Gougères

Gougères (Burgundian Cheese Puffs)

Classic French choux puffs from Burgundy, enriched with Gruyère and baked until crisp, golden, and hollow. Served warm as an aperitif with wine.

Prep

15 min

Cook

25 min

Total

40 min

Serves

About 24 small puffs (4 to 6 servings as an aperitif)

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •125 ml (½ cup) water
• •60 g (¼ cup) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• •1 g (¼ tsp) fine salt
• •1 g (¼ tsp) sugar, optional, helps browning
• •75 g (⅔ cup) plain flour, all-purpose, sifted
• •3 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten; you may not need all of the third
• •80 g (1 cup grated) Gruyère, finely grated, Comté is an acceptable Burgundian substitute
• •0.5 g (¼ tsp) freshly grated nutmeg, freshly grated is traditional
• •0.5 g (¼ tsp) black pepper, freshly ground
• •10 g (1 tbsp grated) extra Gruyère, for topping

Steps

1. 1 Heat oven to 200°C / 400°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. 2 Combine the water, butter, salt, and sugar in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a rolling boil, stirring once so the butter melts evenly.
3. 3 Remove from heat, add all the flour at once, and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a smooth ball that pulls away from the sides of the pan. Return to low heat for 1 minute to dry the dough, stirring constantly; a thin film will form on the pan bottom. This drying step is what makes the puffs rise properly.
4. 4 Transfer the dough to a bowl and let cool 3 to 4 minutes so the eggs do not scramble. Beat in the eggs a little at a time: add about a third, beating until fully incorporated and the dough is glossy, then continue adding gradually until you have a soft, pipeable paste that forms a slow ribbon when a spoon is lifted (about 2 to 2½ eggs total). Reserve the last bit of egg and add only if needed.
5. 5 Fold in 70 g of the grated Gruyère, the nutmeg, and the pepper. Taste a tiny pinch of the raw dough; it should be distinctly cheesy and seasoned.
6. 6 Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a 10 mm / ½-inch round tip (or use two spoons). Pipe small mounds about 2.5 cm / 1 inch wide, spacing them 4 cm / 1½ inches apart since they will roughly double. A traditional approach is to pipe walnut-sized mounds using a spoon dipped in water.
7. 7 Top each mound with a pinch of the reserved 10 g of grated Gruyère.
8. 8 Bake on the middle rack for 20 to 25 minutes, until deeply golden brown and puffed. Do not open the oven during the first 15 minutes or they may collapse.
9. 9 To finish, turn off the oven, prop the door open with a wooden spoon, and leave the gougères inside for 5 minutes to dry out. They should feel very light for their size and sound hollow when tapped.
10. 10 Serve warm, the same day. Leftovers can be refreshed for 5 minutes in a 180°C / 350°F oven; do not microwave, as they will go soft.