Zwiebelkuchen (German Onion & Bacon Pie)

ONIONS!  Our raised bed garden stuffed with compost mixed with biochar fines + charcoal pieces that will pass through a 1/4" screen really grows lots of big onions.  After visiting a high-end garden center in West Austin last Winter to purchase onion sets, Donna and I discovered that we had both purchased sets (after all, there were 5 varieties to choose from) and we really overdid ourselves.  We planted 342 onion sets.  By the end of May, we had at least 340 large onions, some weighing as much as a pound.
To preserve our harvest, we usually slice and chop the onions and place them in freezer bags, so later, a bag and be opened and a small quantity removed.  This year, we did that, and we also ran a 12 shelf dehydrator several times with a full load.  It smells good, and it sucks electricity...to the tune of 600 watts per hour for as much as 36 hours.
Then I remember our time in Germany (1976 - 1980), where Zwiebelkuchen (German Onion & Bacon Pie) was offered for sale everywhere as well as new wine at the same time.  Here is a quote from a recipe I will link to:  Schwäbischer Zwiebelkuchen is typically round and deep, like quiche, though the flat varieties can also be found in bakeries throughout southern Germany.  But whatever the shape, traditional Zwiebelkuchen always consists of yeast dough, topped with buttery caramelized onions, savory bacon, and a thick creamy base.  Often, as in this version, caraway seeds are also included which add a wonderful depth and dimension of flavor.

From: https://www.daringgourmet.com/zwiebelkuchen-german-onion-pie/
This recipe is about the simplest one, but first I tried a recipe I found on YouTube that called for a buttery crust (1/2 stick butter + whole milk + egg) and egg mixture poured over the top just before baking.  It was good, but too rich for my taste.  This is the recipe:

  I put about 3# of onions in a frying pan and carmelized them with diced ham + some ham slices.  There was 2 cups of liquid in the pan, so I used a sieve to remove it before baking.  The resulting pie was very good, but too rich for our tastes.  Also, I had used some Greek Yogurt (because it was in the refrigerator) which add a slightly bitter flavor.
Next batch, I decided to use my favorite Pizza Crust which is just all purpose flour, water, and yeast.  Then I sliced about 5 pounds of onions and placed them on trays in the oven and baked at 200 F for several hours which basically dehydrated the onions and turned a few of them brown.  This ended the problem with too much water, but left the onions crunchy.  I figured the moisture from the eggs, cheese, cream would soften them during the baking process.  WRONG!  The onions remained crunchy, and the crust was about 3/4" thick.  There was a large tray of onion cake and each piece took 5 minutes to chew because it was like eating dehydrated onions.  Donna put about half in the freezer, and we are still working on it.
I'm not giving up.  On the last trip to the grocery store I found some thick sliced bacon (without MSG), and purchased 3 different boxes of cream cheese.  Unfortunately, Donna spied the bacon and cooked half of it for our lunch, plus tomorrow's lunch.  No problem because I know where to get more of it.
A Springform is critical as you will need to release the pie from it.  Don't think we have one, so I've been using our regular pans and trays.  Maybe we have a Springform somewhere?
We still have lots of onions, so I will update this blog after the next experiment.