I’m sure everyone has grabbed a slice of Quiche for lunch at least once in their life. A very convenient grab and go lunch (or even dinner) that you can eat with minimal mess. Paired with a fresh salad and a glass of juice or sparkling water makes it the ideal light meal on a summers day! Don’t you think?
For so long I have been making quiches for dinner to use up my leftover meat, vegetable or cream. The pastry base can be whipped up in minutes using a food processor. The filling can literally be anything and you know the savory egg custard will make all that come together in a matter of minutes. It is hard to mess up a quiche recipe, well, unless you forget it in the oven LOL.
So why is this quiche different? Because the quiche base is a sourdough pastry this time! And not only that! on top of that, I’m using the probiotic LifewayKefir Farmer cheese (#sponsored) in the filling. Being the avid sourdough fan I am, it would be odd if I didn’t throw some sourdough in the pastry. If you have been following me, you know I am not a fan of using sourdough in cookies and cakes but when it comes to savory recipes…well it’s totally a different story.
I love everything fermented and the slow process of fermenting fascinates me. A big reason why I make sourdough bread and kombucha on a regular basis. So needless to say adding big dollops of cultured soft cheese in the filling feels like a very good idea to me! Apart from all the good stuff like probiotic, calcium and protein, the cheese adds to the texture and mouthfeel.
Sourdough Crust
Why use sourdough in the crust? Well, for me it’s the flavor. I usually add excess starter (discard) that I collect and save in the fridge. They are still active but a lot more acidic from being dormant for so long. The acidity is a result of the reproduction of all the good bacteria like lactobacillus. When you add some of this into your dough and let it ferment away (usually over night for maximum flavor) the bacteria and yeast will reproduce and consume most of the sugar in your dough and digest most of the gluten. Also adds a mild acidic (yogurt like) flavor as a bonus!
This is also a great way to use up that excess starter you have been collecting, if you are a regular sourdough baker!
What if you don’t have sourdough starter?
Not a problem at all! Replace the sourdough starter or the discard in the recipe with an equal part of plain yogurt or sour cream. If you don’t have either, just skip it altogether and use some extra water. The pastry will still taste amazing!
Filling
You can be creative with the filling. Go vegetarian or use some meat(pre cooked) or sea food. Bacon adds a really nice smoky flavor, hello quiche Lorraine. Some popular flavor combos would be;
– quiche Lorraine (bacon, cheese, scallion/leeks)
– pumpkin (or squash) and fetta
– mushroom and cheese
– shrimp, onion
– asparagus, broccoli and cheese
I have used two combos in this post! And you know the secret ingredient Lifewaykefir Farmer Cheese
1. Roasted squash+ farmer cheese + caramelized onion + roasted bell pepper
2. Bacon + farmer cheese + scallion
Savory egg Custard
I will show you a great way to make the custard without ever having to look at a recipe.
– start with the eggs
– break the eggs you are going to use ( say 5)
– weigh the eggs (lets say 250g)
– now add equal part of cream and milk to the weight of eggs (so 125g milk + 125g cream)
– add a pinch of salt and pepper and whisk
Done!
Can’t be any easier than this! right!?. So if the mixture ran out you can always make extra using the above ratio. I usually start with 5 eggs and if its not enough, I’d make extra with 1 more egg. The custard mixture can be refrigerated for up to 4 days so don’t worry if you make have leftover mix, save it for another day.
Lets start by making the pastry.
Cold butter is a must!
Use either sourdough discard or fresh starter. If you don’t have either, replace with yogurt or sour cream
I’m using garlic powder and freshly cracked black pepper. Feel free to use your favorite flavors or herbs
If using unsalted butter, add 1/2 tsp of salt
Process flour, garlic and pepper with cold butter until you get a fine bread crumb like mixture
Now add the sourdough discard( or fresh starter) or the yogurt and process. Add a teaspoon of water only if needed. Process until you see little clumps
When you press the crumbs it should hold the shape. At this stage stop processing and take the mixture onto a floured surface and press into a dough
Gently knead until you get a smooth dough. Do not over knead as this will cause the pastry to be tough. Wrap and chill for at least 2 hours or better overnight!
Overnight is recommended if you’ve added sourdough discard/starter as it will help develop more flavor!
When you are ready to roll, take out the pastry and let it though at room temperature until soft enough to roll out. On a floured surface roll out the pastry to cover the pie dish you are using. Thickness should be about 2-3mm
Too thin pastry will break easily and too thick will give you a thicker shell that will hold less filling.
Transfer the rolled out pastry over to the greased pie dish and press gently. Trim the excess pastry and pinch the edges so that it looks neat and even.
If the pastry is too soft, refrigerate for about 10 minutes
Dock the pastry with a fork so that any trapped air will escape while baking without ballooning the base
Always blind bake the base. This will make sure your pastry is cooked through and there’ll be no soggy bottoms later 🙂
Use baking beads/rice/beans to weigh down the pastry as you blind bake!
Remove the beans, parchment and bake the base further until golden brown.
Hack!
Apply a thin layer of beaten eggs to prevent custard from leaking. Incase the docking crated large enough holes, this will seal those.
While the base is baking, you can make the egg custard
Then pour the custard mixture to cover the topping. Be careful not to overfill. The custard may expand while baking before it contracts back and if you fill to the brim, it may overflow.
Bake until the custard is just set. If you over bake, the texture will be crumbly not creamy.
Leave to cool slightly and serve with a fresh salad!
Storing
Prebaked quiche shell can be stored at room temperature for up to two days. If you need to keep longer, wrap and refrigerate or freeze. The baked quiche (with filing and custard) can be refrigerated. Let the quiche cool completely before placing in an air tight container and refrigerate. It will be good for 3-4 days but the pastry may go soft. Refresh the quiche by placing in a moderate oven for 10 minutes or you can microwave until the center is no longer cold.
But as with any other pastry, this is best when enjoyed fresh on the same day!
Ingredients
For the Quiche shell
- 225g all purpose flour
- 150g cold salted butter
- 40g sourdough discard (or yogurt or 1-2 tbsp. cold water)
- 1 tsp. cold water (if needed)
- 1 tsp. ground pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- *1/2 tsp salt only if you are using unsalted butter
Savory egg custard
- 5 eggs (250g)
- 125g milk
- 125g cream
- pinch of salt pepper each
Vegetarian filling
- about a cup of roasted pumpkin/squash
- 1/4 cup of roasted bell pepper
- half an onion bulb, caramelized
- 1/3 cup of Lifewaykefir farmer cheese
Quiche Lorrain filling
- about 6 rashes of bacon (thick cut is best)
- a bunch of scallion
- 1/3 cup of Lifewaykefir farmer cheese
Instructions
- Make the pastry by processing flour, garlic powder and pepper in a food processor with cold butter cubes. Process until small crumbs form (should represent bread crumbs)
- Add the sourdough discard or yogurt (if not just add 1 tbsp. of cold water) and process until tiny clumps start to form
- At this stage bring out the pastry mix on to a surface and press together by hand to form a dough. gently knead until its fairly smooth
- Wrap and refrigerate the dough for at least two hours or overnight. Overnight it best if using sourdough as it will help develop more flavor
- Let the chilled pastry thaw before you roll out
- Roast the pumpkin and bell pepper before you roll out the pastry
- Preheat the oven to 350F and roll out the pastry to fit the pie dish(quiche tray) you plan to use The dough thickness should be 2-3mm. If its too thin, it will break easily. It’s okay to be too thick but that will give you less space for filling
- Once rolled out, cover the lightly greased quiche tray or dish with the pastry
- Press gently and trim the edges. Smooth out or crimp the border
- Dock the pastry with a fork. Place a parchment and add the baking beads or beans and blind bake for about 15-20 minutes. Then remove the parchment and the weights, lightly egg wash (optional) and bake for a further 10-15 minutes until golden brown
- Prepare the custard by whisking all the ingredients and set aside
- Prepare the fillings. Fry the bacon and chop into small pieces, slice the scallion. For the vegetarian quiche, caramelize the onions(add chili flakes/Thai chili peppers for extra heat)
- Once the base is baked, you can fill and bake the quiches
- Make sure the oven is preheated to 350F and ready before filling the bases
- Simply add the prepared filling, slowly pour the egg custard to just cover the fillings. Do not fill to the brim
- Place on a bigger tray and place in the preheated oven. Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until the custard is not runny in the center
- The baking time depends on the filling and the amount of custard used
- Do not overbake the quiche as the texture will be crumbly instead of smooth and creamy
- Let the quiche cool slightly and serve with a fresh salad
