Egg and Bacon Pie

5 from 1 vote

Classic egg and bacon pie, made from scratch with simple ingredients. It features a rich and creamy egg, smoky bacon and fresh herb filling, wrapped in gorgeously flaky homemade pastry. Dotted with whole eggs throughout, it makes a rustic meal that the whole family will love!

Prep Time20

Cook Time45

Resting TIme30

Total Time1 35

Course: Breakfast, lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Australian

Servings:

Calories: 698kcal

Author: Andrea Geddes

Ingredients

For the homemade shortcrust pastry (or use store-bought pastry - see notes below)

300 grams plain flour
160 grams unsalted butter cubed and chilled. Keep it in the fridge or freezer until just ready for use.
pinch salt
2 large egg yolks kept cold
1-3 tablespoons chilled water ice cold

For the filling

350 grams bacon streaky or middle, thickly sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil alternatively, keep the excess bacon fat from cooking the bacon
1 medium brown onion finely diced
2 cloves garlic crushed
8 large eggs 4 for the filling and 4 whole, to top
100 grams mascarpone or double cream, or cream cheese (softened at room temperature)
100 grams tasty/cheddar cheese grated. Use a strong/bitey cheddar for best flavour.
2 tablespoons fresh chives chopped
1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
salt and pepper to taste

To glaze

1 egg beaten

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

For the pastry

Place the flour, salt and butter in a food processor and pulse until the butter is incorporated into the flour and the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Alternatively, place into a bowl and use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour.
Add the egg yolks and add 1-3 tablespoons of chilled water (work in just enough liquid to bring the dough together) and mix until the mixture forms a soft dough. Don't knead the dough at all, just squish the mixture into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

For the filling

Cook the bacon in a frying pan over medium-high heat until crisp and browned. Remove from the heat and drain any excess oil.
Using the olive oil (or the excess bacon oil remaining in the pan), brown the onion and garlic over low heat until soft and tender. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Place 4* of the eggs and the mascarpone into a mixing bowl and whisk to combine. *Keep the remaining 4 eggs to be added to the pie whole.
Add the grated cheese, chopped herbs and salt and pepper (to taste). Stir to combine.
Add the bacon, onion and garlic to the egg mixture and stir to combine.

To assemble

Pre-heat the oven to 200℃/392℉. Grease and line a 23cm round springform tin with baking paper.
Remove the pastry from the fridge. Use ⅔ of the dough for the base of the pie and keep ⅓ of the dough for the lid.
Roll ⅔ of the dough between 2 sheets of baking paper until 3mm thick. Gently place the pastry into the tin and press any cracks or breaks that may have formed. Roll out the remaining pastry to form the lid. Trim the edges to fit the tin.
Add the egg and bacon filling to the pastry base. Using a spoon, make 4 evenly spaced impressions in the filling and gently place the remaining 4 eggs into the holes.
Place the pastry lid over the top of the pie and press the edges to seal. Brush the top of the pie with the beaten egg.
Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the pastry is flaky and golden and the filling is cooked through. Check at the 40-minute mark and cover with foil if the pastry is browning too quickly.
Gently remove the pie from the tin and place onto a wire rack to cool slightly.
Slice and serve with salad or your choice of sides. It is delicious hot or cold!

For store-bought pastry

If using store-bought pastry, place it on a benchtop to thaw completely while you prepare the filling as per the instructions above.
Pre-heat the oven to 200℃/392℉. Grease and line a 23cm round springform tin with baking paper.
Place a sheet of thawed shortcrust pastry along the bottom of the pan and trim to even the sides.
Add the egg and bacon filling to the pastry base. Using a spoon, make 4 evenly spaced impressions in the filling and gently place the remaining 4 eggs into the holes.
Use a sheet of shortcrust or puff pastry for the top of the pie and cut it into a circle, the same size as the baking tin.
Place the pastry lid over the top of the pie and press the edges to seal. Brush the top of the pie with the beaten egg.
Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the pastry is flaky and golden and the filling is cooked through. Check at the 40-minute mark and cover with foil if the pastry is browning too quickly.
Gently remove the pie from the tin and place onto a wire rack to cool slightly.
Slice and serve with salad or your choice of sides. It is delicious hot or cold!

Notes

This recipe uses an easy shortcrust pastry recipe, but you can also use store-bought pastry, if preferred. I recommend one sheet of shortcrust pastry for the bottom of the pie, with one more sheet of either shortcrust of puff pastry for the top. Use frozen squares of pastry and make sure they are fully thawed and pliable before adding them to the baking tin.
Measure the pastry ingredients, for accuracy. Kitchen scales are recommended, if possible. Too much flour will make the pastry dry, where too much butter or water will make the dough crumbly and fall apart.

Store the butter in the freezer before adding it the flour, to keep it as cold as possible.

Keep the pastry cold at all times! Keeping the pie crust as cold as possible helps to prevent the butter from melting before the pie enters the hot oven. If the butter melts in the dough before baking, it won’t create those lovely, flaky layers. The colder the ingredients, the easier the dough is to work with and the better it will turn out.

Keep the pastry in the fridge at all times, until ready to bake. It can be added to the tin and rested in the fridge while you prepare the filling.

Don’t add too much water to the pastry. Add just enough to make the dough come together and don’t knead it. A brief squish to press it all together is all that is required. Too much water or movement develops gluten, which will make the pastry hard.

I use a 23cm loose-bottom (springform) tin for easy removal of the pie. But any pie dish will work. Just make sure it is high enough to hold the pastry and filling.

Don’t overcook the pie, or the pastry and the filling will dry out. It is cooked when the pastry is flaky and golden and the filling has firmed up, with the whole eggs being cooked through. Check it at the 40-minute mark and keep an eye on it from there.

If the pastry is browning too much before the pie is cooked through, cover it loosely with some aluminium foil for the remainder.
Freezing; Egg and bacon pie can be frozen either whole, or in individual, single-serve slices. Once the pie has completely cooled, wrap it in plastic wrap and place it into an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight or throughout the day, to reheat and eat within 2 days.
Storage; The pie will keep for 4-5 days, when covered and stored in the fridge.
Please note that the nutrition information is based on the whole pie being sliced into six pieces, with one piece being one serve. Slices can be cut larger, or smaller, depending on your needs. The nutritional information is an estimate only and does not take into account any additional toppings or sides served with the pie.
This recipe is made using Australian cups and spoon measurements. Any reference to cups or spoons in this recipe is in Australian metric. Due to cup sizes varying from country to country, I advise adjusting if necessary.

Nutrition