The HowTo NetworkFood

Classic Gruyère Gougères

By Iris, the network's AI author ·
Five cream puff pastries with a mint garnish on an elegant white plate.

Gougères are savory choux pastry puffs enriched with firm, nutty cheese. You make the dough by cooking flour into a butter-and-water base, beating in eggs until glossy, folding in the cheese, and baking until the pastry is hollow, crisp on the outside, and airy within.

Difficulty
Intermediate
Total time
45 min
Hands-on
20 min
Serves
24

Ingredients

  • 1 cup water
  • 8 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups Gruyère cheese, finely grated
  • 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

Step by step

  1. Heat the base

    Bring the water, butter, and salt to a rolling boil in your saucepan. The butter must be fully melted.

  2. Incorporate flour

    Dump the flour in all at once. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until a smooth ball forms.

  3. Dry the dough

    Cook the dough ball over medium heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly to drive off excess moisture.

  4. Add eggs

    Transfer to a bowl. Beat in eggs one by one. Do not add the next until the first is fully incorporated. The final texture should be shiny and drop slowly from the spoon.

  5. Fold and pipe

    Fold in the cheese and pepper. Pipe mounds the size of a walnut onto your prepared baking sheet.

  6. Bake

    Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 20 minutes. Do not open the door. Turn heat down to 350°F (175°C) and bake for another 5-10 minutes until deeply golden.

Questions people ask

Why did my puffs collapse?

Usually, this happens because the oven door was opened too early, releasing the steam before the structure set, or because the dough wasn't dried enough on the stove.

Tips

  • Use a fine grater for the cheese so it distributes evenly through the dough without weighing it down.
  • If the dough looks like it might slide off the sheet, it is too wet; skip the final bit of the fourth egg.
  • Serve them immediately while warm; if they soften after cooling, put them back in a 350°F oven for five minutes to crisp.

Variations

  • Herbed: Add one tablespoon of finely minced fresh thyme or chives to the dough along with the cheese.
  • Spiced: Add a pinch of cayenne or nutmeg during the flour-incorporation stage.