Bacon and Egg Picnic Pies

Gluten free | Sugar free |Dairy free option 
Makes 4 small individual pies 

Why it’s delicious 

One of the favourite dinner meals in our house used to be a roasting tray full of bacon and egg pie. The pie was so huge that it would be lunch and dinner for a couple of days, with great wars waged over the corner pieces, which were always the crispiest. 

It wasn't till I invested in a 4-hole pie maker for home that I decided to whip up a healthy version of my famous bacon and egg pie with all the flavour and none of the bad stuff. 

Helpful hints and tips 

In this recipe, I give you a bonus recipe to make your own super-easy pastry, but you can also use a store-bought gluten-free short or puff pastry. 
You don’t have to own a pie maker to tackle this recipe, although it does make pie-making incredibly easy. You can also bake the pies in a large muffin tin. 

Ingredients 
For the pie pastry 

120 g (4.2 oz) almond flour or another nut or seed flour of your choosing

20 g (⅔ oz) tapioca flour + extra for dusting 
¼ tsp xanthan gum 
Pinch mineral salt 
1 egg, whisked 

Bacon and egg filling 

80 g (2.8 oz) nitrate-free bacon, finely diced 
4 medium slices of ripe tomato, finely diced 
2 medium button or field mushrooms, finely diced 
1 tsp mineral or Himalayan salt 
Freshly ground black pepper 
2 large eggs, whisked 
2 tsp Bridget’s Sticky Sauce 
2 tbsp grated cheddar or dairy-free cheese, optional 
1 tbsp nutritional yeast 
1 tsp coconut oil for brushing 

Method

Make the pastry by stirring together the almond and tapioca flours, xanthan gum, and salt. Add the whisked egg and mix well with a spoon. Once mixed, use clean hands until a dough forms. 

If the dough is crumbly, add a tablespoon of water at a time, mixing between each addition until a smooth dough forms. If the dough is too wet, add a tablespoon of almond flour at a time until it forms a smooth dough. 

Turn the dough out onto a clean bench, knead, and flatten into a disc. If the dough sticks to the bench, dust it with a bit of tapioca flour. 

Roll the dough out between 2 large sheets of non-stick paper until it's 5mm (¼ inch) thick. The dough is now ready to be made into pies. 

Note: This dough is best used on the day it is made. 

For the filling, mix the bacon, tomato and mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. In a little jug, mix the eggs and sticky sauce and season with a little salt and pepper. 

Preheat a 4-hole pie maker or preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). If cooking the pies in the oven, brush 4 holes of a muffin tin with a little coconut oil or very lightly brush the holes in the pie maker. 

Cut 4 rounds of pastry large enough to fit into the pie or muffin holes and carefully line the holes evenly with the pastry. If the pastry cracks a little, use pieces of the leftover dough to fix the holes. 

Evenly distribute the filling between the pastry and pour over the egg mixture. Sprinkle the tops with cheese and/or nutritional yeast. 

For the pie maker, place a wooden spoon in the maker to lever the lid open and cook the pies for 8 minutes. Remove the wooden spoon and fully close the lid, and cook the pies for a further 2-3 minutes until golden on top. 

For the oven, bake the pies for 15-22 minutes or until the egg mixture is well cooked, the pastry is crisp, and the tops are golden. 

Remove the pies from the tin or pie maker and either consume while hot or allow to cool on a wire rack. 

These pies will last in the fridge for up to 3 days and can be eaten cold or reheated and eaten warm.

This recipe is copyrighted to Chef Bridget Davis of Bridget's Healthy Kitchen and remains the property of Bridget’s Healthy Kitchen. Copying, sharing or reuse of this recipe in any way, shape or form is only permissible with the strict approval of Bridget's Healthy Kitchen. Failure to comply could result in legal action. Please contact us at admin@bridgetshealthykitchen.com if you have any queries about this or any other Bridget Davis copyrighted recipe.