Preheat oven to 425°F. Make pie crust according to recipe and place in a deep dish pie pan. If using frozen, pull out of freezer and let thaw for about 10 minutes.
Poke holes all around inside edges and bottom of pie crust with a fork. Place pie pan on a rimmed baking sheet for easy transport. If you make a homemade crust, you’ll need to cover the bottom crust with parchment paper and then pie weights or dried beans, but when using a frozen pre-made pie crust, it’s fine to bake without the weights. Blind bake (pre-bake) pie crust for 12 minutes. Once removed, reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
Meanwhile, with a pair of scissors, cut bacon into 1-inch pieces and fry in a large skillet until crispy. Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon from pan and place on paper towel lined plate.
Remove most of the bacon grease from pan using a paper towel or discard into a dish and save for a later recipe. Add diced shallot to pan and cook low and slow to caramelize them (about 15 minutes).
Crack eggs and yolks into a medium to large bowl and whisk just until combined. Whisk in half & half, thyme, salt and pepper.
In bottom of pie crust, layer half of the bacon, shallots, and cheese. Gently pour or ladle in egg mixture over top. Then, add remaining bacon, shallots and cheese.
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until cooked through. You will want to bake this until the edges are set and the center jiggles just a little when the pan is moved. The center will continue to cook and firm up once removed from the oven, so you don’t want it completely done.
Allow to cool about 10 minutes on a wire rack before slicing and serving. Can be served warm or at room temperature.