Gruyère Gougèreslight and hollow inside
Gruyère gougères with light choux pastry and hollow center: learn how to dry the panade, gradually add eggs, and bake without losing volume.
Gougères are small savory pastries made from choux dough enriched with cheese. Steam creates an open interior during baking, while eggs and flour form the structure that holds the volume. The dough must be well dried in the pan before adding the eggs, and the mounds need to be fully golden to stay puffed after cooling.
Ingredients
Dough
Dough and finishing
Dough
Preparation
Scald the flour
Preheat the oven to 220 °C (428 °F). Boil 125 ml of water with butter, salt, and pepper. Add the flour all at once and stir vigorously for 2 minutes until the dough pulls away from the sides and leaves a film on the bottom.
8 minutesAdjust with the eggs
Transfer to a bowl and stir for 3 minutes to cool slightly. Gradually add the beaten eggs, fully incorporating each addition. Stop when the dough forms a V-shaped peak when falling from the spatula; a small leftover egg is acceptable. Fold in 70 g of cheese.
10 minutesShape the mounds
Place the dough in a piping bag with a 1 cm opening. Pipe 24 mounds about 3 cm each on a lined baking sheet, spacing 4 cm apart. Flatten peaks with a wet finger and sprinkle the remaining 20 g of cheese on top.
12 minutesBake without opening
Bake for 5 minutes at 220 °C (428 °F), reduce to 190 °C (374 °F), and continue for 20 to 25 minutes. Do not open the oven door before 25 minutes total. The pastries should be firm, well browned, and light.
30 minutesDry and serve
Turn off the oven, slightly open the door, and leave for 5 minutes. Transfer to a rack and serve while still warm.
5 minutes
Substitutions
Emmental cheese works with a different flavor. Very moist cheeses alter the dough and may reduce puffing.
Storage
Cool on a rack, store tightly covered, and reheat in the oven at 160 °C (320 °F) for a few minutes. Freeze after cooled.
Approximate shelf life: Up to 2 days refrigerated or 30 days frozen.
Nutrition values are estimates and may vary by brand, substitution and actual yield.
