My recipe for Egg & Bacon Flan is a family favourite. It’s a simple recipe that uses very few ingredients and was my grandmother’s recipe.
An Old-Fashioned Store Cupboard Recipe
My recipe for Egg & Bacon Flan is a family favourite. It’s a simple recipe that uses only 2 large eggs, 1/4 pint of milk (150ml), about 8 rashers of streaky bacon and 6 ounces (175g) of shortcrust pastry. It’s my grandmother’s recipe, and my mum used to make it too. It’s NOT a quiche, a tart or a pie, but very much an old-fashioned flan!
It’s perfect for hard times, as it uses very few ingredients, and unlike a quiche, there is no cheese, cream or crème fraîche in it, or any onions for that matter. But, what it lacks in a long list of expensive ingredients is more than made up for in taste. It’s quite simply absolutely delicious. Serve it warm with baby salad potatoes or cold with a salad, and don’t forget the pickles or chutney.
This recipe is redolent of happy childhood days. Either sitting at a large scrubbed pine table with a roaring fire in the corner, or when lying on a tartan rug in my grandparent’s cottage garden, cloud gazing and day dreaming. It’s a recipe to be enjoyed all seasons, whether it be for a Winter’s Sunday tea, or as part of a Summer garden picnic.
It’s in the manner of Wartime recipe, insofar is it uses very few ingredients, but it feeds hungry tummies as well as the soul. I grew up on Egg & Bacon Flan, it was made my mum as well as my grandmother, and my daughter also loves it, and so the family recipe and love for this simple, savoury flan endures.
Eggs and Bacon, that very British Institution
Eggs and bacon, they go so well together, like peas and carrots as Forrest Gump says! Bacon and eggs, or eggs and bacon, is a very British institution – it’s part of the great British breakfast, or the FEB (Full English Breakfast) as my dad used to call it, and quite frankly it’s a marriage made in heaven.
And, today’s recipe for Egg & Bacon Flan is part of that other great British culinary desire, to have everything in, on or covered in pastry. We are a nation of pie and tart lovers, whether they be sweet or savoury. We love a good sausage roll, pork pie or apple tart, it’s part of our our national DNA I think, that “stuff” is encased or served on top of pastry!
You can’t really make today’s recipe for Egg & Bacon Flan vegetarian, or vegan, but there some other variations, which I’ll list below.
- Smoked lardons can be used in place of the traditional streaky bacon.
- This makes 6 medium slices, but you can double the quantities for more people, and bake in in a large flan dish or in a rectangular baking tin.
- I used my recipe for Shortcrust Pastry, and halved the quantities. You can use puff pastry if you wish.
- If you want to adapt this to a gluten free flan, then use a “free from” gluten free flour, or a ready-made flan case.
Step-by-Step Slide Show of Preparation
Ingredients 
Prick all over the base of the pastry case with a fork 
Beat the eggs with the milk, and salt and pepper to taste. 
Cut the bacon into small pieces, I used a pair of kitchen scissors 
Fry the bacon until it is cooked and the fat is crispy. 
Spoon the bacon into the pastry flan case, 
Then, pour the eggs and milk mixture over the top. 
Bake in the pre-heated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until the filling has set and the pastry is golden brown.
I hope that my grandmother’s simple recipe for Egg & Bacon Flan inspires you to make it. It’s a lovely uncomplicated recipe that is perfect if you have low stocks of flour and eggs etc. I’ve shared the printable recipe at the very end of this post, along with some more home-style recipes and some step-by-step instructions too.
PLEASE do leave a comment and let me know if you make this, and if your family enjoyed it as much as we all do. Keep popping back for more store cupboard inspired recipes, as well as some decadent sweet treats and an Asian style noodle salad. Bye for now, Karen
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Step By Step Instructions
You’ll find the full and printable recipe at the end of this post.
- Pre-heat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/400F/Gas mark 6 and grease an 8″ (20cm) flans dish or a pie plate. I used an old Pyrex glass flan dish for mine.
- Roll out the pastry and line the prepared flan/pie dish with the pastry. Prick all over the base of the pastry case with a fork and put it in the fridge whilst you make the filling.
- Beat the eggs with the milk, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Cut the bacon into small pieces, I used a pair of kitchen scissors and fry the bacon until it is cooked and the fat is crispy.
- Spoon the bacon into the pastry flan case, and then pour the eggs and milk mixture over the top.
- Bake in the pre-heated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until the filling has set and the pastry is golden brown.
- Serve warm with boiled salad potatoes and sliced tomatoes, or cold with salad, pickles and chutney.
- Can be frozen once baked and cool. Defrost before serving.
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Egg & Bacon Flan Recipe
Egg & Bacon Flan
My recipe for Egg & Bacon Flan is a family favourite. It's a simple recipe that uses only 2 large eggs, 1/4 pint of milk (150ml), about 8 rashers of streaky bacon and 6 ounces (175g) of shortcrust pastry. It's my grandmother's recipe, and my mum used to make it too. It's NOT a quiche, a tart or a pie, but very much an old-fashioned flan! It's perfect for hard times, as it uses very few ingredients, and unlike a quiche, there is no cheese in it. or onions for that matter. But, what it lacks in a long list of expensive ingredients is more than made up for in taste. It's quite simply absolutely delicious. Serve it warm with baby salad potatoes or cold with a salad, and don't forget the pickles or chutney.
Ingredients
- 6 ounces (175g) homemade shortcrust pastry, or ready-made shop bought pastry
- 8 rashers smoked streaky bacon, approximately 150g
- 2 large free-range eggs, or 3 medium free-range eggs
- 1/4 pint (150ml) milk
- Salt and white pepper
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/400F/Gas mark 6 and grease an 8" (20cm) flans dish or a pie plate. I used an old Pyrex glass flan dish for mine.
- Roll out the pastry and line the prepared flan/pie dish with the pastry. Prick all over the base of the pastry case with a fork and put it in the fridge whilst you make the filling.
- Beat the eggs with the milk, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Cut the bacon into small pieces, I used a pair of kitchen scissors and fry the bacon until it is cooked and the fat is crispy.
- Spoon the bacon into the pastry flan case, and then pour the eggs and milk mixture over the top.
- Bake in the pre-heated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until the filling has set and the pastry is golden brown.
- Serve warm with boiled salad potatoes and sliced tomatoes, or cold with salad, pickles and chutney.
Notes
Can be frozen once baked and cool. Defrost before serving.
Smoked lardons can be used in place of the traditional streaky bacon.
This makes 6 medium slices, but you can double the quantities for more people, and bake in in a large flan dish or in a rectangular baking tin.
I used my recipe for Shortcrust Pastry, and halved the quantities.
It is important to use white pepper instead of black pepper in this recipe, and be careful when seasoning with the salt, as the bacon is already quite salty.
Nutrition Information
Yield 6 slices Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 470Total Fat 27gSaturated Fat 13gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 11gCholesterol 132mgSodium 812mgCarbohydrates 40gFiber 2gSugar 14gProtein 16g
Nutrition information is an approximate calculation based on the ingredients listed and it can vary according to portion sizes and when different ingredients are used.
Liz says
Looks yummy.. Managed to find some bacon here in Langkawi the other day.
Hope ;this post works as I commented on another topic and it never semd to materialise.
Cheers!
Liz
Karen Burns-Booth says
Hi Liz, I have seen all your comments and I have replied! 🙂 Hope you are both well, Karen
Sherry says
This looks delicious karen. Egg and bacon such a winner hope you’re keeping well during the crisis. Cheers
Sherry
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thank you Sherry! I am fine thanks, are you coping?
Yes, such a winning combination,
Karen
sherry says
well i think i’m getting very used to social distancing and i think i will find it hard when things go back to normal. i am enjoying the serenity!
Karen Burns-Booth says
You and me both! I’m enjoying the less frenetic lifestyle to be honest Sherry! Karen
Angela Dickerson says
Hello Karen
I have made this twice now and it was delicious. The shortcrust pastry was also very good. I’d like to use the pastry recipe to make a case for a sweet tart. If so, how much sugar should I add?
Many thanks
Angela
Karen Burns-Booth says
Hi Angela,I never add sugar to the pastry when making sweet tarts and flans, pies etc. As we find the sweet filling sweet enough. But I suppose you could add a tablespoon of caster sugar after rubbing in the fat into the flour and then proceed as before. Karen
Angela Dickerson says
Thanks Karen. Its always good to cut down sugar where you can! I’ll try both methods- with and without sugar and see how that goes.
Karen Burns-Booth says
Great stuff! Look forward to hearing how it goes! Karen
Brian Watts says
I’m a big fan of Bacon and egg pie
. I tried your recipe and loved it I’m making another one today to take to a friends. I will also be trying your crumpet recipe
I have tried them once before ,they were ok but not the best, you have some good tips. Will be trying more of your recipes.
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks Brian, I am so pleased that you enjoyed my Egg and Bacon Pie recipe, it is a favourite here too! Karen
Mary McMaster says
Your Egg and Bacon flan looks delicious and I’m anxious to try it. However, I am cutting down my salt intake and wondered if this is as adaptable as most egg pie recipes? I’d like to cut the amount of bacon in half and perhaps increase the egg and milk to compensate for filling the dish. Have you tried adapting the recipe?
Karen Burns-Booth says
Hello Mary,
Thank you for your kind comments.
I’ve never tried it that way, as it is a bacon and egg flan! However, I know you can get reduced sodium bacon, so maybe try that.
Also, the amount of bacon in the flan with shared between all the diners is not that high.
Why not just cut back to 3/4 of the bacon and see how that works?
Karen
Vicki says
I usually blind bake the pastry first would not doing so give you a soogy bottom ?
Karen Burns-Booth says
Hi Vicki, I have never baked this blind, and there have never been any soggy bottoms in living history! If you feel more confident baking it blind first, then go for it. 🙂
Andrew Wynn says
I made this a couple of weeks ago and it was really good so last week I did it again and added cut up sausage and mushrooms and it was like having a cooked breakfast. So good that I’m doing it again today.
Thanks for such a good and simple recipe
Andrew.
Karen Burns-Booth says
Sounds lovely Andrew, funnily enough I have just made something similar!
Heather Hadfield says
I made this for a family tea party recently, I did add some chopped baby tomatoes for a bit of colour, and it proved popular with all who tried it. Super simple recipe and one I will be making again very shortly. Thanks for posting this.
Karen Burns-Booth says
That is great – I am so pleased you enjoyed it! Karen
Margaret Thomson says
Made the egg & bacon flan yesterday from your recipe- I had forgotten how easy flans are to make!! Used part of a pack of ‘cheapie’ cooking bacon and it was just perfect. Very ‘moreish!’ Thanks for posting the recipe
Karen Burns-Booth says
That’s great – thanks for letting me know!
Margaret Thomson says
forgot to say
ps I’m in Louth
Karen Burns-Booth says
We are practically neighbours! I am in Binbrook