Gougères Recipe

By daiseyduck

Ingredients

• purpose flour scant 1/2 cup / 65 g / 2.25 oz whole wheat flour 4 large eggs, room temperature 1 1/4 cup / 3 1/4 oz / 90 g sharp white cheddar, grated on box grater 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed w/ mortar + pestle

Details

Servings 1
Preparation time 10mins
Cooking time 40mins
Adapted from 101cookbooks.com

Preparation

Step 1

Gougères are my secret weapon this time of year. This means a bag in the freezer, always at the ready. I make the dough ahead of time (any afternoon I have a few extra minutes) then bake them straight from the freezer whenever I fancy. There is something irresistible about the way they explode in size. The way they bake into golden pom-poms of cheese-crusted magic. Like soufflés, I think there is a perception that they're tricky to make. But, I promise, with a little practice (and know-how) you can have an impressive platter piled sky-high with puffery with next to no effort. I made this batch with ale, cheese, and fennel. I love the maltiness beer brings to the dough, set off by the bite of sharp cheddar cheese.

A couple things. There are a number of approaches people take when making gougères. I opt for the path resulting in the least amount of dishes and devices to wash after. Meaning, a one-pan method, stirring by hand. I don't bother with a mixer. And I push dollops of the dough onto parchment lined baking sheets from a spoon rather than piping from a bag.

scant 1/2 cup / 65 g / 2.25 oz whole wheat flour

Preheat oven to 425F / 220C, with a rack in top third. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Bring the beer, milk, butter, and salt just to a boil in a large (thick-bottomed) saucepan over medium-high heat. Dial back the heat a bit. Add the flours and use a wooden spoon to stir, stir, stir. Really go at it. Keep going for a couple minutes, until the dough comes together smoothly, and gives off a faint toasty scent. Remove from heat and let cool, stirring occasionally to let heat out, for about five minutes. Long enough that the eggs won't cook when you attempt to work them in.

One at a time, add each of the four eggs, stirring vigorously after each addition. Stir in 1 cup of the cheese, and right away scoop gougères onto the prepared baking sheet in heaping tablespoon-sized dollops, leaving at least 1 1/2 inches between each. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and fennel seeds. Place in the oven, bake for FIVE minutes, then dial the heat back to 375, and bake another 20- 25 minutes, or until gougères are deeply golden all over, puffed, and well set. If you notice the gougers in the back browning much more quickly than the ones in the front, spin the sheet 180 degrees about 2/3 through.

Makes ~ 2 dozen 3-inch gougères.

Buckwheat Cheese Straws

These cheese straws look like wispy tree branches. Wayne calls them cheese twigs, and they never last very long around here. Crispy, cheddar-flecked, and rustic - it's the buckwheat flour that lends these slender creations their convincing shade of brownish gray.

I've always wanted to try Gougeres and you make it look so easy. I'll give these a go. Thanks.

PS - I have your Super Natural Every Day book and I make the yogurt biscuits so often. I love that recipe and how easy it is to adapt. Thank you.

Ever since I've seen these on Smitten Kitchen, I've been meaning to make these, but now must be the time, I love the addition of beer!

Wow, I've only ever made these with water and milk. Never would I have thought of beer! I can only imagine the depth of flavor it would give to these fluffy cheesy pillows!

Oh how I love gougeres. I've been making Dorie Greenspans recipe for awhile now and love how they freeze...I am so inspired by your beer & whole wheat version...wonder if I can fit this into the cookiepalooza going on in my kitchen this week

I make gougeres every Christmas day for my family. Everyone loves them, even the teenagers. You're right, they are not difficult and puff like magic. The first time I made them I was so proud!

(I'm not a baker). Must try this whole wheat version this year. It would be fun to make the traditional version and the whole wheat/beer and serve them together. Thanks Heidi and merry Christmas!

What a great idea adding the beer. And the fennel seeds. I'm thinking of adding some aged Gouda to these!

They look absolutely delicious and not too much of a problem to make. I'm going to serve mine up at our Christmas Eve party with some of my

I've never made this - a little intimidated by the final outcome. Thanks for the whole wheat version and breaking it down. My husband thanks you for less dishes to wash.

Thank you for sharing this recipe. I'm inspired to try to make gougeres. I love gougeres!

Heidi. These are genius. Gourgeres are, indeed, a good thing to have in the holiday arsenal. Mainly because they're so easy and everyone is always blown away by them. I'm really excited to try your version (beer! whole wheat flour!) Hope you're doing well and enjoying the busy (!) week leading up to the holidays. xo

If I'm not a fan of fennel, would it be heresy to just leave out that bit of the recipe? Would I need to replace it with something? This sounds great - except for the fennel - and the idea of having batches in the freezer waiting for the moment? Fantastic!

These look delicious. I must make them soon!

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