Bacon and Egg Pie - made the old fashioned way (2024)

This is a recipe that has stood the test of time. An old-fashioned bacon and egg pie as my Granny used to make it. A light-as-a-feather shortcrust pastry case packed full of tasty bacon and whole eggs, baked in a creamy egg custard filling. Hand on heart, this is the best bacon and egg pie you will ever eat!

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Old Fashioned Bacon and Egg Pie

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! One thing is for sure though - once you've tasted a slice of this bacon and egg pie, you will be calling it your 'favourite pie'.

When I was about 7 or 8 my Granny came to live with us. She loved baking and Fridays very quickly became 'Granny's baking day'. I used to look forward to Friday and getting home from school to see what she'd been baking.

One of the things she made was her 'Feather Cake'. Unfortunately, I never got the recipe for that, but it was the lightest of cakes, baked in a square tin and served by the chunk instead of a slice. A slab of that cake was just what you needed after a day at school.

When blackberries were in season I was sent out with a jam jar to collect the essential ingredients for her blackberry and apple pie. I still remember the taste of it to this day. Rich flaky pastry filled with slices of tart baking apples fresh from the market and oozing with purple juice from the blackberries.

I remember baked egg custard covered in nutmeg. She always kept a whole nutmeg in the pantry to grate over the top. And rice pudding covered with a brown skin... the list goes on.

A proper pie

My favourite, however, was her old-fashioned homemade bacon and egg pie. I call it old-fashioned, but to me, that was a proper pie. With shortcrust pastry on both the top and the bottom. A slice of that pie was a meal in itself and you needed very little in the form of accompaniments.

The bacon and egg pie was reserved for special occasions when we had guests. It was placed in the centre of the table, decorated with a pastry leaf and surrounded with salads. Sticks of celery in a glass of cold water to keep them crispy. Lettuce, tomatoes and baby potatoes. Simple fare by today's standards, but to me, in those days, it was a feast.

This is the ultimate bacon and egg pie. It's what I call a proper pie, in that it has pastry on the top and the bottom so that you can pick a slice up in your fingers to eat it. It also contains whole eggs, broken on top of crispy fried bacon that is layered on a pastry base. The whole dish is then filled with a mixture of beaten eggs, milk and cream before being allowed to bake and set in the oven. The eggs cook inside the pie and end up looking as though you have filled the pie with hard-boiled eggs.

Recipe notes

• Prep time - 30 minutes (if you use ready-made pastry it will take a lot less)
• Cooking time - 30 minutes
• Yield - 1 x 9" diameter pie
• Calories - 333 per slice

What you will need

Equipment

For the pastry you will need a large mixing bowl. I like to use this earthenware bowl because it is large enough to get your hands in without the flour messing out all over the counter.

Of course, if you prefer, you could use a food processor to mix the pastry. It does save a few minutes if you're in a hurry.

For rolling the pastry you will need a rolling pin. I like this heavy marble one - I've had mine for years and it's still going strong.

To bake the pie you will need a 9" round pie dish.

And finally, for frying the bacon, you will need a frying pan.

Ingredients

**You can get the complete list of ingredients and measurements for making this bacon and egg pie on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**

This is what you will need to make the filling.

• Bacon - you could use either streaky bacon or back bacon. It should be cut into smallish pieces and fried until it is starting to crisp.
• Eggs - there are quite a lot of eggs in this pie. Six of them will be broken (whole) onto the filling, the remaining 2 will be mixed with the milk and cream to form the custard.
• Milk - I like to use full-fat milk, but semi-skimmed will work just as well for this recipe.
• Cream - double or heavy cream if possible, but you could use single cream instead if that's all you have.
• Salt and black pepper - for seasoning.

And of course, you will need some pastry. I haven't taken a photo of those ingredients, but they are simply:

• Flour - plain flour please - don't use self-raising flour - we don't want the pastry to rise.
• Butter - butter gives a better flavour, but if you only have yellow margarine you could use that instead.
• Salt - for seasoning
• Water - to bind the pastry.

If you prefer you could use ready-made shortcrust pastry from the supermarket instead.

What to do

Make the pastry

Skip these steps if you are using ready-made pastry.

Place the flour, salt and cubed butter into a large mixing bowl.

Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Mix in most of the water until the dough starts to come together in a shaggy ball. Add the remaining water a few drops at a time only if the mixture seems too dry.

Press the dough together gently until it forms a soft ball. Do not knead the dough - handle it as little as possible.

Place the ball of dough into a plastic bag or wrap it in plastic film and place it in the refrigerator for half an hour to rest.

This dough can be left in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 3 months. Allow it to come to room temperature before rolling and using.

If you prefer, you can make the pastry in a food processor as follows:

• Place the flour, salt and cubed butter into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal 'S'-blade.
• Pulse the mixture until the flour is incorporated and the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
• Add most of the water and pulse again until the dough starts to come together. Add the remaining water only if necessary.
• Tip the dough out of the food processor onto a clean worksurface and press it gently together into a ball. Do not knead.
• Cover the dough with plastic and place it into the refrigerator to rest for half an hour.

Tips for perfect pastry

• Make sure your ingredients are as cold as possible. Keep the eggs and butter in the fridge and use ice-cold water for mixing.
• Handle the pastry as little as possible.
• Leave the pastry to relax in the fridge for at least half an hour once it has been mixed. This last step is important as it allows the gluten to relax, and helps to prevent the pastry shrinking during cooking.

Make the filling and bake

See Also

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Cut the bacon into one-inch pieces and fry it on a moderate heat until it starts to turn brown and crispy. Don't overcook the bacon - it will continue to cook while the pie is in the oven. Allow the bacon to cool.

Roll two-thirds of the pastry out into a circle large enough to line a 9" pie dish with a little overhang. Your circle should be about 12" in diameter to allow for the depth of the dish. The pastry should be rolled to about one-eighth-inch thickness.

Arrange the bacon on the bottom of the pie dish.

Break 6 eggs over the bacon. Try to get them as evenly spaced as possible, but be careful not to break the yolks.

Beat 2 eggs with the milk, cream, salt and pepper and pour the mixture over the eggs and bacon in the pie dish. If you have any milk mixture leftover you can use this to glaze the top of the pie before it goes into the oven.

Roll the remaining pastry into a circle large enough to cover the pie, and lay it on top of the pie.

Use a fork to seal the lid to the pie and trim away any excess pastry with a sharp knife. Prick the top of the pastry with a fork taking care not to pierce the egg yolks. Brush the top of the pastry with lightly beaten egg or any remaining milk mixture.

Bake the pie in a preheated oven (190C/375F) for 30 to 35 minutes until it is golden brown.

You need to keep your eye on it. The cooking time can vary depending on various factors such as altitude or whether you have a fan-assisted oven. If you think the pie needs a little longer then leave it in the oven for a few more minutes.

Remove the pie from the oven and allow it to cool.

This pie can be served either warm or cold.

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