My classic Quiche Lorraine with Homemade Thyme Pastry combines a lovely short and buttery crust with salty bacon, smooth melty cheese and the most delicious and delicate eggy custard filling. Its a mystery how pastry, eggs and bacon can be so light but trust me, this quiche is stunning!
Sieve 270g Plain Flour into a medium mixing bowl and add 130g Salted Butter cut into small pieces.
Take the leaves off of sprigs of fresh thyme until you have roughly 1 tbsp Fresh Thyme Leaves. Add the thyme to the flour and butter along with 1 tsp Sea Salt Flakes.
Using the tips of your fingers, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Add cold water to the flour mix 1 tbsp at a time. Mix thoroughly before adding more.
Stop adding water as soon as the dough comes together when you scrunch it together.
Lightly knead the dough on a clean surface for 20-30 seconds until smooth.
Wrap in cling-film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Cook the Bacon and Line the Tin
Whilst the dough is chilling, use scissors to cut 350g Bacon into small pieces directly into a frying pan.
Fry the bacon to your preferred level of done-ness. I like mine quite lightly fried. Set the bacon aside to cool a little.
Lightly oil a loose bottomed 25cm tart tin.
Once the dough is fully chilled, unwrap it and roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface.
Aim for the dough to reach a size a little bigger than the tart tin, including the sides.
Line the tin with the pastry by gently draping it over the top.
Gently press the pasty right into the corners of the tin and grooves in the side.
Trim the excess pastry away by rolling the pin over the top.
Using your fingertips, gently ease the pastry up the sides a little to combat shrinkage.
Pop the lined tin into the fridge to chill again whilst making the rest of the filling.
Assemble the Quiche
Preheat the oven to 200c or equivalent.
Finely grate 130g Gruyere Cheese and set aside.
Combine 650ml Whole Milk, 5 Eggs, 0.25 tsp Cayenne and 0.5 tsp of Sea Salt Flakes in a mixing bowl.
Take the tart tin out of the fridge and sprinkle the slightly cooled bacon over the pastry base.
Sprinkle the grated gruyere over the bacon then place the tin onto a baking tray.
Pour in the egg and milk mixture into the pastry case then (carefully) put in the oven.
Check the quiche after 30 minutes, then every 5 minutes thereafter if the filling hasn’t nearly set.
Leave to cool before taking the quiche out of its tin. Serve warm or cold.
Notes
Important! If you have adjusted the serving size of this recipe, the cooking time will vary. A larger quiche will take longer to cook although a smaller one won't take much less as the pastry still needs to cook through. If increasing the portions substantially, you may wish to consider making multiple smaller quiches rather than a bigger one.