Savory Breakfast Quiche

An American-style breakfast quiche with a pre-baked crust, a simple egg custard, sautéed vegetables, and cheddar cheese. It bakes in a 9-inch pie dish until the center is just set and the top is lightly browned. Serve warm or at room temperature.

By Julienne

Cook time: 35 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 125 g all-purpose flour for the crust
• 3 g fine salt for the crust and filling
• 85 g unsalted butter cold, cubed
• 45 ml ice water divided for the crust
• 15 ml olive oil for sautéing the vegetables
• 75 g yellow onion small dice
• 3 g fine salt for the crust and filling
• 150 g mushrooms sliced
• 60 g baby spinach washed and roughly chopped
• 1 sheet parchment paper to line the crust for blind baking
• 500 g pie weights or dried beans for blind baking
• 4 each large eggs lightly beaten
• 180 ml whole milk for the custard
• 1.5 g ground black pepper for the filling
• 0.5 g ground nutmeg for the filling
• 100 g sharp cheddar cheese grated

Instructions

1. Make the crust: in a bowl, combine the flour and 3 g of the salt. Cut in the cold butter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces. Add 30 ml of the ice water and toss with a fork; add the remaining 15 ml only if needed until the dough just comes together. The dough holds together when squeezed but is not sticky or wet.
2. Form the dough into a disk, wrap it, and chill it briefly while you cook the filling. The dough feels firmer and easier to roll after chilling.
3. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion with the remaining 3 g salt and cook for 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until their moisture evaporates and they begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach and cook just until wilted, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. The vegetables look softened, browned in spots, and no liquid remains in the pan.
4. Heat the oven to 190 C. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 30 cm round and line a 23 cm pie dish. Trim and crimp the edge. Line the crust with parchment paper, fill with pie weights or dried beans, and set the crust on a rimmed baking sheet. The crust is fitted smoothly into the dish and fully lined for blind baking.
5. Blind-bake the crust for 12 minutes. Remove the parchment and weights, then bake 5 minutes more until the bottom looks dry and pale golden. The crust no longer looks raw on the base.
6. Whisk the eggs, milk, black pepper, and nutmeg in a bowl. Fold in the cooled vegetables and the cheddar. The custard is evenly mixed and the cheese is distributed throughout.
7. Pour the filling into the hot crust. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until the edges are set and the center still has a slight wobble. The top is lightly golden and the center jiggles only slightly when the pan is nudged.
8. Rest the quiche for 10 minutes before slicing and serving warm or at room temperature. The slices hold together cleanly when cut.