If savory breakfast is your thing, few dishes are likely to hit the spot quite like classic French quiche. The combination of buttery, flaky pie crust paired with eggs, cheese, and bacon is a quintessential example of simple ingredients coming together to create something much more than its individual parts. And, while we love eggs, cheese, and bacon in all their breakfast forms, French quiche just might be our favorite.

French quiche is great as-is, but we aren’t beyond zhushing it up as the seasons dictate. Think a grilled asparagus springtime quiche for an Easter brunch spread, a cherry tomato and zucchini quiche to use up the backyard summertime bounty, or a roasted mushroom version to cozy up those dark, dead-of-winter mornings. It’s all so picturesque and French, oui?

Classic French Quiche

How to Make French Quiche

First, grab your ingredients. You’ll need:

  • Pie crust. We’ll walk you through how to make your own. It will be easy, don’t sweat it.
  • Eggs and dairy. Is anyone surprised that French quiche is filled with rich ingredients? Just go with it and don’t skimp on the dairy fat content.
  • Bacon. Chopped and cooked to a lovely crisp.
  • Cheese. Gruyere or swiss are most common in France, but cheddar (or a mix) is equally delicious.

To make the pie crust, grab a food processor, pulse the flour and salt together a few times, add the cold butter, and pulse again until only pea-sized pieces remain. Drizzle in the water while the food processor is running until the dough forms a ball. Add a tablespoon or two of extra water if needed to bring the crumbs together. If you’re not as experienced with making pie crust, we recommend making it by hand the first couple of times as it’s easier to get the butter size and hydration right without over-mixing. Chilling the dough for at least one hour or overnight is essential for a flaky crust.

Next, roll out the chilled dough and gently form the crust into a nine-inch pie plate or tart pan. Freeze the crust for 20 minutes to reduce shrinkage – also not a step to be skipped. Meanwhile, whisk up the filling and add the bacon + filling to the flash-frozen crust. Bake until the filling is set and the crust is golden.

What to Serve with French Quiche

Eggs are often associated with breakfast in the States, but quiche is more commonly eaten in France for lunch or dinner with a simply dressed salad. No matter the time of day, we will never say no to quiche and find it equally satisfying served as part of a brunch spread or a weeknight dinner (make and chill the crust the day before to shorten the prep time). Serve slices on pretty plates for a decidedly French meal. Bon appetit!

More Breakfast Recipes

Classic French Quiche

Brooke Eliason
Print
Servings: 8 servings
Total Time: 2 hrs
While we love eggs, cheese, and bacon in all its breakfast forms, classic French quiche just might be our favorite.

Ingredients 

CRUST

  • 1¼ cups all purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ cup (one stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into half-inch pieces
  • ¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons ice water

QUICHE FILLING

  • 4 large eggs
  • ¾ cup heavy cream
  • ¾ cup whole milk
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • few gratings of fresh nutmeg (optional)
  • 6-8 oz. bacon, chopped and cooked until crispy
  • 4-5 oz. grated gruyere, swiss, or cheddar cheese, or any combination
  • chives for garnish

Instructions

CRUST

  • Combine the flour and salt in a food processor and briefly pulse 2-3 times. Add the butter and pulse until mostly pea-size pieces of butter remain (a few larger pieces are okay). Slowly pour 1/4 cup of the water into the food processor while pulsing the mixture, until it begins to form a ball (no more than 30 seconds). Add the additional tablespoons of water, one at a time, if your mixture is too dry to form a ball.*
  • Remove the dough from the food processor, form it gently into a disc, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.

ASSEMBLY & BAKING

  • Preheat the oven to 375°F and place rack in the bottom third of the oven. Unwrap the round of dough and place on a lightly floured surface. Flour a rolling pin and your hands. Roll the dough out into a 12-13-inch circle (about ⅛ inch thick). Occasionally lift the dough from the surface to ensure it is not sticking and add more flour to the working surface and top of the dough as needed.
  • Transfer the rolled dough to a 9-inch pie pan and gently press dough into the bottom and sides of the pie pan. Tuck excess dough under, along the rim of the pie pan, and use your fingers and thumb to crimp the edge. Chill the unbaked pie shell in the freezer for at least 15- 20 minutes (and up to an hour) while the oven preheats and you make the filling.
  • While the pie dough is chilling, make the filling. In a large bowl or stand mixer, whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, whole milk, salt, and a few grates of fresh nutmeg until smooth. Set aside.
  • Sprinkle the cooked bacon into the bottom of prepared and chilled dough. Pour egg mixture on top of bacon, then sprinkle the cheese on top. Bake on the bottom rack, rotating halfway through, until crust is golden brown on edges and bottom and the egg mixture is set, about 35-45 minutes. If the crust still needs more time, cook in additional 5-minute increments. Let cool slightly, sprinkle with finely chopped chives, and serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

*If you do not have a food processor or you are inexperienced with making pie dough, you can easily make your dough by hand. Combine the flour and salt in a large  bowl with a whisk. Add the cold butter, dropping the pieces into different areas to coat with flour, and use a pastry cutter to cut the flour into the butter, until the butter is the size of small pebbles (if this is giving you a little bit of an arm workout, you’re on the right track!). Add ¼ cup of the water and use a fork to combine with butter/flour mixture until just combined. If the dough is still crumbly and dry, you can add an additional Tablespoon or two of the remaining water.

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