Homemade quiche crust is simple and easy to make from scratch. With just 4 ingredients, which are pantry staples, this takes 10 minutes to combine and 20 minutes to chill.
I believe you should always have a batch of prepared quiche dough in your freezer. For me, it creates opportunities to make quiche more often. All I have to do is just thaw it for an hour in the fridge and it's ready to roll. Also, it does not take long to make the dough from scratch.
Today, I am making an all-butter quiche crust. But, if you ask my mom, it can't be all butter. It had to be mostly full-fat shortening or ghee and some butter for flavor. The higher the ratio of fat, the better the crust.
My grandmother would use 100% lard (animal fat). For her, making a pie crust with butter is a no-no! And yet, she lived healthily until the age of 89.
I, on the other hand, never use lard for making my pie crust. So, I use butter or sometimes half butter and half veg shortening. And, I'd be lucky if I live to her age.
About this quiche crust
A quiche crust is your basic pie crust. I like to use an egg in my quiche crust. This adds stability and a nice crumbly texture along with the flakiness of the pie crust. You can make this crust in the food processor, as I am doing today, or by hand as I have shown in the pie crust by hand recipe.
Firstly, make sure the butter is chilled, so you get a nice flaky pie crust. If your butter melts, you will lose that flakiness. The pieces of fat in the dough melt in the oven during baking. As a result, this fat creates steam. And, this steam creates the separation in the dough, which results in that flakiness.
Secondly, my secret to making a good pie or quiche crust is to chill everything I use in the fridge for an hour. I measure my ingredients and leave them in the fridge. Including, the flour, butter, and water. That way, when I am ready to make the crust, it takes me just 5 minutes using a food processor or 10 minutes by hand.
What pan do you use for quiche?
You can make quiche in a quiche pan, pie pan or tart pan with a removable bottom. Most of my pies are made in tart pans. The advantage of the tart pan with removable bottom is that you can take it with you over to friends and family.
And yet, when I make quiche for home, I like to use my stoneware pie pan. The advantage of stoneware is that it gives a lovely crisp crust that does not get soggy as it cools down. And, the quiche or pie also stays warm longer.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Butter - I like using all butter for that superior butter flavor. But, you can also use half vegetable shortening. My mom used half high-fat vegetable shortening. Make sure to chill the shortening for at least an hour before you use it.
- Flour - Use a good unbleached all-purpose flour. Do not use self-rising or bread flour. We want a flaky pie crust that does not rise or become chewy.
- Salt - Don't forget to add salt to your pie crust. It brings out the flavor. My mom would also add a teaspoon of sugar in her pie crust. We loved her pies and quiches.
- Egg - I use one egg for stability and crumbly texture. And yet, you can certainly omit the egg if you prefer to use all water.
- Water - You want chilled water from the fridge. You can add ice to your water to chill it. But, do not add ice directly to the dough; it will eventually make the dough soggy. Also, do not use milk because the milk solids will burn and give a very dark crust.
Step by step instructions (save/pin)
- Make sure the butter is chilled, so it can be cut into cubes. When cold, cut into small cubes.
- Measure the ingredients – place flour and salt in a metal bowl.
- Make sure you have cold water (you can also drop a few cubes of ice in a bowl of water).
- Use a fork, pastry blender (I prefer my finger-tips) to cut the butter (and vegetable shortening) into the flour.
- Squish the butter and flour between your fingers until you have a fine bread crumb consistency.
- Alternatively, pulse the flour, salt, and butter in a food processor.
- Add the beaten egg with chilled water and combine well.
- If needed, use one to two tablespoons of water to bring the dough together.
- Gather all the dough into a ball. It will be a crumbly mixture and that's a good thing.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour.
Roll the quiche crust
- Dust the work board with flour.
- Open the dough and roll carefully so it does not crack too much.
- Use your pan as a guide to know how big you need it.
- When you reach the desired size, transfer the dough without cracking.
- Fold the dough in half then quarter. Place it on the pan and open the folds (see the photo for double pie crust or see video).
- Alternatively, place the dough over the rolling pin to transfer (see the photo for single pie crust or see video).
- Gently fit it to the pan especially in the bottom edges.
- If using a quiche or tart pan, roll the rolling pin over the edges to get a clean cut.
- If using a pie pan fold the edges under and crimp the edge by forming a V shape with your thumb and index finger.
- Let cool in the fridge for 15 minutes.
Pre-bake the quiche crust
- Preheat the oven at 200 C / 390 F.
- Dock the chilled pastry all over with a fork to prevent the pastry from puffing up.
- Line the pie with parchment paper. Then, fill the center with pie weights or baking beans.
- Bake for 15 minutes – then, remove the pie weights and parchment paper.
- Add the filling and bake it further for as long and necessary – until the filling is cooked.
- If the pie edges get too dark, just tent the edges with foil or pie shield to prevent it from becoming too dark.
Frequently asked questions
The basic quiche crust ingredients are butter, flour, water, and a pinch of salt. Often, a tiny amount of vinegar (½ tsp) is added in the belief that it tenderizes the pie dough. Also, vinegar inhibits the development of gluten resulting in a flaky crust.Â
If you added too much water - just add a tablespoon or two of flour and bring it all together. And if the dough is soft and sticky, which usually appears wet, it means the dough is probably too warm. Shape it into a ball and wrap it in cling wrap. Chill it until it firm enough to roll.Â
If the quiche crust is too hard to roll, it means the dough is too chilled. Give it a few minutes on the counter to thaw so it's pliable enough to roll. Because, if you try to roll when it's hard it will crack too much. You want the dough chilled, and yet, still easy enough to roll.
It's best to chill the pastry before you bake it. That makes sure the butter stays cold. When baked, the butter melts into the dough and makes a beautiful flaky crust. However, if the quiche crust is not cold the dough tends to shrink.
You can use coconut oil for the quiche crust instead of butter or shortening. Coconut oil will need to be solidified in the fridge before you cut it into the flour just like butter. I prefer the combination of half coconut oil or half butter.Â
A pre-baked quiche crust needs to bake for 20 minutes with pie weight (baking beans). Then, without any weight for another 10 minutes.
Sometimes, when the pie filling is too liquid it can soak into the bottom crust making it soggy. One way to avoid it is to brush the bottom pre-baked quiche crust with egg whites. This essentially creates a seal between the crust and the filling.
If you live in a hot and humid climate - place the flour and salt in a bowl and keep the bowl in the fridge for about an hour. This will keep the ingredients cold. In addition, avoid touching the dough too much with your warm hands. Also, flip the dough over the rolling pin when possible. Work on the back of a chilled baking tray rather than a counter-top. And chill the tray in the fridge when you let it rest. That way, the dough and tray will stay cold at all times.Â
A good guide to use is a 3:2:1 part ratio which means 3 parts of flour to 2 pars of fat to 1 part of water. With that basic formula, you can make a couple of pies at the same time. It has helped me many times because I do sometimes bake 6 quiches all at once.
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Description
Ingredients
All butter quiche crust
- 1 ½ cup (190 g) All-purpose flour
- 4 oz (113 g) Unsalted butter (1 stick, ½ cup) chilled, cubed
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 Egg large
- 1 tbsp (60 ml) Chilled water
Combination quiche crust
- 1 ½ cups (190 g) All-purpose flour
- 2 oz (60 g) Unsalted Butter (½ stick, 4 tbsp). chilled, cubed
- 2 oz (60 g) Vegetable shortening (¼ cup) chilled
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 tbsp (60 ml) Chilled water
- 1 Egg large
Instructions
- Make sure the butter is chilled so it can be cut into cubes. When cold, cut into small cubes.
- Measure the ingredients – place flour and salt in a metal bowl.
- Make sure you have cold water (you can also drop a few cubes of ice in a bowl of water).
- Use a fork, pastry blender (I prefer my finger-tips) to cut the butter (and vegetable shortening) into the flour.
- Squish the butter and flour between your fingers until you have a fine bread crumb consistency.
- Alternatively, pulse the flour, salt, and butter in a food processor.
- Add the beaten egg with chilled water and combine well.
- If needed, use one or two tablespoons of water to bring the dough together.
- Gather all the dough into a ball. It will be a crumbly mixture and that's a good thing.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour.
Roll the quiche crust
- Dust the work board with flour.
- Open the dough and roll carefully so it does not crack too much.
- Use your pan as a guide to know how big you need it.
- When you reach the desired size, transfer the dough without cracking.
- Fold the pastry in half then quarter. Place it on the pan and open the fold (see the photo for double pie crust or see video).
- Alternatively, place the pastry over the rolling pin to transfer (see the photo for single pie crust or see video).
- Gently fit it to the pan especially in the bottom edges.
- If using a pie pan, fold the edges under and crimp the edge by forming a V shape with your thumb and index finger.
- Let cool in the fridge for 15 minutes.
Bake the quiche crust
- Preheat the oven at 200 C / 390 F.
- Dock the chilled pastry all over with a fork to prevent the pastry from puffing up.
- Line the pie with parchment paper. Then, fill the center with pie weights or baking beans.
- Bake for 15 minutes – then, remove the pie weights and parchment paper.
- Add the filling and bake it further for as long and necessary – until the filling is cooked.
- If the pie edges get too dark, just tent the edges with foil or pie shield to prevent it from becoming too dark.
Recipe Notes
- Fat - Â you will see a big difference in the quality of your crust based on the fat you use. You can use all-butter or 50% butter + 50% shortening. Do not use margarine or such as they are high in moisture and low in fat.Â
- The amount of egg and water in your dough plays a very important role in the final texture. Too much will make your crust very wet and too little will make it very crumbly. Crumbly is good, and yet you still want to be able to hold a slice of quiche.
- Avoid the fat/butter from melting into your flour. I usually place my bowl with the flour and chilled butter into the fridge for at least half an hour before I start to work it into the dough. Those of you living in a hot and humid climate can avoid touching the dough too much with your hands by rolling the pastry between two parchment papers.
- Also, use chilled iced water to maintain the temperature of the dough.
- Cool the quiche crust for at least half-hour before you bake. This will prevent the sides from shrinking.
- Let the pre-baked crust cool for 5 minutes before you add in the filling. This will prevent the liquid from being absorbed into the crust. And if your filling is very liquid, brush the pastry with egg white, before adding the filling. This creates a seal between the filling and crust.Â
Equipment
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
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