I first made this dairy free quiche in one of my gluten free baking classes - I had one person allergic to dairy, one on a dairy free diet, a couple of people on low FODMAP diets, another allergic to eggs, two vegetarians and someone who couldn't tolerate lactose. Although the class itself wasn't designated dairy free I decided to make this quiche (minus the onion & bacon). 

This recipe was designed specifically to be made with Bakers' Magic gluten free flour. The finished baked product will not be the same if you use another gluten free flour and you will need to adjust the recipe, particularly if the flour you're using contains rice flour. 

Ingredients

Pastry

250 g Bakers' Magic Gluten free flour

~1/2 tsp Salt

225 g Dairy free margarine (melted)

1 Egg

20 g Hot water

extra Bakers' Magic Gluten free flour

 

Filling

100 g Frozen spinach *

1 Onion

175 g Bacon (optional)

270 g Coconut cream (Ayam)

 A couple of sprigs of Lemon thyme

3 Eggs

25 g Pine nuts - optional

Oil for frying

Add in pumpkin shavings for added colour

 

* Fresh spinach, rainbow chard, silverbeet can be used. They contain a lot of water that needs to be evaporated before using in the filling.

 

Method

Pastry 

Mix together the Bakers' Magic Gluten free flour & salt.

In another container melt the margarine.

Add the water & egg to the melted margarine. Stir to combine. Don't let this mixture cool.

Pour the melted margarine mix over the combined dry ingredients & stir to combine.

It can be mixed by hand, fork or wooden spoon. Mechanical devices can over mix the dough very easily, it is best done by hand.

At this stage the dough will feel slightly greasy. Wrap the dough in plastic clingwrap or put it in a plastic bag, flatten it & store in the fridge for approximately 1 hour. If you are in a hurry flatten the dough (~3 mm) & put it in the freezer for 15 mins. The dough can be frozen at this stage.      

Cooling the dough is important - after cooling the margarine is fully absorbed, flexibility is increased & the dough is easier to handle.

Bring the dough out of the fridge, it will be quite hard.

Knead the pastry until it is soft enough to roll out.

To stop the pastry sticking to surfaces lightly dust them with some of the extra flour. Alternatively roll out the dough between two pieces of baking paper. 

Roll out the pastry to the required size. I use a round fluted porcelain flan dish, it does not have a removable base and has a diameter of 28 cm. The pastry will shrink slightly during baking. It is best to use a round flan/tart pan. 

Grease the flan/tart pan.

Lightly dust the rolling pin with some of the extra flour to stop the dough from sticking. Transfer the dough to the pan using the rolling pin. To get the dough onto the rolling pin lift up the mat/paper & drape it over the rolling pin. Peel off the mat/paper & move the rolling pin over the pan. Gently lay the dough into the pan. 

Gently push the dough into the sides of the pan. If the dough breaks don't worry it is easy to patch. If possible trim the dough to slightly higher than the sides of the pan. 

Put the pan into the fridge for ~10 mins. 

Transfer the pan to the oven. The best results are obtained if the dough is baked in the pan with nothing over the top of it (you don't need to do the traditional blind baking). Bake the dough for 15 mins at 170 C. 

While the pastry is baking prepare the filling.

Filling

Chop the onion finely, transfer to a frying pan with a little oil & gently cook until slightly golden.

Chop the bacon & add to the frying pan. Cook for a couple of minutes.

Add in the lemon thyme. 

Defrost the spinach & add to the frying pan. Stir to combine. Turn off the heat & allow the mixture to cool slightly.

In another container mix the eggs & coconut cream together.

Add in the spinach/bacon mix to the eggs/coconut cream & stir to combine. 

Pour the filling into the baked pastry shell.

Top pine nuts (and pumpkin shavings).

Bake at 170 C for ~30 mins. If both pastry shell & filling are still warm then check the quiche at ~25 mins. If your oven has a hot spot, turn the quiche halfway through baking.

Simply enjoy!