How do I make a quiche without a soggy bottom?

Pastry goes soggy when moisture reaches it before it has set. Blind baking sets it first, an egg wash seals it, and pre-cooking wet ingredients removes most of the liquid that would otherwise soak in.

What you'll need

• Shortcrust pastry
• Loose-bottomed tin
• Baking beans
• Baking parchment (optional)
• Beaten egg (optional)

Step by step

1. Chill the lined tin before baking.Twenty minutes in the fridge. It relaxes the gluten so the case does not shrink down the sides during baking.
2. Blind bake with parchment and baking beans.Fifteen minutes at 190°C with the beans, then remove them and bake another five to ten until the base is dry and pale gold.
3. Brush the hot case with beaten egg and return it briefly.Two minutes. The egg sets into a seal that liquid cannot penetrate. This is the step most recipes omit and it works.
4. Cook any wet filling ingredients first.Onions, mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes all hold a lot of water. Cook them down and drain them before they go into the case.
5. Get the custard ratio right.Roughly three eggs to 300ml of cream or milk. Too much egg gives a rubbery set; too much dairy will not set at all.
6. Fill the case in the oven if you can.Pull the shelf out, pour the custard in there. It avoids carrying a full tin and spilling it down the sides.
7. Bake at a moderate temperature until just set.170-180°C. It should have a slight wobble in the very centre — it firms as it cools. Overbaked quiche weeps and goes rubbery.
8. Cool for at least fifteen minutes before slicing.It sets properly and slices cleanly. Cut straight from the oven it collapses.

Tips

• A metal tin conducts heat better than ceramic and gives a crisper base. Loose-bottomed makes removal far easier.
• Preheat a baking sheet and put the tin on it. The extra bottom heat helps the base cook through.
• Leave the pastry overhanging the edge during blind baking and trim it after. It prevents shrinkage from showing.

Common mistakes

• Skipping the blind bake — Raw pastry cannot set before the wet filling soaks into it. The base will be soggy regardless of anything else.
• Putting raw wet vegetables into the filling — They release water into the custard as they cook, which prevents it setting and soaks the base.
• Overbaking until the centre is firm — The custard curdles and weeps. It should still wobble slightly when it comes out and sets as it cools.

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