Gougeres are cheese puffs made from pate a choux, the same paste used for eclairs and cream puffs, with grated Gruyere folded in. They come from Burgundy, where they are handed around cold in wine cellars during tastings and warm as an appetizer everywhere else. They are hollow, light, savory, and they disappear off a tray faster than you can refill it. The whole recipe is one technique done carefully.
The dough can be piped and frozen raw, then baked from frozen, so a bag of unbaked gougeres in the freezer is one of the best things you can have on hand. Bake them just before serving.
Why It Works: Pate a Choux
Choux is a cooked dough. You bring water, butter, and salt to a boil, dump in all the flour at once, and stir it over the heat until it forms a smooth ball and a film sets on the bottom of the pan. That step, drying the paste, drives off water and lets the starch absorb fat. Then you beat in eggs one at a time off the heat. The eggs make the dough loose enough to pipe and, more importantly, they set the structure in the oven. In the heat the water left in the dough flashes to steam, the egg and gluten stretch around it, and the whole thing inflates into a hollow shell. Underbake it and it collapses. That is the entire risk.
The flavor lineage runs straight through the site: choux is a first cousin of the roux you learn in the mother sauces, flour cooked into fat, and understanding one helps the other.
Gougeres
Serves 4, about 24 puffs. Prep 20 minutes, cook 30 minutes, total about 50 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut up
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs, plus 1 more if needed
- 4 ounces Gruyere, grated, plus a little for the tops
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Pinch of grated nutmeg
Method
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two sheet pans with parchment.
- In a medium saucepan, bring the water, milk, butter, and salt to a full boil, making sure the butter is fully melted.
- Take the pan off the heat, add all the flour at once, and stir hard with a wooden spoon until it comes together in a ball. Put it back on medium heat and keep stirring for 2 minutes, until a thin film coats the bottom of the pan and the dough looks glossy and dry.
- Scrape the dough into a bowl and let it cool 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, fully incorporating each before the next. The dough should end up smooth and fall from the spoon in a thick, glossy ribbon. If it is still stiff, beat in the fifth egg a little at a time.
- Stir in the grated Gruyere, pepper, and nutmeg.
- Pipe or spoon walnut-sized mounds onto the pans, spaced 2 inches apart. Smooth any peaks with a wet finger. Top each with a pinch of grated cheese.
- Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until deep golden and firm. Do not open the oven for the first 20 minutes. They should feel light and sound hollow. Serve warm.
Nutrition (per serving, estimated)
Estimated by calculation for one of four servings, six puffs, not lab verified.
| Calories | Protein | Carbohydrate | Fat | Fiber | Sodium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 420 | 15 g | 27 g | 28 g | 1 g | 520 mg |
Tips and Variations
- Freeze raw: pipe onto a tray, freeze solid, then bag. Bake from frozen at 400 degrees, adding about 5 minutes.
- Cheese swaps: Comte, aged Gouda, sharp cheddar, or a mix with a little Parmesan. Avoid very soft or very oily cheeses, which weigh the puff down.
- Fill them: once cool, split and pipe in a savory mousse, whipped goat cheese, or a spoon of the deviled egg filling.
- Dry them out: for extra-crisp shells, turn the oven off at the end, poke a small hole in each, and leave them in the closing oven 10 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did my gougeres collapse after baking?
They came out underbaked. The shell has to be firm and deep golden all over before it leaves the oven, or the steam inside condenses and pulls the walls in. Give them the full time and do not open the door early.
How many eggs do I actually add?
Between four and five, depending on your flour and how much you dried the dough. Stop when the dough is smooth and falls from the spoon in a thick ribbon that slowly settles back. Add the last egg in stages so you do not overshoot.
Do I need a piping bag?
No. Two spoons work, or a zip-top bag with a corner cut. A piping bag just makes them rounder and more even.
Can I make the dough ahead?
The dough holds in the refrigerator for a day, covered against the surface with plastic. Better still, pipe the mounds and freeze them raw, then bake straight from the freezer.
Why is my choux greasy or split?
The mix broke, usually because the eggs went in while the dough was too hot, or too fast. Cool the dough a few minutes first and beat each egg in fully before adding the next.
Tools for the Job
A heavy saucepan and a strong arm for the dough, a piping bag for the shaping.
- Stainless Steel Whisk
- Silicone Baking and Grill Mat
- 2-Quart Sauce Pan with Lid
- Baking, Dessert and Pastry Essentials
More Appetizers
See all appetizers, or start with these.
Who Is Writing This
I am Chef Alan. I have spent 35 years in professional kitchens, I have formal culinary training in New Hampshire, and I have been honored as a 6-time 4-Diamond chef. More about me here. If a step did not make sense, get in touch and I will fix it.
Thank you for cooking this one with us. From all of us at Wine Drop Cookery.
Gougeres are traced to Burgundy, in the Yonne, and one of the earliest records is on a 1571 wedding menu from Sens; pate a choux itself dates to sixteenth-century France, per the reference entry on the gougere.