy! I never have heard of a method like this one. It worked quite well. A few pieces of the french toast did taste just a tish bit oily, but after i doused it in syrup I didn't notice, lol. I used some thick texas toast for my bread. Worked great! It was a great Sunday breakfast. Thanks for sharing!

[Scarlett516]

This was delicious!! I love the idea of putting them in the oven for a bit to make sure the middle is still firm and not soggy as many French Toasts can be. I used Italian bread for this. Made for ZWT4: Family Picks.