Lorraine Quiche with Homemade Flakey Butter Crust

Looking for a brunch recipe that feels effortless but looks impressive? This Lorraine quiche with homemade flakey crust is about to be your new favorite go-to. It’s perfect for slow weekend mornings, holiday brunch or whenever you want a warm, cozy breakfast. Translation? You can have a second slice and still feel cute after brunch.

A homemade butter crust bakes up perfectly flakey and golden. The filling is soft, fluffy in texture and filled with aged cheddar cheese, crisp bacon bits and shallot rings to make every bite savory and delicious. The custard is made with cottage cheese instead of heavy cream, and the result is not overly rich and super fluffy. 

This easy, shareable breakfast pie is perfect when you need recipes for a crowd that don’t stress you out. This is easily one of the best quiche recipes you’ll come back to again and again. 

Why This Quiche is the Best!

• Light and fluffy without heavy cream! Heavy cream is used in so many quiche recipes, but I always felt that it could make a quiche feel heavier and sometimes add too much liquid to the custard. Swapping heavy cream with cottage cheese maintains the creaminess but adds fluffiness and a bit of extra protein!
• You can never go wrong with a Lorraine quiche. I mean who doesn’t love eggs, bacon and cheese?! It’s a classic flavor that’s a crowd pleaser.
• The difference is in the crust! A good quiche starts with a good crust. This quiche will taste great with a store-bought crust, but nothing quite beats the flakiness and buttery flavor of a homemade quiche crust. 

How to make Homemade Lorraine Quiche, Step By Step

Step 1: Prep the pie crust the night before.

Making pie crust is super easy to do, but you will just yield the best results if you make it the night before. The crust has to chill in the fridge for at least a couple of hours to solidify the fats and hydrate the dough. 

You likely have all the ingredients on hand to make a homemade quiche crust. You need flour, salt, butter, and ice-cold water!

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together salt and flour. Using a party cutter or knife, cut the butter into the flour. It is important that you use COLD butter!!

You can start to gently work the butter into the flour with your hands, but make sure the butter doesn’t get too soft with the warmth of your hands. Once the butter looks like little pebbles in the flour, stop. 

Add in ice cold water a tablespoon at a time until you reach a soft dough consistency. Form into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or overnight). 

Step 2: Roll out the dough, form into a pie pan, and bake.

Place chilled dough on a floured surface and roll out into a 12-13-inch-wide circle. It’s okay if your edges are a bit uneven and wonky. You’ll make them look pretty in a second. 

Gently transfer your pie crust to your pie dish. Trim edges so that you have a bout an inch hang over on the edges. Fold and tuck the excess edges into the inside of the dish to create a thicker rim.

Poke holes in the bottom of the crust with a fork. This will allow some steam to release as it bakes. 

Bake pie crust in preheated oven at 375ºF for about 45-50 minutes until just golden brown.

Step 3: Make custard filling.

The custard filling is super duper easy to make! 

Start by cooking bacon – either on the stovetop in a skillet or in the oven. See tips below for cooking bacon in the oven. 

While bacon is cooking, prep the rest of your custard filling. Whisk together eggs, milk, cottage cheese and chopped shallots. Stir in chopped bacon pieces once they are done cooking. 

Step 4: Bake quiche. Cool to set. Slice and serve!

Pour the custard mixture into the baked pie crust. Reduce the oven temperature to 350ºF and bake for an additional 50-55 minutes until the quiche is cooked through and golden brown on top. 

Let the quiche set for at least 10 minutes before serving. This will allow for the custard to settle and the flavors to set. Slice into 8-10 slices and enjoy!

Tips for Making the Flakiest Pie Crust (that isn’t dry!)

• Use cold butter! In order to get the flakey, buttery layers in your crust, you want to make sure your butter doesn’t become too soft. The solid pieces of butter are what give the crust those yummy layers. Place butter in the freezer for 10 minutes before baking.
• Mix in ice-cold water. For the same reason you use cold butter, you will need to use cold water to keep the temperature of the dough from rising. Add several ice cubes to a bowl and fill with water to get the water really cold before you mix it into the pie dough.
• If butter gets too soft, stop and chill. Place the mixture in the fridge or freezer for 10 minutes to solidify some more before finishing your dough.
• If the dough feels too dry, add more water. Add 1 Tbsp at a time, gently blending into the dough with your hands, until a smooth dough comes together. 

What can I use if I don’t have pie weights? 

A cheap alternative to pie weights are dried beans. Place parchment paper over the pie crust and fill the inside of the crust with beans. While the pie cooks, this will help the pie to hold its shape. 

Can I use a store-bought pie crust?

Of course! There are some delicious store-bought pie crusts out there. And it is a quick and easy option when you’re shorter on time. 

What’s the easiest way to cook bacon? In the Oven!

One of our favorite kitchen hacks is cooking bacon in the oven! The oven cooks the bacon evenly and creates a chewy and slightly crispy texture. 

And the best part is there’s less mess! You don’t have to worry about grease splatter, and it is simpler to clean.