Hairy Bikers Egg and Bacon Pie

Hairy Bikers egg and bacon pie bakes 9 eggs, smoked streaky bacon and 4 tablespoons of milk in butter shortcrust on a 23cm plate. As written in Mums Still Know Best, it serves 4 in about 1 hour 45 minutes, standing included, at my estimate of 970 calories each.

“We just can’t get enough of this, particularly when made with maple-cured streaky bacon,” Si and Dave write. Instead of beating every egg into a custard, they break 6 of the 9 in whole, so each slice should hold one.

Bake it on the baking tray that’s been heating in the oven, since all 9 raw eggs sit on pastry that’s never baked blind. And in Perfect Pies they say a hot tray helps cook the base and stops it going soggy, mainly when the dish is ceramic.

Hairy Bikers Egg and Bacon Pie

Author: Alex Saidani Cooking Method:Baking Cuisine:British Courses:Dinner

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 30 minutesCook time:1 hour Rest time: 15 minutesTotal time:1 hour 45 minutesServings:4 servingsCalories:970 kcal Best Season:Summer

Description

Halved rashers are fried until their fat crisps, then cooled and scattered over a 5mm pastry base before the eggs go in. Once a fork-sealed lid is glazed with the saved egg mix, it bakes until just set, then stands for 15 minutes.

Ingredients

For the filling

• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 8 to 10 smoked streaky bacon rashers
• 9 large eggs
• 4 tbsp whole milk
• sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

For the pastry

• 300g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• a good pinch of sea salt flakes
• 175g butter, chilled and cubed
• 1 large egg
• 1 tbsp cold water

Instructions

1. Fry the bacon: Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan, cut the rashers in half through the middle and add them to the pan. Fry over a medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, turning once, until the fat is golden and crisp. Then lift them out to cool, put a sturdy baking tray in the oven as it preheats to 190°C/Fan 170°C/Gas 5.
2. Make the pastry: Pulse the flour, salt and butter in a food processor until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. Whisk the egg with the cold water, then pour it in with the motor running and blend until the dough begins to form a ball.
3. Line the plate: Knead the pastry quickly into a ball on a lightly floured board and cut it in half. Roll one half to about 5mm thick and line a 23cm pie plate, leaving the excess hanging over the edge. Then scatter the cooled bacon loosely over the base.
4. Add the eggs: Gently break 6 of the eggs into the case, spaced evenly between the rashers. Then beat the other 3 with the milk and plenty of salt and pepper. Pour it in slowly, pausing so it finds its way round the eggs and bacon, and keep 2 to 3 tablespoons back for glazing.
5. Put on the lid: Roll out the other half of the pastry, then brush the rim of the case with some of the reserved egg. Lift the lid over the filling, press the edges firmly to seal and trim, then run a fork all the way round. Brush the top with the rest of the egg.
6. Bake and rest: Bake on the hot tray for 45 to 55 minutes until pale golden brown. Then pierce the centre with a sharp knife, and if the filling isn’t just set, give it a few more minutes. Once it’s set, leave it to stand for at least 15 minutes before cutting.

FAQs

Do you have to cook the bacon first?

Yes, both books fry the rashers before they go in, until the fat is golden and crisp. But I wouldn’t risk them raw, because under a pastry lid the fat has little chance to crisp, which is my own reasoning.

Then cool them fully, because they explain in Perfect Pies that a warm filling softens the fat in the pastry and makes it stretch.

Is egg and bacon pie just a quiche with a lid?

Pretty much, since in Perfect Pies they call it a “butch quiche” and say it needs plenty of salt and pepper. But there’s no cream and no cheese here, just 4 tablespoons of milk to loosen the beaten eggs.

Their quiche lorraine in Perfect Pies goes the other way, with 300ml of double cream and 200ml of half-fat crème fraîche to only 3 eggs. And it adds Gruyère, which makes it the one I bake when I want a soft, creamy set.

Can I turn it into an all-day breakfast pie?

Yes, because in the Mums Still Know Best headnote they suggest adding a couple of sliced sausages to make exactly that. But they don’t say whether to cook them first, so I fry and slice them before they go in with the bacon, my own call.

When you fry them, leave the skins whole, since in their great sausage casserole they say unpricked sausages cook better and stay juicy.

Can I make the pastry by hand?

Yes, rub the cold butter into the flour and salt with your fingertips until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Then stir in the egg and water with a round-bladed knife, which is how they do it by hand in Perfect Pies. And in that book, 300g of flour to 175g of butter is their basic ratio for a plate pie.

It’s the same pastry as their corned beef and onion pie in Mums Still Know Best, which they call “rich, short and very tasty”. But for their Perfect Pies version of this pie, they roll it slightly thicker than a £1 coin and glaze with a separate beaten egg.

Is it better warm or cold, and how long does it keep?

They say to serve it warm or at room temperature, which is when it tastes at its best. And on BBC Food it’s described as delicious warm or cold, so cold slices go on picnics with their Mums Know Best Scotch eggs. Or for a pie that’s made to be eaten cold, their ham and egg pie sets quails’ eggs in jellied ham hock and pork.

Neither book gives a keeping time, though, so I chill leftovers once cool and eat them within 2 days, which is my own rule.