Gluten-Free Quiche Lorraine | The Gluten-Free Cottage

Now this was going to be much harder than expected. I always thought making a gluten-free pie crust would be easy peasy. But this turned out to be wrong. Sure, you can always try using buckwheat flour for its mucus-forming ability and see how it works out. I tried and it worked out quite well, I must say – but the taste of the dough did not at all fit with a quiche Lorraine. Buckwheat flour has a very special, strong and nutty taste which fits much better for sweet baked goods. But using it for a savory pie? No way! That’s how I ended up using a combination of gluten-free whole grain oat flour, brown rice flour and tapioca starch after experiencing several mishaps with trying to make a gluten-free quiche Lorraine.

Ingredients for a savory gluten-free pie crust (gluten-free quiche Lorraine).

These are all the ingredients (see photo above) you are going to need for the gluten-free savory pie crust. As gluten-free flours and starches I use whole grain oat flour, brown rice flour and tapioca starch. Psyllium husk powder, locust bean gum powder, egg yolk and vinegar are helping me bind the dough together as it lacks gluten as its glue. As I find the dough to turn out a bit dull if you only add salt, I usually also add pepper, minced garlic and a little bit of shredded Gruyère cheese.

Adding cold butter to the dough (gluten-free quiche Lorraine).

After first mixing all the “dry” dough ingredients you need do add butter to the dough. For me, the quickest way is to take the cold butter out of the refrigerator, crate it and then work it into the flour-mix with my fingertips. I then add the “wet” dough ingredients and very quickly mix it as otherwise the crust might not become flaky.

After being stored in the fridge for about one hour, the dough can be rolled out (gluten-free quiche Lorraine).

Next, I scrape the dough out of its bowl, bring it into a square form, wrap it with plastic foil and place it in the refrigerator for about one hour. Of course, you may leave the dough much longer in the refrigerator, if you like. I sometimes leave it there for one or two days before processing it further. This is especially convenient if you are preparing for guests.

Frying bacon, onions and garlic over medium heat (gluten-free quiche Lorraine).

As soon as the dough is placed in the fridge, I need to make the filling for the quiche Lorraine. I start with a bacon-onion-garlic-mix which I am frying in a skillet over medium heat.

Pan-fried bacon, onions and garlic (gluten-free quiche Lorraine).

The bacon-onion-garlic-mix should show a light brown colour when finished frying.

Ingredients for the filling (gluten-free quiche Lorraine).

Additionally to the bacon-onion-mix I also need eggs, sour creme, heavy cream, Gruyère cheese, herbs (here: chives), salt, pepper and nutmeg for the filling.

Filling for the pie crust (gluten-free quiche Lorraine).

Now the filling is ready. It has a creamy and not too liquid consistency.

Par-baking the dough for about 10 to 15 minutes (gluten-free quiche Lorraine).

After about one hour I take the dough out of the fridge and roll it out. In order to get a crispy pie crust – which is especially a concern with gluten-free doughs – I am always par-baking the dough in the oven for about 10 to 15 minutes. For this matter, it also helps a lot if I use an enameled cast-iron pie plate.

For par-baking, I need to pierce the bottom of the dough with a fork to let the steam out (otherwise the dough bottom would be elevated during baking). Then I place parchment paper on the (raw) dough and beans (or other dry legumes) on top of it and put it in the oven.

Adding the filling to the pie crust (gluten-free quiche Lorraine).

After about 10 to 15 minutes I take out the par-baked dough and remove the beans and the parchment paper. I put the filling into the pie shell and put it in the oven for another 30 to 35 minutes.

When finished, take it out of the oven, cut it into wedges and serve with a healthy green salad.

Enjoy your delicious flaky gluten-free quiche Lorraine!

My Recipe:
Gluten-Free Quiche Lorraine

Prep time:	Rest time:	Bake time:	Total time:	Yield:
20 mins	1 hour	40 mins	2 hours	6-8 servings

INGREDIENTS

GLUTEN-FREE DOUGH (28 cm/ 11-In. Single Crust Pie):

Dry Ingredients

100 g [≈ 1-1/4 cups] whole grain oat flour (certified gluten-free)
60 g [≈ 1/2 cup] brown rice flour
40 g [≈ 1/3 cup] tapioca starch
1 TBS. psyllium seed husk powder
2 tsps. locust bean gum powder (or xanthan gum powder)
1 TBS. shredded Gruyere cheese (Swiss cheese)
1/2 tsp. [1 medium clove] freshly minced garlic
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Cold butter

150 g [≈ 1 stick plus 3 TBS] unsalted butter, grated or in small pieces

Wet Ingredients

1 medium egg
100 ml [≈ 1/2 cup] ice-cold water
1 TBS apple vinegar

FILLING:

150 g [≈ 2/3 cup] bacon, cut into small pieces
1 tsp. unsalted butter
2 large [≈ 2 cups] chopped onions
3 minced garlic cloves
2 tsps granulated sugar
200 g [≈ 2 cups] shredded Gruyere cheese (Swiss cheese);
125 g [≈ 1/2 cup] sour creme (or crème fraîche)
125 ml [≈ 1/2 cup] heavy cream
4 eggs
1 bunch of chopped fresh seasonal herbs (e.g.chives, parsley)
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 tsp. salt, or more to taste
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste

Serve with green salad.

DIRECTIONS

Make dough: Put all “dry” dough ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Slice (or grate) cold butter into small pieces and add to the dry ingredients. Quickly work the butter pieces into the flour-mix with your fingertips to get coarse crumbs. You can also use either a pastry blender or a food processor instead.
In a small bowl, mix all “wet” dough ingredients and then blend into flour-butter-mixture to get a nice, firm dough.
Let dough rest: Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in a refrigerator for one hour.
Preheat oven to 220 degrees C (425 degrees F).
Prepare filling: Cut bacon in small stripes, place in a medium-sized skillet and fry over medium heat. When crisp, add butter, minced onions and 2 teaspoons of white sugar (to caramelize), mix thoroughly and continue frying until onion pieces turn golden. Let cool.
Place eggs, sour creme, heavy cream, nutmeg, salt and freshly ground pepper in a large bowl and whisk. Add grated Gruyère cheese, fried bacon and onions and chopped fresh herbs and mix.
Take dough out of refrigerator, place between 2 sheets of parchment paper and roll into a circle 5 mm (≈1/4-inch) thick or thinner. Dust dough surface with flour, fold it into a quarter and carefully place it in a pie plate. Unfold the dough and cover the bottom and the edges of the pie plate. Trim the dough to an overhang of about 1 cm (≈1/2-in.). Pierce bottom of dough evenly with tines of a fork.
Par-bake dough: Put a sheet of parchment paper on top of the dough, fill it with pie weights (like dried beans) and put it in the oven (medium rack) for about 10 to 15 minutes.
Take the par-baked dough out of the oven, remove parchment paper and pie weights and pour filling into pastry shell.
Finish baking dough: Bake for another 30 to 35 minutes.
Let cool until medium-warm, cut into wedges and serve with a healthy green salad.
Enjoy your delicious flaky gluten-free pie crust (quiche Lorraine)!

Tips & Tricks:

Using an enameled cast-iron pie plate and par-baking the dough helps to ensure a crisp bottom crust. This is especially important when using gluten-free flours and starches as they tend to be more soggy.
If the dough tears apart, simply fix it with cold water which acts as “glue” for the dough.

NOTES:

g = gram
ml = milliliter
TBS = tablespoon = 15 ml
tsp. = teaspoon = 5 ml
1 cup = 1 cup [US] = 235 ml = 16 tablespoons (TBS)
1 stick of butter = 1/2 cup = 113 g (= 4 oz. = 8 TBS. = 24 tsp.)
1 pound (lb.) = 0.454 kilograms (kg) = 454 grams (g)
1 ounce (oz.) = approx. 28 grams (g)
1 inch (in or “) = 2.54 centimeters (cm) = 25.4 millimeters (mm)
1 liter = 1,000 ml = 1.0567 US quarts (liquid)
1 quart = 1 US quart (liquid) = approx. 0.946 liters