Gougères au fromage
Or, French cheese puffs you can't stop eating
Getting the Gougères dough right
The guidelines for Gougères are similar to any choux pastry making.The proportions are crucial when making these cheese puffs. I don't want to end up with a runny dough that'll have a hard time rising in the oven, but I also don't want a stiff dough that'll puff unevenly and burst during baking. That's why I always say: beat the last egg and add just as much as you need — half, a quarter, or none at all. The dough itself will tell you if more liquid is needed. The choux pastry needs to be runny and firm at the same time (great contradiction, I know).
The cheese
The traditional cheese for Gougères is Gruyère, but if you want a deeper flavor, play with the mix and add different kinds. Cheddar is a great addition — it also gives the buns a nice yellowish-orange color. Gouda works great too, and if you really want the flavor to kick, add some Parmesan. That'll take these buns to a whole different level.Shaping the Gougères
Gougères are usually round. If you want to keep that shape, I recommend putting the dough in the fridge for 1 hour to rest and firm up — that'll help it hold its shape. You can use a piping bag or just spoon the dough. Makes no difference, just let it cool a bit first. In this recipe, I used Thomas Keller's tip for shaping: fill molds with the dough (use whatever size you want), freeze for 4 hours, then pop the frozen Gougères balls out of the molds and bake them straight from frozen. It works and it's great. You can make the dough days in advance and just pop them into the oven before guests arrive — it's brilliant.
Baking the Gougères
Baking is pretty standard for choux pastry. Start at 375°F / 185°C to create steam in the oven, then as soon as you put the Gougères in, drop the temperature to 350°F / 170°C. Finish with a final dry-out at 325°F / 155°C.
Method
- 1
Cooking the dough· 5 minutes
Set a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Place a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the water, butter, salt and pepper, increase the heat to medium and bring into a simmer. once butter has completely dissolved in the water remove the saucepan from heat. Add all the flour and stir vigorously. Place the saucepan on medium heat again and keep stirring the mixture until it forms a shiny tight dough that pulls away from the sides of the pan. Continue stirring for another 2 minutes and remove from heat.
- 2
Adding the eggs and resting the dough· 4 hours
Immediately move the dough into the bowl of a stand mixer and mix for 30 seconds to cool the dough. Add the first 2 eggs, one at a time, and the 3rd beaten egg add as much as needed. Add the eggs in additions, only after the previous egg had been fully absorbed add the next one. The dough needs to be firm and form a "V" shape when paddle is lifted. Add the cheese and pulse to incorporate, not more than 30 seconds. Butter molds for the cheese puffs and spoon them into the molds. Dip your finger in water and smooth the gougères top. Wrap in plastic and put in the freezer for about 4 hours.
- 3
Baking the gougères· 50 minutes to 1 hour
Preheat the oven to 375°F/ 185°c. Lay a parchment paper on a baking pan and release the frozen gougères on the pan 1 inch away from each other. Place the baking pan in the oven and immediately lower temperature to 350°F/ 170°c and bake for 40 minutes. Reduce temperature to 325°F/ 155°c and bake for another 20 minutes (don't open the oven door), in this stage we want to dry the puffs making them sweat out all their fluids. If using bigger/smaller molds, adjust the baking timetable accordingly. Take the baking pan out of the oven and cool the gougères for another 10 minutes on the counter before serving.
Jaron Kimhi
Jaron Kimhi — self-taught home cook from Tel Aviv, writing and cooking every recipe on this site himself. 20+ years of tinkering in the kitchen, leaning toward slow cooking, classic technique, and honest ingredients.
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