They’re actually easier to make than their name may suggest

Time: 2 Hours 13 minutes

Ingredient Availability: 5/5

Difficulty: 2/5

I was looking for a snack that I could make myself when I remembered that this recipe from Dessert Person existed. Of course, I didn’t want to make plain pate au choux, so I had to go with the cheesy version: Gougeres. I hope they are able to be that salty, cheesy snack fix that I’m looking for.

Key Ingredients & Omissions:

The ingredients for this recipe are actually pretty simple. There wasn’t anything that I left out. The only slight change that I made was to use a mix of gruyere and manchego cheese, since I didn’t have quite enough gouda and already had extra manchego.

Tools:

Small saucepan
Stand Mixer
Piping Bag/freezer bag
Parchment paper

Cooking Review:

Simmer Liquid & Grate Cheese: 16 minutes

While the milk, sugar, salt, butter, and water came to a ‘lively’ simmer, I grated the gruyere and manchego cheeses.

Mix in Flour: 6 minutes

I added in the flour to the simmering liquid and began to stir it with a wooden spoon until the flour was fully hydrated. Then, I continued to mix the dough, slapping it against the sides of the pot for about 3 minutes. At this point, the dough held together and was fairly smooth.

Beat in Eggs: 5 minutes

The dough was transferred to the bowl of a stand mixer and left for about 3 minutes to cool slightly before I beat in 5 eggs one at a time using the paddle attachment on speed 3-4. I made sure that each egg was well incorporated into the dough before adding the next. After 5 eggs, the dough was smooth and thick. You may not need all 5 eggs.

Add Cheese and Spices: 6 minutes

The spices were mixed in using the stand mixer followed by 6 ounces of the cheese in multiple additions to ensure even distribution.

Prep & Piping: 36 minutes

I set up two baking sheets with parchment paper that I drew circles on with a pen. I used the top of a bottle with a diameter of abut an inch to trace the circles on the parchment paper and flipped it over so that it doesn’t touch the dough. I filled a piping bag with about half of the dough and cut the tip to about half an inch. I piped the dough onto the parchment paper, refilling the bag as needed. This part can be a little tricky if you’re not used to using a piping bag, but it’s easy once you get used to it. If you’re unsure about how much to fill your piping bag, err on the side of under-filling it so that you don’t end up with the dough coming out of the top (what I show is way overfilled).

Eggwash & topping with cheese: 7 minutes

I beat an egg and used a pastry brush top top each mound of dough with some egg wash. I followed the egg wash with a generous sprinkling of the remaining cheese.

Bake & Cool: 50 minutes

I baked the gougeres for 31 minutes, rotating the pans after 21 minutes. Once done baking, I turned off the heat and propped the door of the oven open to cool for 15 minutes. After that, I took a paring knife and pierced the bottom of each pastry to release any steam and prevent collapse. At that point, the puffs were done.

Analysis:

These are very light and airy with a crisp bite to the exterior. Fresh, the interior is actually fairly moist, probably from all of the steam. Texturally, there’s good contrast. As far as the flavor goes, it builds with each one you eat. It may be because I used a mix of gruyere and manchego instead of just gruyere (the recipe does say that you can use any semi-soft cheese), but the cheesiness is fairly light. I definitely would’ve preferred something more overtly cheesy, but it’s not bland by any means. Given the time and effort, though I would’ve liked something more flavorful. I’m going to give these a 7/10. I think if you find a more potent cheese, these could be even better, but as is, they don’t quite hit the spot for me.

Gougeres