This breakfast quiche is the perfect pie for breakfast. A flaky pie crust made with all butter and a filling of egg custard, spinach, mushrooms, onions, and gruyere. This ultimate quiche is a creamy, fluffy egg dish with all of the delicious.
My favorite version of a hot breakfast treat is a ham and cheese quiche. I like to make quiche for weekend breakfasts, holidays, and brunches with friends.
What is quiche?
A quiche is a pie that has a flaky bottom crust and a custard of savory eggs baked in it. Although you can make a quiche without a crust, I can’t resist the flaky pie dough. The main base for a quiche is milk, cream, and eggs. The additions of meats, cheeses, vegetables, and seafood are often interchangeable.
Quiche lorraine is the most popular quiche recipe, which combines bacon and cheese. My breakfast quiche contains deli ham, several vegetables, and a variety of other ingredients. You can substitute these add-ins for your favorite ingredients in equal amounts.
This quiche recipe requires ingredients
- Pie Crust – Flavor, flakiness, and texture are important. A Homemade Pie Crust will always be a necessity. This recipe makes enough pie crust for two 9-inch pies. You can use one pie crust for quiche and the other for something else.
- Heavy Cream and Eggs– The mixture of heavy cream and eggs is the most important ingredient in the custard filling. I prefer heavy cream to milk because it gives the eggs a lighter, fluffier texture.
- Gruyere Cheese – A full cup of shredded gruyere for a salty, nutty complement to the ham. It melts easily, and the custard mixes well with it.
- Ham– You can use any thick deli ham, but applewood smoked adds an extra depth of flavor. To ensure that the ham is evenly distributed, cut it into cubes of 1/2 inch.
- Vegetables– Baby spinach and baby bella mushrooms pair well with onions. Sauté the mushrooms and onions until they are softened, then add them to the filling. This will reduce moisture.
- Seasoning – I decided not to salt the filling further because of the salty ham, gruyere, and salty cheese. To complement the other ingredients, I added some dijon mustard and ground pepper.
Bake the pie crust partially blind.
It is very important to weigh the dough down when blind-baking a pie crust! Roll out the pie crust first and then transfer it to the pie pan. The edges of the pie crust should be pressed into the pan almost as if the dough was being sunk. Any excess dough should be tucked under. Between your thumb and fingertips, crimp the dough’s edges. With a fork, prick the sides and bottom of the dough. Place the pie into the freezer or fridge for 30 minutes until it is firm.
Line the pie crust with aluminum foil or parchment. Fill with dried beans, uncooked rice, or pie weights. Fill with pie weights, dried rice, or uncooked beans.
Preheat the oven to 375 F. (190 C). Place the pie prepared on a cookie tray. Bake for 15-17 mins on the lowest oven rack.
Remove the weights or paper from the pie. Place it back into the oven to bake for another 2-3 minutes. Allow the crust to cool down for 10 minutes after it has been par-baked. Then add the filling to the crust and bake it according to recipe instructions.
Option to not bake a crust.
Quiche without par baking crust: I made this quiche without par-baking the crust. Line pie pans with pie crust and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Fill the pie crust with the quiche ingredients, and bake for an extra 10 minutes. Only slightly overbaking the filling can cause a problem, but this has never happened to me. Keep an eye out for a slight jiggle at the center before you remove the quiche from the over. The bottom crust should be well-baked but slightly softer than the top crust.
Tips for making breakfast quiche.
- The day before, make the dough for the pie crust.
- For a crispier bottom, par-bake the crust.
- Sauté the onions and mushrooms in a pan until they are slightly brown and tender.
- Before adding the filling, chill the pie crust-lined pie pan until it is firm in the refrigerator or freezer. The cold pie crust will shrink less in the oven and maintain its beautiful edge.
- Spread half the filling into the bottom crust of the pie, cover it with the egg-cream mixture, and repeat the process for equal distribution.
- Place the pie plate on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to catch any butter drips.
- Bake the quiche for about 15 minutes or until the middle is just starting to set. This could take between 45 and 50 minutes, depending on the oven. You can check for doneness by gently shaking the pan at the 40-minute mark. The quiche will be done if the center is still slightly wobbly but the edges have set.
- Place the quiche in a cooling rack and let it cool for 5-10 mins before cutting into slices and serving.
How to store quiche.
Quiche tastes best the day after it’s baked. If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container or cover them with aluminum foil and keep them in the fridge.
If you want to freeze the quiche, cover it tightly with aluminum foil and put it in the freezer.
Quiche – what to serve?
If you like to serve sweets with your quiche, here are some ideas:
- Coffee Blueberry Crumble Muffins
- Chocolate Chip Muffins in Bakery Style
- Brown Sugar Banana Bread
- Baked Apple Donuts
- Cinnamon Apple Pop-Tarts
