Foolproof Basic Quiche Recipe (2024)

Foolproof basic quiche recipe

This savory egg custard is not hard to make, but if you're like me, you've found a million recipes and they all havevaried amount of dairy and eggs, not to mention a myriad of different sized pie plates.

Here, we're getting to thebasics of quiche making. Once you learn the secrets, your next egg custard will beperfect every time, no matter what you put in it!

First, heat oven to 350°F and thaw the pie dough at room temperature.On a clean counter, sprinkle a little flour and roll out the pie dough, you may need to use a rolling pin to make the dough fit a 9"inch pie pan. If you have a little extra dough on the edges, that's ok; just use some kitchen shears and trim the crust to fit your plate

Place a cup of dried beans or pie weights in the pie shell; bake uncovered on the middle rack for 20 minutes or until the shell is firm and lightly golden brown. Allow to cool at room temperature while you make the basic quiche filling.

In a large mixing bowl, combine whole eggs, heavy cream, shredded cheese and any chopped or diced cooked meats and/or raw vegetables.

Pour the egg mixture into the cool pie shell; place pie shell on a rimmed baking sheet (in case it spills over) and place on the middle rack. Generally, the bake time is around 50 minutes, until the center is a little jiggly; use a wooden toothpick to test the center for doneness. For best results, let the baked egg custard rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing.

Recipe tips

• Double check the size of your baking dish! If you're using a deep dish pie plate, you'll want to increase the amount of ingredients (See chart below)
• When you unroll the refrigerated pie dough, if it cracks, use a little cold water and press the torn area back together with your fingers
• Invest the few minutes extra time to blind bake the crust
• Keep the ratio of eggs, dairy and cheese as indicated in the recipe below
• Add up to 1 ½ cups of additional ingredients
• Place the quiche pan on a rimmed baking sheet in case it spills over the edge while baking
• Allow quiche to cool a little before slicing
• For a pretty slice, use a super sharp knife and wipe the blade clean in between each slice

What is Quiche?

A classic quiche, pronounced"kēsh,"is a baked French tart that consists of savory ingredients including eggs, cheese, cream and meat, seafood or vegetables with a flaky pie crust.
It is most commonly served as a breakfast or brunch dish, but works great for dinner, too! You'll find a basic quiche is easy to make - and there are many variations you can make with this recipe!

What's the difference between a quiche and a frittata?

Both are baked egg dishes that contain savory meats or vegetables, usually a dairy product (heavy cream) and cheese. Quiche is French-derived and typically contains a fluffy pie crust. A Frittata is an Italian quiche (or lack of a better explanation) and does not have a crust. It's basically a crustless quiche that is started on the stovetop, then transferred to a hot oven to complete the cooking process.

Size of eggs

Generally speaking, when a recipe calls for "an egg," it is referring to alarge egg. Unless otherwise noted, use large brown or white eggs. Brown and white eggs taste the same.

Size of baking dish

Thesize and volume of the baking pan are importantbecause you don't want to have the egg custard boil over, but you also don't want it to look puny...Before you begin,measure your baking pan and its volume.

Most recipes call for a 9" or 10" pie pan. A9"-inch pie platehas a totalvolume of 4 cups. A10"-inch pie panhas a volume of 6½cups.

A 9½" X 2" inchDeep DishPyrex Pie pan has a volume of 7 cups. You can see how the ingredients for a 9"-inch pan would not be enough to fill up a deep dish pie pan.

It is not necessary to oil and/or flour a pie pan when making basic quiche.

Egg-to-Dairy ratio

In culinary circles, theGolden Rule of Thumb is: 1 egg per every half-cup dairy.

Keep in mind "dairy" includes cream, heavy cream, milk, half-n-half, sour cream and creme fraiche. "Dairy" does not include the cheese.

The ratio doesn't change if you use a larger baking dish, but the amounts of egg/dairy/cheese do change.

Amount of protein/vegetables

I recommend about ahalf-cup to one cupof diced meat or vegetables to this easy quiche recipe. You want the protein or vegetable to complement the creamy, cheesy quiche--not be the star of the dish.

Amount of cheese

The amount of cheese is a personal preference, however,most standard 9"-inch quiche recipes use at least 4-ounces of shredded cheese. Four ounces of shredded cheeseproduces one cup of cheese, and that's usually plenty to include in this size quiche. Popular cheese for quiche? Shredded Swiss cheese, Gruyere cheese, sharp cheddar or tangy goat cheese.

How to Blind Bake a Pie Crust

The best quiche has a light, fluffly crust and the best way to achieve that is to blind bake the pie dough. Here's how:

Roll thawed dough into glass pie plate; add dried beans and bake on middle rack at 350°F for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden brown; remove from oven; once pie shell cools, remove dried beans