Egg and Bacon Pie (English)

This is a recipe that has stood the test of time. An old-fashioned bacon and egg pie as made by my Granny who was from Hertfordshire. A light as a feather shortcrust pastry, packed full of tasty bacon and whole eggs, baked in a creamy egg custard filling. There's a bit of debate around whether this is a bacon and egg pie, or an egg and bacon pie. To be honest, it doesn't really matter. As long as you have a light flaky pastry crust, filled with tasty rashers of bacon and whole eggs, you can call it whatever you like. I've even heard it being referred to as a breakfast pie. With shortcrust pastry on both the top and the bottom. A slice of this pie is a meal in itself and you need very little in the form of accompaniments.

Shortcrust Pastry:
2 cups plain flour (240 g)
4½ oz butter, cubed (125 g)
2 large egg yolks
½ sea salt
4 Tbsp. water, ice cold (60 mL)

Bacon and Egg Filling:
4¼ oz streaky bacon, about 16 rashers (125 g)
6 large eggs, don't break the yolks
2 large eggs, beaten
¼ cups heavy cream (60 mL)
1 cup milk (240 mL)
kosher or sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground

For the Shortcrust Pastry:
Place the Flour, Butter and Salt into a mixing bowl

Rub lightly with the fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs

Add the egg yolks and most of the cold water

Stir this through the flour with a knife until it comes together in lumps.

Now press together until it just comes away from the sides of the bowl and form it into a ball.

Flatten the ball of dough, wrap it in clingfilm and allow it to rest in the fridge for at least half an hour.

Preheat oven to 355°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4).

For the Bacon and Egg Filling:
Fry the bacon until most of the fat has been cooked out and the bacon is almost crispy. Drain on paper towel and allow to cool.

Roll ⅔ of the pastry to about ¼ inch thickness and line your pie dish. Let it overlap the edges slightly.

Layer the bacon on the bottom of the lined pie dish

Break each of the 6 eggs on top of the bacon at roughly evenly spaced intervals.

Mix the remaining 2 eggs with the cream and milk, season with salt and pepper (optional)

Pour the egg mix slowly over the bacon and eggs in the pie dish allowing it to fill any gaps.

Roll the remaining ⅓ of the pastry into a circle and place it on top of the pie.

Crimp the edges of the pie to seal and cut off any excess pastry. You could use the trimming to cut leaf shapes to decorate the top of the pie.

Pick holes on the top of the pastry with a fork to allow steam to escape whilst cooking and then brush with a little beaten egg and milk to glaze.

Place in the oven and bake for approximately 35 minutes until golden brown.

Remove from the oven. You can eat this either hot or cold.

Makes 12 servings.

Pastry Notes:

To save time you could use a food processor to combine the flour and butter.
Don't add all of the water at the beginning. Depending on the size of the eggs you may not need it all. Once you’ve added the water you can’t take it out again.
Use your own judgement on the amount of water. You are looking for a soft pastry that comes together in a ball without being too sticky. The pastry should come together into a ball and not stick to the sides of the bowl.
Be careful not to overwork the pastry or it will become tough. Handle it as little as possible.
Wrap it in clingfilm and let it rest in the fridge. This step is important as it allows the gluten to relax, and cuts down on any shrinkage during baking.
If you want to make the pastry in advance you can even leave it overnight in the fridge.

Filling Notes:

Don't overcook the bacon. I find the easiest way to cook it is to layer it between paper towels and give it about 3 minutes in the microwave.

When you line the pie dish let the pastry overlap the edges slightly so that the pastry lid can be sealed nicely.
You may find that you don't need all the egg and milk mixture. You can use any leftover to glaze the pie before cooking.
You can use trimmings from the pastry to make leaf shapes to decorate the pie.
Various factors such as altitude or fan-assisted ovens can determine how quickly the pie cooks. Keep your eye on it and if you think it needs a little more cooking time just leave it in the oven for a few of minutes longer.
This pie can be served hot or cold.