Gougeres (Gruyère Cheese Choux Puffs)
Quick answer
Gougeres are savory cheese puffs from Burgundy, France, made by folding grated Gruyere cheese into choux pastry and baking until golden and hollow inside.
What makes this special
- Folding grated Gruyère into choux pastry creates these savory cheese puffs.
- Choux paste mixed by adding eggs one by one after cooking butter, water, and flour
- Moisture expands as steam, naturally hollowing the inside for a light crisp shell
Key ingredients
Core cooking flow
- 1 Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius and line a baking tray with parchment.
- 2 Put 120 ml water, 60 g butter, and 0.5 teaspoon salt in a saucepan over medium heat.
- 3 Add 80 g flour all at once and stir quickly with a spatula until no dry flour remains.
Gougeres are savory cheese puffs from Burgundy, France, made by folding grated Gruyere cheese into choux pastry and baking until golden and hollow inside. Water, butter, and salt are brought to a boil, then flour is added all at once and stirred over low heat until the starches gelatinize and the dough pulls away from the pan in a smooth ball. Eggs are beaten in one at a time - the dough breaks apart and re-forms with each addition, building the elastic structure that allows the puffs to rise. Folding in the cheese and pepper, then piping rounds onto a tray and baking at 200 degrees Celsius turns the moisture in the dough to steam, which inflates each puff into a crisp shell with a hollow, airy center. Opening the oven door during baking releases the steam prematurely, which can cause the puffs to collapse.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Prep
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius and line a baking tray with parchment.
Finely grate 90 g Gruyere cheese, beat 2 eggs in a small bowl, and prepare a piping bag before starting the dough.
- 2Control
Put 120 ml water, 60 g butter, and 0.5 teaspoon salt in a saucepan over medium heat.
Let the butter melt fully and wait for bubbling around the edges, lowering the heat if the water boils too hard first.
- 3Control
Add 80 g flour all at once and stir quickly with a spatula until no dry flour remains.
Cook over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the dough pulls together and leaves a thin film on the pan.
- 4Prep
Transfer the dough to a bowl and cool for 3 to 5 minutes until warm, not hot.
Beat in the eggs a little at a time, mixing until the dough separates, then comes back together smooth and glossy after each addition.
- 5Step
When the dough falls slowly from the spatula in a V shape, fold in the grated cheese and 0.25 teaspoon black pepper.
If it is too stiff to pipe, loosen it with only a small spoonful of remaining beaten egg.
- 6Heat
Pipe small rounds onto the prepared tray and press any pointed tips down with a damp fingertip.
Bake at 200 degrees Celsius for 20 to 25 minutes until puffed and golden, and do not open the oven door during baking.
After the steps
Pick a recipe that fits this dish.
Continue with shared ingredients, meal pairings, or a similar method.
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