Oh so French, gougères are savory cheese puffs made from pâte à choux, or cream-puff dough, with a generous amount of cheese folded in. Slightly warm with a crisp shell and cheesy, pillowy interior, they’re the perfect little bite to pop in your mouth between sips of sparkling wine or cocktails.
This version comes from Everyday Dorie by Dorie Greenspan. Dorie, who lives part-time in Paris, writes that gougères have been her signature nibble for guests for 20 years: “It’s a testament to their goodness that I’m still crazy about them after all the thousands—truly, thousands of them—that I’ve baked.”
What You’ll Need To Make Gougères
Clik here to view.
- Low-Fat Milk (or Whole Milk + Water): Helps create a lighter dough that puffs up beautifully in the oven.
- Unsalted Butter: Adds richness and flavor, making each puff tender and flaky.
- Salt: Enhances the overall flavor and balances the richness of the cheese.
- All-Purpose Flour: Forms the structure of the dough, giving the puffs their signature texture.
- Large Eggs: Provide moisture, structure, and help the dough rise for light, airy puffs.
- Egg White: Adds extra lift to make the puffs light.
- Dijon Mustard: Adds a subtle tang that complements the cheese.
- Grated Cheese (Comté, Gruyère, or Cheddar): Gives the puffs a rich, cheesy flavor.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
To begin, bring the milk, butter, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat.
Clik here to view.
Add the flour all at once. Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Lower the heat to medium and start stirring energetically with a wooden spoon.
Clik here to view.
The dough will form into a ball and there will be a light film on the bottom of the pan. Keep stirring for another two minutes or so to dry the dough: Dry dough makes puffier puffs.
Clik here to view.
Turn the dough out into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or work by hand in a large bowl with a wooden spoon and elbow grease).
Clik here to view.
Let the dough sit for a minute to cool. Then add the eggs one by one, followed by the white, beating on medium speed until each one is incorporated before adding the next.
Clik here to view.
The dough may look as though it’s separating or falling apart. Just keep going, and by the time the egg white goes in, the dough will be beautiful.
Clik here to view.
Beat in the mustard, then add the cheese. Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Mix to combine.
Clik here to view.
Give the dough a last mix-through by hand. Scoop or spoon out heaping tablespoon-sized balls of dough and drop the dough on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between the mounds.
Clik here to view.
Slide the baking sheets into the oven and immediately turn the temperature down to 375°F. Bake for 15 minutes, then rotate the pans from front to back and top to bottom. Continue baking until the gougères are puffed, golden, and firm enough to pick up, another 15 to 17 minutes.
Clik here to view.
Gougères are best served warm from the oven, so Dorie suggests keeping the scooped dough in the freezer, ready to bake. You can slide them into the oven straight from the freezer before your guests arrive; just allow a few extra minutes in the oven.
You May Also Like
- Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.![cheese straws in jar on table.]()
- Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.![Cheese ball on a plate with crackers.]()
- Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.![baked brie with crackers, apples, and grapes on wood board]()
- Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.![Plate of deviled eggs.]()
The post Gougères appeared first on Once Upon a Chef.