Wow Your Crowd With This Deep-Dish Bacon and Cheddar Quiche (2024)

If you’re looking for a centerpiece holiday dish, a stunner for a Sunday supper, or brunch with friends, then a mile-high Deep Dish Quiche is just the thing you need.

The inspiration for this recipe comes from a road trip to Vermont last summer. The slice of mile-high quiche served at our café lunch stop was a vision to behold and tasted even better than it looked. Now you can have your version at home!

This quiche is tall, you could say downright regal, filled with bacon, scallions, a lot of parsley, sharp cheddar, and, most importantly, cream. Heavy cream! (No holds barred here.)

This luscious and rich dish is large enough to serve at least eight people. The golden crust is buttery and flaky, just the right complement for the rich filling.

What Is Quiche?

Quiche is a French tart with a buttery crust filled with savory custard that can include all manner of vegetables, cheese, meat, and even seafood. The most famous quiche is quiche Lorraine, made with ham or bacon and Gruyere or Swiss cheese and baked in a shallow tart pan.

It can be served warm or at room temperature, and is an ideal brunch or supper dish.

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Why Make Deep Dish Quiche?

I reserve this rich and elegant quiche for when company comes; it’s a splendid dish for a spring holiday brunch or a light supper and serves eight nicely.

Its generous size (made in a 9-inch springform pan) requires more of a time commitment than ordinary quiche. Luckily, the time involved is mostly hands-off time – prebaking the crust and then baking the quiche – and it can be parsed out in chunks so you are not in the kitchen full stop.

Serve it with a salad or green vegetable, and for a brunch, you might want to have some strawberries or fresh fruit and crisp, cold white wine on the table, too.

Tips for Making Quiche Crust

I adjusted my favorite all-butter crust recipe to fit into a springform pan, which is much deeper than a tart pan or pie plate. I like this crust because it’s very buttery and stands up well in a springform pan.

This recipe makes a generous amount of dough, so you don’t have to worry about having to skimp on the crust. A few tips and tricks will yield perfect results every time.

  • Once you’ve fit the pastry dough to the springform pan, chill it.
  • Line the chilled dough with foil and fill it with pie weights or dried beans up to the brim (you’ll need about 6 cups). This prevents the dough from collapsing on the sides when you par-bake it.
  • Once the crust is golden brown, remove the weights, fill it with custard and bake it again.

The crust’s long pre-bake may seem like overkill, but it ensures that both the crust and filling are cooked to perfection.

  • Do not remove the pie weights during baking. This helps prevent the crust from over-browning.
  • Start checking the crust after 30 minutes, and then every 15 minutes after. The visible tips of the the crust should look nicely browned and golden, but if you pull away the foil, the inside should still look blonde.
  • If you use a different pie crust recipe, use a store-bought pie crust, halve the recipe, or bake the recipe in a different type of pan, your crust may bake at a different rate. Follow the instructions in the previous bullet point and pull the crust once it looks golden.

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How to Tell When Quiche Is Cooked?

The best way to tell if the quiche is set is with visual cues and a thermometer. (I like to use both.)

  • The edges should be slightly puffed and look set
  • The very center should still be slightly jiggly. If it looks soupy, continue to bake it.
  • A toothpick inserted into the center of the quiche should come out clean
  • If you have an instant-read thermometer, it should register from 165 to 170 degrees. Once it gets into the 180-degree range, the custard will be overcooked.

Bear in mind that the quiche will cook a bit more once it comes out of the oven. Also, if the top is golden and the center is not done, cover loosely with foil for the last few minutes of baking.

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Make Ahead and Freezer Tips for Deep Dish Quiche

Freeze the crust: The crust can be frozen in several ways.

  • Freeze the dough disk (up to 3 months): Wrap in plastic wrap and then in foil. Thaw and roll as directed.
  • Freeze the unbaked pie shell (up to 3 months): Wrap in plastic wrap and then in foil. Remove from the freezer, line the pan with foil, add the beans, and bake—no need to thaw first. Add extra time to account for the frozen pastry.
  • Freeze the baked pie shell (up to 3 months): Wrap in plastic wrap and then in foil. Remove from the freezer, add the filling, and bake as directed—no need to thaw first.

To freeze the baked quiche: Bake the quiche and let it cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until cold, and wrap in plastic wrap and then in foil. For individual slices, freeze them, unwrapped, until solid and then wrap in plastic wrap and foil.

Reheat frozen quiche: Thaw in the refrigerator, remove, and let come to room temperature (1 hour). Bake in a 350°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until hot all the way through.

Need More Quiche Recipes?

  • Mini Salmon Quiches
  • Zucchini Tomato Quiche
  • Cheesy Crustless Quiche
  • Ham and Asparagus Quiche
  • Quiche Lorraine
  • Smoked Salmon Dill and Goat Cheese Quiche

Deep-Dish Bacon and Cheddar Quiche

Prep Time30 mins

Cook Time2 hrs 30 mins

Chill60 mins

Total Time4 hrs

Ingredients

For the dough:

  • 2 3/4 cups (330g) all-purpose flour

  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt

  • 10 to 13 tablespoons ice water

  • 1 cup (2 sticks/8 ounces/224g) cold, unsalted butter, cubed

  • Extra flour, for rolling the dough

For the filling:

  • 8 ounces bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

  • 6 large eggs

  • 3 cups heavy cream

  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 1/2 cups chopped parsley

  • 6 ounces (2 cups) grated sharp cheddar

  • 1 bunch scallions, finely sliced, including some of the green part

Special Equipment

  • 19-inch springform pan

Method

For the dough:

  1. Start the dough:

    In a large bowl, whisk the flour and salt until blended.

    Add the butter cubes to the flour and toss to separate and coat them. Between your thumb and index finger, squish and flatten each cube, and toss in the flour as you flatten them.

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  2. Add the water and mix the dough:

    Drizzle 10 tablespoons of the ice water over the flour and butter and toss together like you toss a salad. Continue to mix with your hands until the dough clumps together. If the dough seems very floury and doesn’t clump together, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

  3. Form the dough into a disc:

    Tip the clumps onto the countertop gather them together with your hands, pressing and kneading briefly until the clumps come together to form a dough. Shape it into a round, flat disc that is about 7 inches in diameter. Wrap in plastic and chill for 10 minutes in the refrigerator, or for up to 3 days. You can proceed to roll the dough after 10 minutes, or when it is convenient.

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  4. Roll the dough:

    If you’ve refrigerated the dough for more than 30 minutes, remove it from the refrigerator to soften slightly before rolling.

    On a generously floured surface roll the dough with a floured rolling pin into a 14 or 15-inch circle that is about 1/8-inch thick. Keep lifting the dough as you roll it to make sure it isn’t sticking to the work surface. If it starts to stick, sprinkle some flour underneath it.

  5. Line the pan:

    Roll the dough over the rolling pin to lift and drape it over and into the springform pan. Lift the edges as you press the dough into the bottom edge of the pan and up the sides; try to avoid stretching it. Once the dough is securely in the pan, roll the rolling pin over the top edge to “cut” away the excess. If you like, make a pattern with the tines of a fork all around the edge.

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  6. Chill the dough:

    Cover the dough with plastic and chill in the freezer for 30 minutes.

  7. Blind bake the crust:

    Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F. Line the dough with aluminum foil and fill the pan to the brim with pie weights, dried beans, or rice (about 6 cups of pie weights; don't skimp on the pie weights or the sides of your crust might collapse!)

    Set the pan on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Check that the crust, and then continue checking every 10 to 15 minutes until the visible parts of the crust are golden brown. Leave the pie weights in the pan the entire time. Total cooking time will be about 1 to 1 1/4 hours.

    Let the crust rest for 5 minutes then remove the foil and pie weights.

    While the crust bakes cook the bacon and make the filling.

    An Extra-Long Blind Bake

    This blind bake is longer than usual owing to the extra pie crust needed for this deep dish pan. The pie weights are also left in the pie the entire bake time, which helps prevent the pie from over-browning.

    If you use a different pie crust recipe (or store-bought), you don't have enough weights to completely fill the pan, or you halve this recipe for a regular pie pan, your crust may brown more quickly. Check it first after 30 minutes, and then every 15 minutes, and remove the crust when you see that the top edges of the crust are golden brown.

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  8. Cook the bacon:

    In a skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon for 5 to 6 minutes, or until lightly browned but not quite crisp. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.

  9. Make the filling:

    In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until they are fully combined and hom*ogenous. Whisk in the cream, salt, pepper, and parsley.

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  10. Assemble the quiche:

    Spread 1 cup of the grated cheese over the bottom of the crust and sprinkle the bacon on top. Sprinkle with the scallions. Pour the filling over the ingredients and leave about 1/8-inch headspace. Do not overfill—you need to have room for the quiche to expand as it cooks. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup cheese on top.

    Alternatively: If you’re concerned about spilling the quiche, fill it halfway with the filling, pull the oven rack out partly, transfer the quiche to the oven, fill it the rest of the way and top it with cheese.

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  11. Bake the quiche:

    Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 45 minutes. Check to see if the cheese on top has browned, and if so, cover loosely with foil.

    Continue baking for 25 to 30 additional minutes, or until the edges are set and the center is still a little wobbly. Total baking time is 70 to 75 minutes.

    The quiche is done when a knife inserted into the center of the quiche comes out clean. Remove from rack to cool for at least 2 hours before slicing.

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  12. Cool the quiche:

    Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool for at least 2 hours before slicing.

    Refrigerate any leftover quiche for up to five days, or wrap slices in plastic wrap followed by foil and freeze for up to three months.

    Did you love the recipe? Give us some stars and leave a comment below!

  • Brunch
  • Comfort Food
  • Easter
  • Mother's Day
  • Quiches
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
867Calories
70g Fat
30g Carbs
29g Protein

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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8to 10
Amount per serving
Calories867
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 70g90%
Saturated Fat 40g201%
Cholesterol 308mg103%
Sodium 1115mg48%
Total Carbohydrate 30g11%
Dietary Fiber 1g5%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 29g
Vitamin C 13mg63%
Calcium 414mg32%
Iron 3mg17%
Potassium 353mg8%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Wow Your Crowd With This Deep-Dish Bacon and Cheddar Quiche (2024)
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