How to make German Leek Pie with Bacon (Lauchkuchen)

LEEK PIE
Published on April 16, 2022

German leek pie with bacon (Lauchkuchen Rezept)   – This simple German leek and bacon pie is very versatile. Enjoy it warm or cold! Serve it with a salad and you will have a perfect lunch. 

My childhood memories were full of rice and noodles (Asian food is still my comfort food!). Anything else was a treat. However, ever since I am the boss of my kitchen, I love trying out new recipes. 

Each week I will try to introduce different types of side dishes such as potatoes, pasta, rice… Some days when I ran out of ideas, then I would opt for “all-in-one” recipes such as this German leek pie with bacon. This is what I love about pies – you can have it all at once! 

A flaky crust filled with different flavours dominated by leeks! If you do not like leeks, this leek pie is not for you but if you love leek, then you will love this German leek cake (Lauchkuchen). 

This pie is also very versatile. You can enjoy it warm or cold. In addition, due to our religious belief, we do not eat meat on Fridays. Sometimes I would just make a vegetarian version of this recipe, which is to skip the bacon cubes. This version of leek pie tastes fantastic as well. 

Ingredients/ Tips on making German Leek Pie with Bacon

GERMAN RED CABBAGE RECIPE

Dough: It is important to take note that the diameter of the dough should be at least 6 to 8 cm longer than the diameter of your springform cake tin. This is because when we prebake our pie crust, the crust will shrink in size and the sides of the crust will reduce in height. Other than that, I like to press the dough against the cake pan and place toothpicks to support the sides of the dough while prebaking because the crust will collapse. However, it is not a big deal. Simply adjust the toothpicks to lift the fallen sides. Thereafter, fill the bottom of the crust with your leek-bacon fillings. Remove the toothpicks. The fillings should fit the crust nicely. If you are unsure, please check out the tutorial below. 

Shredded Cheese: Any shredded cheese would do the job. However, my personal favourites in this case are either Mozzarella or Gouda. For a mild flavoured leek pie, I would go for shredded Mozzarella. If you prefer a more intense flavoured German leek pie, then I would recommend you using Gouda cheese. 

Crème fraîche: If you have no access to crème fraîche, you can replace it with sour cream. I use these ingredients alternatively in this recipe and they both taste similar. 

How to make German Leek Pie with Bacon

GERMAN RED CABBAGE RECIPE
  1. In a mixing bowl, add all-purpose flour, water, salt, butter and an egg. Mix the ingredients with an electric mixer or with your hands until you get a non-sticky dough. 
  2. Wrap the dough and allow it to rest for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator. 
  3. Grease a spring form pan with some butter/margarine and dust all-purpose flour over it, to prevent the leek pie from sticking to it. 
  4. In another mixing bowl, add eggs, milk, crème fraîche and shredded cheese. Mix the ingredients with an electric mixer or with your hands. Set it aside, we will come back to it soon. 
  5. Remove the top (dark green part) and bottom part of the leek. We would only need the green and white part of the leek. Cut the leek into two half moons along its length and wash them thoroughly. Thereafter, slice the leek halves into tiny pieces (semicircles). 
  6. Cut the onions into tiny cubes. 
  7. In a frying pan, heat up 2 tablespoons of cooking oil over medium-high heat. After which, add in bacon and cook the cubes until they turn crispy. 
  8.  Add leek and onions to the bacon cubes. Sauté leek and onions for several minutes until they reduce in size, and cook until the leek turns soft. Set aside the frying pan, we will need it later on. 
  9. Preheat baking oven to 200 °C.
  10. Take your pie dough out of the refrigerator and dust some flour over the working space. Roll out your dough into a circle shape (like a pizza) with a rolling pin. It should be about 32 cm in the diameter.
  11. Place the leek pie dough into the springform cake pan. About 4 cm of dough in height at the sides. Make the height of the dough is even across the pie. Gently press the dough against the side of the pan and stick toothpicks into the side of the dough to support it. This is because the side of the pie will fall and shrink once it is prebaked. For more details, please watch tutorials. 
  12. Gently poke holes with a fork to the bottom of the pie. Prebake the leek pie for 10 minutes. 
  13. After baking the pie for 10 minutes, take the leek pie out of the baking oven. It is possible that some toothpicks did not hold up the sides of the pie, causing it to fall. Simply adjust the toothpicks (be careful, the pan is hot!) accordingly. 
  14. Add the sautéed leek and bacon from the frying pan (step 6) to the bottom of the leek pie. Thereafter, pour the egg mixture over the leek and bacon cubes (step 7). Distribute shredded cheese evenly on the surface of the leek cake. 
  15. Remove all toothpicks and bake the German leek cake for another 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cheesy surface turned slightly brown. Adjust the timing according to your baking oven’s specification.
  16. Remove the pie from the oven and allow it to cool down for several minutes before trying to remove it from the springform cake pan. 
  17. Serve it warm with your favourite salad! It can be enjoyed cold as well!

How to serve German Leek Pie with Bacon

Just be creative with your leek pie. You can also add fresh herbs such as parsley, dill, thyme in or on your German leek pie. Serve this leek cake with this crunchy carrot salad or a German lamb’s lettuce salad as a perfect side dish. 

How to store German Leek Pie with Bacon

This German leek pie with bacon can be enjoyed warm or cold! If you have leftovers, simply keep them in an airtight container in a cool place. I love to bring this pie to gatherings because I know that no reheating is required. Just prepare it beforehand. Adults and kids love this recipe!

I hope you enjoy the recipe as much as my family does. Show me and tag me #chenguins on social media, so that I can see your recreation as well.

Do you like pies? What should I cook next? Tell me in the comment section below!

Until next time & guten Appetit!

Greetings from the Black Forest,
Pia

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German Leek Pie with Bacon

Prep Time1 hour
Yield: 4 people

Equipment

  • 1 Springform cake tin 26 cm diameter
  • 6 Toothpicks

Ingredients you need

Ingredients for the crust

  • 240 g All-purpose flour
  • 50 ml Water
  • 110 g Cold Butter
  • 1 Egg

Ingredients for the filling

  • 1 Large Leek
  • 1 Large Onion
  • 2 tbsp Cooking oil
  • 250 g Bacon cubes
  • 2 Eggs
  • 63 ml Milk
  • 100 g Crème fraîche or sour cream
  • 75 g Shredded Mozzarella cheese or shredded Gouda cheese
  • 0.5 - 1 tsp Salt according to taste
  • 0.5 tsp Ground black pepper according to taste

Directions

  • In a mixing bowl, add all-purpose flour, water, salt, butter and an egg. Mix the ingredients with an electric mixer or with your hands until you get a non-sticky dough.
  • Wrap the dough and allow it to rest for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
  • Grease a spring form pan with some butter/margarine and dust all-purpose flour over it, to prevent the leek pie from sticking to it.
  • In another mixing bowl, add eggs, milk, crème fraîche and shredded cheese. Mix the ingredients with an electric mixer or with your hands. Set it aside, we will come back to it soon.
  • Remove the top (dark green part) and bottom part of the leek. We would only need the green and white part of the leek. Cut the leek into two half moons along its length and wash them thoroughly. Thereafter, slice the leek halves into tiny pieces (semicircles).
  • Cut the onions into tiny cubes.
  • In a frying pan, heat up 2 tablespoons of cooking oil over medium-high heat. After which, add in bacon and cook the cubes until they turn crispy.
  • Add leek and onions to the bacon cubes. Sauté leek and onions for several minutes until they reduce in size, and cook until the leek turns soft. Set aside the frying pan, we will need it later on.
  • Preheat baking oven to 200 °C.
  • Take your pie dough out of the refrigerator and dust some flour over the working space. Roll out your dough into a circle shape (like a pizza) with a rolling pin. It should be about 32 cm in the diameter.
  • Place the leek pie dough into the springform cake pan. About 4 cm of dough in height at the sides. Make the height of the dough is even across the pie. Gently press the dough against the side of the pan and stick toothpicks into the side of the dough to support it. This is because the side of the pie will fall and shrink once it is prebaked. For more details, please watch the tutorial.
  • Gently poke holes with a fork to the bottom of the pie. Prebake the leek pie for 10 minutes.
  • After baking the pie for 10 minutes, take the leek pie out of the baking oven. It is possible that some toothpicks did not hold up the sides of the pie, causing it to fall. Simply adjust the toothpicks (be careful, the pan is hot!) accordingly.
  • Add the sautéed leek and bacon from the frying pan (step 6) to the bottom of the leek pie. Thereafter, pour the egg mixture over the leek and bacon cubes (step 7). Distribute shredded cheese evenly on the surface of the leek cake.
  • Remove all toothpicks and bake the German leek cake for another 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cheesy surface turned slightly brown. Adjust the timing according to your baking oven’s specification.
  • Remove the pie from the oven and allow it to cool down for several minutes before trying to remove it from the springform cake pan.
  • Serve it warm with your favourite salad! It can be enjoyed cold as well!

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LEEK PIE

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Hello there, I am Pia!

Hello there, I am Pia!

Welcome to chenguins.com! I am Pia, a simple girl born and raised in South East Asia. Some years ago, I came to Germany to further my studies. This is our family blog, where you can find authentic German recipes, Baby sourdough and adventure brick movies!

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