When I still had 14 hour work days (thanks to a new schedule that started in January, those are no longer), I made it a point to have a good, hearty breakfast, not knowing when I would next have the chance to eat in our busy pharmacy. This quiche recipe fit the bill perfectly – nothing like a good dose of protein to keep you full through the day! Quiche Lorraine is definitely one of my favorites, filled with bacon and cheese… how could you pass it up?!
Our local creamery has wonderful homemade quiche, and since stopping there for lunch with my parents when they visited back in December, I was determined to make quiche at home, especially since they’re closed for the whole month of January! I always want to stop on my way home from work since I now get out in the early afternoon on some days (!!) and grab some ice cream, cheese, or a quick lunch, but alas, I have to wait another week or so. Homemade quiche from my own kitchen will just have to do for now. 😉
This quiche is extremely easy to make; the hardest part is rolling out the dough for the crust, and I’ll be honest, I’m still not very good at it, but it doesn’t have to look perfect. The more rustic looking, the better, right? Everything else comes together in a snap, and you have yourself a wonderful weekend breakfast treat.
You can also make mini quiches and freeze them for breakfasts all week long! I doubled the recipe, making one large quiche, and 4 mini quiches. You just have to reduce the baking time just slightly for the mini quiches, obviously, but otherwise, it’s all the same.
After making this quiche, I see a lot more quiche in my future… the next ones will definitely be loaded up a bit more with veggies!
What is your favorite kind of quiche to eat?
- 1 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp unrefined cane sugar
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 6 Tbsp butter, cold, cut into tablespoons (I used Kerrygold, my favorite)
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp cold water
- 10 oz. uncured bacon, cooked and crumbled into pieces
- 1/2 cup onion, chopped
- 1 cup shredded cheese (I used cheddar, but gouda would also be delicious)
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
Stir together the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Add the pieces of butter, and pulse until the butter is mixed into the flour so that it resembles coarse sand.
Beat the egg and cold water together in a small bowl, and pour into the flour-butter mixture, half at a time, pulsing until it just starts to form a dough (it should not form a ball).
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, forming it into a ball. Flatten the ball into a disk shape, cover with plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours.
Once the dough has chilled, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface (or place between two sheets of wax paper). Roll it out into a circle about 12 inches in diameter and about 1/4 inch thick.
Transfer the dough to your pie or tart pan, pressing the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Trim around the edges if you have excess dough. Prick the bottom of the dough with a fork in several places.
Place the tart pan in the fridge while you preheat the oven to 350ºF. Once preheated, bake the crust for about 20-25 minutes, until it is just lightly golden. Allow to cool completely before filling the crust.
Spread the crumbled bacon, chopped onion, and cheese together in the bottom of the cooled crust.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, salt, and pepper together, and then add the milk, whisking vigorously until it becomes slightly thickened and foamy. Pour the egg mixture into the pie crust, and then stir just slightly so the bacon, cheese, and onion float to the top just slightly.
Bake at 350ºF for 30-40 minutes, checking after 30 minutes for doneness. It should be puffed, slightly golden, but will still jiggle just slightly (it finishes setting while it cools). Remove from the oven, and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Serve and enjoy.
To create mini quiches, follow the same directions, but divide the crust into four equal parts, rolling to fit your mini tart pans about 1/4 inch thick. Prebake the crust for about 10-15 minutes at 350ºF, and allow to cool.
Divide the filling evening between the 4 mini tart pans, and bake at 350ºF for 20-25 minutes, until lightly golden. May be frozen, tightly wrapped, for up to 2 months.
Crust recipe adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table and filling recipe adapted from Simply Recipes