Before we go any further: everything I post about cooking is subject to my disclaimer.
Giant bacon and gruyère quiche
Equipment
- Rolling Pin
- 11"x3" springform pan
- Thermometer
Ingredients
- 454 g Unsalted butter I used the nice stuff
- 454 g Cake flour Lower protein flour for reduced gluten formation
- 250 ml Cold water
- 20 Eggs (large)
- 2000 ml Milk 3%
- 200 g Emmental cheese, grated
- 200 g Gruyère cheese, grated
- 1 bunch Chives, chopped
- 2 tbsp Salt Avoid salt with very big crystals
- 454 g Bacon, smoked
- 3 Shallots, sliced
Instructions
Pie dough & blind bake
- Combine salt and flour in a large bowl.454 g Cake flour, 2 tbsp Salt
- Cut cold unsalted butter into thumb-width cubes.454 g Unsalted butter
- Toss butter cubes in the flour mixture to coat them.
- Working quickly to avoid letting the butter warm up too much, squash the butter cubes flat.
- Use a spoon or fork or something that isn't your hand to search for any butter lumps which might need a bit more squashing.
- Add the cold water, and bring the dough together into a shaggy ball.250 ml Cold water
- If the dough is warmer than 21ºC / 70ºF let it sit in the fridge for 5 or 10 minutes before proceeding.
- On a large and generously-floured surface, roll out the dough into a roughly 45cm / 17in square.
- Fold the dough into equal thirds, in from one side, then in from the opposite side
- Fold the narrow sides of the dough rectangle into third again, to make a tall folded square
- If the dough is warmer than 21ºC / 70ºF let it sit in the fridge for 5 or 10 minutes before proceeding.
- Flour dough and work-surface generously, and roll the dough out again, into more of a circle this time, 48-52cm / 19-20in diameter.
- Center the dough circle over the springform pan, and let it gently fall into the pan.
- Cover the inside of the crust with foil, including the edges.
- Gently press the dough to meet the shape of the springform pan. The edge of the dough should still overhang by an inch or more.
- Pre-heat the oven to 175ºC / 350ºF.
- Cover the exposed dough with foil, including the overhang/edges, and refrigerate for at least an hour.
- Place the springform pan on a large baking tray, and bake for 60-75 minutes.
- While the crust is blind-baking, prepare the quiche filling.
- Check for pastry smell and golden-brown edges.
- Remove the foil, use a fork to make a few small holes in the base, and bake for a further few minutes. This helps prevent any bubbling or uneven rising in the base.
Prepare quiche filling
- Cook the bacon, fairly crispy, and chop it finely as soon as it has cooled. Cook chopped shallots in the bacon grease.454 g Bacon, smoked, 3 Shallots, sliced
- Crack the eggs, measure volume as you go. 20 large eggs should add up to ~1000ml.20 Eggs (large)
- Add the milk to the eggs in the bowl, and whisk until the mixture is uniform.2000 ml Milk 3%
- Once the blind-baked crust is ready, stir in salt and pepper, then pour a small amount of the egg-milk mixture into the crust, just enough to cover the base, and place it in the oven for one minute on top of a baking sheet. This will help seal any holes left by the fork, which might otherwise leak.
- Remove the crust from the oven, gently pour in the egg-milk mixture. Now sprinkle half the cheese, then all of the bacon, then the rest of the cheese and the chives into the mixture, distributing evenly.200 g Emmental cheese, grated, 200 g Gruyère cheese, grated, 454 g Bacon, smoked, 1 bunch Chives, chopped
Bake the quiche
- Leaving the oven at 350ºF / 175ºC, place the quiche in the oven on top of a baking sheet.
- After 45 minutes, rotate the quiche 180º.
- After 60 minutes, check for a wobble. The whole filling should move as one. If it ripples instead, it's not ready. If the crust edges look dark, cover them with foil while the quiche finishes.
- Check every 10 minutes or so. If the top starts to brown before the ripple becomes a wobble, cover it with foil.
- Once the wobble is set, remove the quiche from the oven and allow to cool.
- Release the springform pan slowly, but it should come away without sticking due to the butter in the crust.
Notes
- Pie dough & blind bake
- Prepare quiche filling
- Bake the quiche