Quiche is a delicious egg custard enveloped in an oh-so-comforting super flaky pie crust. What’s not to love? This recipe uses a simple combination of egg, cream, and milk for the egg custard. Along with a delicious savory addition inside and paired with a super simple pie crust. It is a dish to wow and love. A dish I would be proud to have passed down to many others.
Quiche can be made in a variety of ways. You can add any type cheese, meat, seafood, or vegetables and it will still taste great. At it’s basics it is a french dish that includes a savory egg custard and a flaky pie crust. So simple and so easy to make better every time with a new flavor.
Quiche Lorraine is probably the most common version of a quiche consisting of bacon lardons and cheese. I make a similar version with an American/British twist. Smoked bacon with leeks and white cheddar cheese!
Start Here
To start any quiche, we need a solid go to pie crust recipe. They are unbelievably simple and easy to make. All you need is all purpose flour, cold butter, salt, sugar, and ice water.
So, we start with the butter crust. First preheat your oven to 400°f. Grab a medium sized metal bowl and add your flour, salt, and sugar to it and using a fork mix the ingredients together.
My entire process can be done in a stand mixer at a medium to low speed if preferred as well. I rotate from time to time depending on if i’m feeling like using my hands more.
Now remove your butter from the fridge and cut it into small cubes. It really does not have to be done neatly or precise, just make small pieces. Add the butter to the flour mixture and using your hands, start to crumble the butter into the mixture.
Continue to smush the butter into the flour until it resembles a bunch of tiny pebbles in flour. Take your very cold water and pour half into the mixture. Start working the dough with your hands until all of the water has disappeared into the dough. Add the rest of your water and continue to mix until you are left with a nice dough ball. You can use the dough ball to clean your hands and the bowl of excess dough bits.
Next wrap your dough ball in plastic wrap or parchment paper and let it cool in the fridge for 10 to 15 minutes.
After it has been at least ten minutes, lightly flour a work surface and place your dough ball onto it. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, slowly work your dough out to a large circle that is about 1/4 inch thick and 12 inches in diameter. When that is done, place your rolling pin at the edge of the circle and roll up your dough around it. This makes it so much easier for transfer.
Grab a 9 inch pie dish (or if you have one, a large false bottom tart/quiche pan) and unroll your dough over it so that it is centered. You can lift the edges once it is on the dish to make tucking the dough into the dish easier.
To make for a nicer crust at the edges, we need to tuck the excess dough that hangs over the edges under itself to make a higher crust. Now you can crimp the edges to make them look fancy or old fashioned, or you can just press them with a fork. Honestly this just does down to preference.
If you have pie weights, that’s great. If you do not, like me, you can just get some dried beans. What we are doing with these is weighing down the center so that it does not bubble up during the pre baking. So place some parchment paper in the middle of your dish over the dough and weigh down that center however you want.
The Bake
Now place the dish into your oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the dough has just browned slightly.
Once finished, remove your crust from the oven and set to the side to cool.
Now for the egg custard. Combine your eggs, cream, milk, and salt together in a large bowl and whisk until fully combined.
Pour the egg mixture into the crust until just below the top. You may have some excess eggs depending on the size of your crust. Just save the excess and add some more egg to make scrambled eggs or an omelette.
Place back into your 400°f oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Bake for a little bit longer if it has not started to brown yet. Once lightly browned, remove from the oven to let cool for 5 minutes. Cut into 6 to 8 pieces and enjoy!
The End
This dish is a heartwarming and cozy one that can be enjoyed whenever you feel that need for something buttery and savory. Which for me is all of the time. It’s a light feeling comfort food that wins every time!
Basic quiche
Equipment
- 1 Whisk
- 1 stand mixer optional
Ingredients
Pie crust
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 230 grams
- 8 Tbsp cold unsalted butter
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 5 Tbsp ice cold water
Egg custard filling
- 6 large eggs
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 2 tsp salt
Instructions
The pie crust
- So, we start with the butter crust. First preheat your oven to 400°f. Grab a medium sized metal bowl and add your flour, salt, and sugar to it and using a fork mix the ingredients together.
- This entire process can be done in a stand mixer at a medium to low speed if preferred as well. I rotate from time to time depending on if i’m feeling like using my hands more.
- Now remove your butter from the fridge and cut it into small cubes. It really does not have to be done neatly or precise, just make small pieces. Add the butter to the flour mixture and using your hands, start to crumble the butter into the mixture.
- Continue to smush the butter into the flour until it resembles a bunch of tiny pebbles in flour. Take your very cold water and pour half into the mixture. Start working the dough with your hands until all of the water has disappeared into the dough. Add the rest of your water and continue to mix until you are left with a nice dough ball. You can use the dough ball to clean your hands and the bowl of excess dough bits.
- Next wrap your dough ball in plastic wrap or parchment paper and let it cool in the fridge for 10 to 15 minutes.
- After it has been at least ten minutes, lightly flour a work surface and place your dough ball onto it. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, slowly work your dough out to a large circle that is about 1/4 inch thick and 12 inches in diameter. When that is done, place your rolling pin at the edge of the circle and roll up your dough around it. This makes it so much easier for transfer.
- Grab a 9 inch pie dish (or if you have one, a large false bottom tart/quiche pan) and unroll your dough over it so that it is centered. You can lift the edges once it is on the dish to make tucking the dough into the dish easier.
- To make for a nicer crust at the edges, we need to tuck the excess dough that hangs over the edges under itself to make a higher crust. Now you can crimp the edges to make them look fancy or old fashioned, or you can just press them with a fork. Honestly this just does down to preference.
- If you have pie weights, that’s great. If you do not, like me, you can just get some dried beans. What we are doing with these is weighing down the center so that it does not bubble up during the pre baking. So place some parchment paper in the middle of your dish over the dough and weigh down that center however you want.
- Now place the dish into your oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the dough has just browned slightly.
- Once finished, remove your crust from the oven and set to the side to cool.
For the filling
- Now for the egg custard. Combine your eggs, cream, milk, and salt together in a large bowl and whisk until fully combined.
- Pour the egg mixture into the crust until just below the top. You may have some excess eggs depending on the size of your crust. Just save the excess and add some more egg to make scrambled eggs or an omelette.
- Place back into your 400°f oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Bake for a little bit longer if it has not started to brown yet. Once lightly browned, remove from the oven to let cool for 5 minutes. Cut into 6 to 8 pieces and enjoy!