Classic Gougères Recipes

CLASSIC GOUGèRES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees, and line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup water, butter, salt and cayenne to a boil. Stir in flour all at once and cook, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon, until dough pulls away from the sides of the pot, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Scrape dough into the bowl of an electric mixer and beat with a paddle until cooled slightly, about 30 seconds. (Or you can do this with a wooden spoon if you beat vigorously.) Add one egg at a time, letting each one incorporate before adding the next. Mix in Gruyère and continue to beat until it is mostly melted into batter.
• Transfer batter to a large, sealable plastic bag, and snip off 3/4 inch from one corner. Pipe 2-teaspoon-sized balls, spaced 1-inch apart, onto baking sheets. Or use a spoon to form the balls. Sprinkle Parmesan on top, and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue to bake until golden and cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool slightly then serve immediately.

CLASSIC GOUGèRES

Steps:

• Position 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 400°F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Bring 1 cup water, butter, and salt to simmer in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat, whisking until butter melts. Add flour; stir rapidly with wooden spoon until flour absorbs liquid and forms ball, pulling away from sides of pan. Stir vigorously until film forms on bottom of pan and dough is no longer sticky, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Remove pan from heat; cool dough 2 to 3 minutes. Using electric mixer, beat in eggs 1 at a time. Stir in cheese and pepper.
• Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of dough onto baking sheets, spacing about 3 inches apart. Using damp fingertip, press down any peaks of dough.
• Bake gougères until golden brown, about 30 minutes, reversing position of pans halfway through baking. Using small sharp knife, pry open 1 gougère to check for doneness (center should be slightly eggy and moist). Serve hot or warm. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 hours ahead. Transfer to racks; cool. Rewarm in 350°F oven for 5 to 10 minutes.

CLASSIC GOUGERES RECIPE

Steps:

• In a medium pan, add water, butter, sugar, salt, and cook on low heat until butter is melted. Once butter is melted, turn up to high heat until rolling boil is reached.
• As soon as water starts to rise, turn off heat, and add flour all at once and start to mix with a stiff spatula. The finished texture will eventually look like "mashed potatoes".
• Once "mashed potato" texture is reached, turn heat back on medium and continue mixing on medium heat for 1 minute.
• Crack all of the eggs in a bowl and mix with a fork.
• Slowly add eggs to "mashed potato" mixture in 3 steps to avoid mixing for too long. Add 1/3 of the eggs at a time and mix until eggs disappear into the dough. Repeat the same steps until all of the eggs are incorporated. Your dough (Pâte à choux) is ready when it is smooth and shiny.
• Pipe small gougères on a nonstick baking tray or silicone mat. (if you have small peeks on the cream puffs, smooth them out by applying water on your fingers and patting them down a bit).
• Top gougères with black pepper, paprika, and grated cheese.
• Bake for 30-40 minutes in a preheated oven at 360F (depending on the size) and be sure to not oven the oven to prevent gougères from collapsing.
• Remove from and allow 5min to cool down before eating.

CHEESE PUFFS (GOUGERES)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Combine the flour with the salt, black pepper, thyme, chili powder, and cayenne pepper in a large bowl.
• Put the milk and butter in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. When the butter melts, turn heat to low. Add the seasoned flour all at once. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the dough forms a ball. Remove from heat.
• Separate the white and yolk from one egg, reserving the yolk for glazing.
• Put the dough into a large mixer bowl. Beat at medium speed for one minute. Then beat in one egg and the extra egg white. Beat until completely absorbed into the dough. Then add the remaining 4 eggs, one at a time, waiting each time until the previous egg is completely absorbed. After all 5 eggs (plus the one egg white) have been incorporated, the dough should be smooth and satiny.
• Add the Parmesan and Gruyere cheeses, and pepperoni if you are using it. Incorporate thoroughly into the dough.
• Use a pastry bag to pipe dough onto 2 ungreased baking sheets. You can also drop dough from a teaspoon. For tiny puffs, mounds should be about 1/2 inch in diameter. From small appetizers, mounds should be 1 inch in diameter. For puffs large enough for filling, mounds should be 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Keep the size of the puffs uniform so they bake properly. Space puffs about 1 inch apart.
• Beat the remaining egg yolk with 2 tablespoons of milk to make a glaze. Lightly brush the tops of the puffs with glaze before baking. Sprinkle tops with your Parmesan cheese.
• Bake in pre-heated oven for 10 minutes (5 minutes for tiny puffs). Reduce heat to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Bake 10 minutes more for tiny puffs; 15 to 20 minutes longer for medium or large puffs, or until puffs are golden brown. Test by removing a puff from the oven and breaking it open. The inside should be baked through. If it is still doughy or wet, bake another 5 minutes.
• Remove pans from oven and leave puffs on pans until cool enough to serve.

HERBED GOUGERES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
• For the egg wash, whisk together 1 egg with 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl.
• In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup water with the butter, salt, and sugar over medium-high heat. Bring mixture to a boil, and immediately remove from heat. Using a wooden spoon, add flour, stirring vigorously, until flour is no longer visible. Return pan to medium-high heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan and forms a film on the bottom, about 4 minutes.
• Remove mixture from heat and transfer contents to a bowl. Add both cheeses, the herbs, and spices. Stir to combine with a wooden spoon and let cool slightly, about 3 minutes. Add remaining eggs, one at a time, stirring vigorously after each addition, and waiting to add the next egg until the previous one is entirely incorporated.
• Transfer dough to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip; pipe 1 1/2-inch puffs about 1 inch apart. Using a lightly moistened finger, smooth tops. Brush each puff with egg wash and sprinkle each one with remaining Gruyere.
• Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until puffs are golden, about 20 to 25 minutes. Serve immediately, as gougeres are best eaten warm from the oven.

GRUYERE GOUGERES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Combine water, butter, and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and immediately add flour. Stir quickly with a wooden spoon for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
• Return pan to heat and stir to let excess moisture evaporate, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Scoop dough into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Let cool slightly.
• Add 3/4 cup Gruyere cheese, cayenne, and black pepper to the dough. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. If mixture still clings to the beaters, add a fourth egg.
• Pipe or spoon tablespoonfuls of dough 2 inches apart onto a the prepared baking sheet. Add a small pinch of remaining Gruyere cheese on top of each puff.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Lower temperature to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and bake until puffed and golden brown, about 15 minutes more.

GOUGERE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a nine-inch flan ring or a cake tin that has a removable bottom.
• Combine water, salt and butter in a saucepan. Simmer until the butter melts, then bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add the flour all at once. Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until the paste is smooth and leaves the sides of the pan. Place over low heat and cook, stirring, until the mixture begins to film the bottom of the pan.
• Remove from heat and beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well to thoroughly incorporate each. (The paste can be put into the bowl of a food processor and the eggs added one at a time and processed with the steel blade until blended.)
• Transfer paste to a mixing bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Spoon rounded tablespoons of this mixture close together in a ring inside the cake ring or flan ring. Place in the middle of the oven and bake for about one hour, until the gougere is brown and firm to the touch. Cool briefly and serve.

GOUGERES WITH PARMESAN AND BLACK PEPPER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat water, butter, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until butter is melted and mixture is boiling. Remove from heat. Using a wooden spoon, stir in flour. Return to medium heat, and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture pulls away from the sides and a film forms on the bottom of the pan, about 4 minutes.
• Transfer to the bowl of a mixer, and beat on low speed until slightly cooled, about 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium, and add 2 eggs, one at a time, letting each incorporate before adding the next. Beat until dough is smooth and shiny, about 1 minute more. Test the dough by touching it with your finger and lifting to form a string. If string doesn't form, add water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until it does.
• Transfer dough to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip. Pipe small dots at the corners of baking sheets, and lay parchment on top, pressing to secure. Pipe 1-inch rounds onto parchment, spacing 1 inch apart. Brush with egg wash, and sprinkle with Parmesan, salt, and pepper.
• Bake until rounds are puffed and pale golden, about 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees, and bake until golden and dry in the center, 20 to 25 minutes.