Quiche with Sourdough Butter Crust
Ingredients
Not just any crust, but a sourdough butter crust. I love the simplicity of this recipe and the fact that it makes 2 crusts. So, you can use both together for a pot pie or use one and freeze one for later. This is great for pies where you want more of a buttery crust than a sweet one or for savory dishes like quiche, which is what we did today!
Your sourdough starter should be recently fed (like in the last day or so) and at 100% hydration. Meaning it’s being fed equal parts water and flour by weight.
The Crust
Add flour, sugar, and salt to the bowl of the food processor (I’m using my little ninja). Pulse to combine. Add the butter in slices a few at a time and pulse until it breaks up into small chunks.
Add the sourdough starter over the top of the flour/butter mixture. Pulse until the mixture just comes together. Dump it out onto your countertop and give it a quick knead, making sure all your ingredients are evenly combined. You’ll need to work fast, as the butter warms up, the mixture can start to get greasy. The dough should be smooth but still flakey.
Divide the dough into two equal pieces, flatten into discs and wrap in plastic wrap. Put the discs in the refrigerator to rest for an hour or up to overnight before rolling out. If you only plan to use one, the other can go straight to the freezer and will be good for about 3 months inside a freezer bag.
The next step is to blind bake your crust. It’s a method of pre-baking part way before you add filling. It gives you a stronger crust and prevents it from being soggy on the bottom. So here’s what to do; roll out your disk to about a 13″ diameter. (to fit a standard 9″ pie plate).
Gently drape the rolled dough into your pie plate and work along the edge to build up a kind of ridge. You can finish it with a pinch pattern or a fork. I use a glass pie plate, it conducts heat more evenly than metal. Set the crust in the freezer for 30 minutes. While your dough is chilling, pre-heat your oven to 425F. This is also a good time to prepare your filling. (See below)
Remove you plate from the freezer and prep it to blind bake. You can use dry rice or beans if you don’t have ceramic baking beans but if you bake a lot, it’s worth picking some up. Line the crust with baking parchment and fill it with your baking beans and put in your the oven for 8 minutes.
Take it out and carefully remove the beans (they will be hot!! I dump them in a strainer to cool) Prick some holes in the bottom of the crust with a fork and return it to the oven for another 5-6 minutes. Take it out and reduce the heat down to 325F. You’ll want to add your filling while the crust is hot.
The Filling
When it comes to quiche fillings, there’s really an infinite number of possibilities, but no matter the flavor profile, the foundation is a simple mix of eggs and milk (about 5-6 eggs and 1/2 cup of milk for this size). Bake at 325F for 40-45 minutes, until it sets up. If you want to top with cheese, do it in the last 10 minutes.
Quiche is a great thing to use up random stuff in the fridge. As I said, the possibilities are endless and I’m not gonna tell you how to live your life, but today I used baked ham, leeks and potatoes and topped with an aged Welsh Caerphilly from Argyle Cheese Farmer. Not disappointed. The second dough disc is still in my fridge and will be a veggie supreme for Sunday brunch.
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