This Bacon and Leek Quiche is, without a doubt, the best. It's my opinion that leeks are criminally underutilized in dishes. If you've never had them, they have a very mild and grassy onion flavor that pairs fantastically with savory components like bacon and cheese. This quiche brings all of those components together in one amazing brunch dish! It features a ridiculously flaky crust and is filled with crispy bacon and sauteed leeks. It's finished off with white cheddar and gouda cheeses. What's not to love about that?
Want something sweet for breakfast instead? Try my Crispy Buttermilk Pancakes for fluffy centers and buttery, golden edges.
This recipe yields two 9-inch quiches and can be halved to make just one. I'm not sure why you would want less quiche, though. More quiche is ALWAYS better than less quiche. This is so good; you'll be glad that there are two!
Bacon and Leek Quiche Ingredients
There are two main components to this quiche: the crust and the filling. Both use pretty simple and easy-to-find ingredients. Both are outlined below.
The Crust
The crust uses all purpose flour, unsalted butter, salt, and some ice cold water. Keeping the butter cold while you work with the dough is key to producing a ridiculously flaky and delicious crust. Cubing the butter into rough, ½- to 1-inch cubes and smearing them into the flour with your fingertips also helps to produce a flaky and buttery crust. This technique is called "fraisage", and is a classic process used in pastry making.
One important factor in maintaining a crispy, crust is to partially bake the crust for about 15-minutes with pie weights. You can specifically buy pie weights, or you can line your pie dough with tin foil, then top with 1 or 2 cups of uncooked rice, sugar, or dry beans. This helps the pie shell retain its shape. Remove the foil and weights and bake for another 5 to 8-minutes until light golden brown.
Feel free to use your favorite store-bought puff pastry or pre-made pie dough as well! Homemade is always best, but if there's anywhere to cut a corner on this recipe, you could do it here.
Quiche Filling
The quiche filling is bacon, leeks, eggs, egg yolks, heavy cream, fresh thyme, white pepper, salt, black pepper, gouda and white cheddar cheese.
Begin by sautéing the bacon pieces in a large skillet. While the bacon is cooking, combine the eggs, egg yolks, heavy cream, fresh thyme, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Once the bacon pieces are crispy and the fat has rendered, sauté the leeks in the bacon drippings until soft, about 5 to 8-minutes. Season the leeks with a small pinch of white pepper. Add the bacon and the leeks to the custard, and combine. Add in about ⅔rds of both cheeses, reserving the rest to place over the top right before baking.
Pour the custard mixture into your prepared pie crusts, and bake for another 35-40 minutes until golden brown.
Chive Crème Fraîche
One optional component to this dish is a Chive Crème Fraîche. Crème Fraîche is essentially a French version of sour cream; it is heavy cream that has been inoculated with buttermilk or yogurt cultures and produces a creamy and slightly tangy condiment. The only addition for this is chives and a small pinch of salt. It's so bright and fresh and compliments the quiche perfectly. This can be made the same day, but it is better if you start it the day before and let the base crème fraîche rest overnight.
Combine some heavy cream and buttermilk, and let it rest unrefrigerated for at least 3-hours, up to overnight. At this point, add the cream, a large bunch of chives (about 1 Tbsp, rough chopped), and a pinch of kosher salt to a blender, and blend until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until chilled and slightly thick, at least 1-hour.
Looking for something else? Take a look at my other Breakfast recipes here!
Did you make this recipe for Bacon and Leek Quiche?
Let me know in the comments below how yours turned out, and don't forget to leave a rating!
Recipe
Bacon and Leek Quiche
Equipment
- 2 9-inch Pie Tins
- Large Heavy Bottom Stainless or Cast Iron Skillet
- Medium Mixing Bowl
- Blender or Immersion Blender
Ingredients
Quiche Dough
- 1 Cup Unsalted Butter 230g - 2 Sticks
- 2 ⅓ Cups All Purpose Flour 280g
- 2 ¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt 15g
- 2 Cup Measuring Cup filled w/ Ice & Topped w/ Water
Quiche Filling
- 4 Slices Bacon Cut into ½-inch Slices
- 2 Leeks Cleaned, Halved and Sliced into ¼-inch strips
- Pinch White Pepper
- 4 Eggs
- 2 Egg Yolks
- 2 Cups Heavy Cream or Half and Half
- ½ Teaspoon Fresh Thyme Minced
- ¾ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ¾ Teaspoon Black Pepper
- 4 oz Gouda Shredded (½ Cup)
- 4 oz White Cheddar Shredded (½ Cup)
- Fresh Chives For Garnish Minced
Chive Creme Fraiche (Optional, but Recommended)
- 1 oz Cultured Buttermilk
- 5 oz Heavy Cream
- 1 Pinch Kosher Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Chives
Instructions
Quiche Dough
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Fill a 2-cup measuring cup with ice. Top measuring cup off with water (at least ½ cup). Set aside. Roughly cube butter into ½-inch to 1-inch pieces.
- Add flour and salt in a large mixing bowl, tossing to combine.
- Add cold, cubed butter to your flour mixture.
- Work butter cubes into the flour, using your fingertips to smash the butter into little flakes. Every piece of butter should be smeared and coated with flour before you begin to add the water.
- Add the ice water (without the ice cubes) 2 to 3 tablespoons at a time. Without kneading, use your hands and fingertips to loosely mix in the water. Add additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time until a shaggy dough forms. (Allow for a few minutes after each water addition to ensure the flour properly hydrates. If you don't wait long enough, you will add too much water. If this happens, just add more flour and combine until it stops sticking. You will likely use about ¼ cup to ⅓ cup water total).
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured counter and give the dough several kneads to completely combine. The dough should be soft and slightly tacky, but not sticky.
- Divide the dough into two equal pieces.
- Form each piece into a flat disk and wrap each one in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30-minutes, or overnight.
- While the dough is resting, prepare the quiche filling as instructed below.
- Remove both pieces of dough from the fridge, and roll each into a flat circle, approximately 12-inches in diameter and ¼-inch thick.
- Place dough into pie dishes, and prick with a fork all over. Trim the excess dough with a sharp knife and discard.
- Cover each pie dough with aluminum foil and place pie weights or 2 cups of dry rice, sugar, or beans on top of each one.
- Par-bake crusts for 15-minutes, and remove aluminum foil and pie weights. Bake for an additional 5 to 8-minutes until slightly blonde, but not cooked all the way through. (Prepare quiche filling while pie crusts are par-baking.)
- Remove and allow to cool slightly.
Quiche Filling
- While pie crusts are par-baking, heat a large, heavy bottom stainless or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add sliced bacon and cook, stirring frequently until crispy and fat has completely rendered.
- While bacon is cooking, combine eggs, egg yolks, heavy cream, and measured salt and pepper to a medium bowl, stirring to combine.
- Remove the bacon, reserving the fat in the pan. Add bacon pieces to the custard mixture. Increase heat to medium-high.
- Add leeks to the skillet with a small pinch of kosher salt. Sauté until soft and some color begins to form, approximately 5 to 7-minutes. Season to taste with black pepper and white pepper.
- Transfer cooked leeks to custard mixture, stirring to combine.
- Add ⅔ of both the shredded gouda and white cheddar, reserving the remaining ⅓ to sprinkle over the top before baking.
Chive Crème Fraîche (Optional but Recommended)
- The day before making the quiche (or as soon as 4-hours before serving your quiche), add buttermilk and heavy cream to a dish, stirring to combine. Loosely cover and Rest for 3-hours (up to overnight) on the counter.
- Add salt and chives to the crème. Transfer to a blender or immersion blender cup and blend until smooth, approximately 2-minutes.
- Transfer sauce to a bowl or a squeeze bottle, and refrigerate until cool and thickened, at least 1-hour.
- Use to garnish your plate, or drizzle directly over quiche slices.
Assembly and Baking
- Preheat oven to 350°F (if preheated from par-baking the crusts, reduce temp to 350°F.)
- Pour half of the custard mixture into one of the prepared pie crusts. Repeat with the remaining custard and the other pie crust.
- Sprinkle the remaining ⅓ cheese mixture over the top of both quiches.
- Bake for 35 to 40-minutes until golden brown, and the middle has just barely begun to set.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 to 15-minutes before slicing and serving.
Michael says
A favorite for breakfast or even dinner. Savory flavors! Always happy it makes two, as they get gone fast around our house.
Paula says
Just reading through the ingredients made me hungry! This is a must try as I love quiche!