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    Home » Recipes » Bakery and Baking

    Gougere French Cheese Puffs (gluten free or wheat)

    Published: Apr 24, 2012 · Modified: Mar 18, 2022 by Sally Cameron · This post may contain affiliate links · 13 Comments

    2366 shares
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    The irresistible French cheese puffs called gougeres (goo-zhare), made gluten-free or with wheat flour. They are great with a glass of wine for cocktail hour. I make mine with lots of Parmesan cheese and finely chopped chives. If the French name is too difficult, call them what I do – Parmesan puffs.  They are fun to make!

    a plate of golden Parmesan gougere (Parmesan puffs).

    Do you remember the first time you bravely attempted a new technique or a new recipe? I still remember making gougere (goo-zhare) for the first time. It was strange how the pastry dough came together, but it worked beautifully in the end. A triumph. And I still love them.

    For this recipe I've added Parmesan cheese and used gluten-free flour.

    Jump to:
    • How to Make Pate a Choux Dough
    • A Handy Little Tool: Dishers
    • Flour Options: Wheat or Gluten-free
    • Notes For Gluten-Free Bakers
    • Homemade Gluten-Free Flour Blend
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    How to Make Pate a Choux Dough

    The formal name for this pastry dough is choux (shoo) pastry or pate a choux (pot-ah-shoo). Bring milk and butter to a boil, dump in flour, and stir like mad until the dough pulls away from the side of the pan. Add eggs, one at a time and again, stir like mad until they are well incorporated and the dough smooths out.

    The process of making pate a choux dough, stovetop.
    The process of making pate a choux dough, stovetop.

    The pastry will look odd while you stir. At first it looks curdled and slippery from the eggs and you wonder if it will come together. Suddenly it does, and forms a smooth pastry dough.

    Pate a choux dough in a stainless steel pan, almost done.
    Pate a choux dough in a stainless steel pan, almost done.

    Add cheese and chives, then stir some more.  You’ll have a thick, savory dough to portion out and bake.

    Finished pate a choux dough with cheese and chives.
    Finished pate a choux dough with cheese and chives.

    I’ve piped them and dropped dollops with spoons in the past. Now I use what’s called a disher.

    A Handy Little Tool: Dishers

    A disher is a tool I can’t live without in my kitchen. I have 5-6 sizes of them in various sizes for various tasks. They make portion control and handling ingredients easy. For small puffs I use a #40 disher that is 1 ½” across. For truly bite-sized puffs, use the #60.

    Using a disher tool to portion the dough on to a baking sheet.
    Using a disher tool to portion the dough on to a baking sheet.

    Flour Options: Wheat or Gluten-free

    I tested three types of flour: organic white whole wheat, organic whole wheat pastry, and a gluten-free blend called Cup4Cup. All three came out great. Pastry flour is a soft wheat which contains less gluten and provides a more tender baked good. Additionally I've included a homemade GF blend in the recipe notes.

    Notes For Gluten-Free Bakers

    For gluten-free gougere I tested with a pre-made blend, Cup4Cup (C4C) gluten-free flour. The dough looks little different as it forms but the process is the same. The gougere came out great. After three test batches, here are the changes from the standard recipe.

    Substitute ½ cup (72 grams) of the C4C for the regular flour and turn oven down to 350 degrees (177 C). Bake until just golden. Time will depend on your ovens as they can vary. Note that Bob’s Red Mill also makes a great gluten-free flour blend, available everywhere. The gluten-free batch did not puff  as much as did the wheat gougere, but they tasted terrific and will be appreciated by anyone following a gluten-free diet.

    My last and best batch took about 20-25 minutes. They were golden on the outside and done but a tiny bit moist on the inside. Gluten-free flours based on cornstarch (as is C4C) may result in baked goods that dry out a little more quickly. That little bit of moistness is probably good. The next day, they were still perfect.

    Homemade Gluten-Free Flour Blend

    My homemade flour blend mixes brown rice, sweet rice, and quinoa flours plus cornstarch and tapioca. For accuracy, you will need a digital scale to blend your flours. When measuring use the tare feature, it's faster. Whisk together until well blended. I use all Bobs Red Mill flours. This makes enough for several batches of gougeres. 

    For another terrific cocktail nibble, try these sweet and spicy roasted maple cashews.

    📖 Recipe

    gougere | afoodcentriclife.com

    Gougere French Cheese Puffs

    Sally Cameron
    These smell so good when they are baking you will have a hard time not devouring them as soon as they come out of the oven. Small ones are great alongside a glass of wine. Find the tool called a disher on Amazon, or use a tablespoon. See flour notes below.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 25 mins
    Total Time 40 mins
    Course Appetizer
    Cuisine French
    Servings 6 2 per person
    Calories 174 kcal

    Equipment

    • Baking sheet
    • Baking parchment
    • #40 disher (looks like an ice cream scooper with a spring handle) optional or piping bag

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 ounces unsalted butter
    • ½ cup milk
    • ½ cup gluten-free flour blend or white whole wheat flour
    • 1 pinch sea salt
    • 2 large eggs
    • 2 ounces finely grated Parmesan cheese plus extra to top if desired
    • 1 tablespoon finely chopped chives

    Instructions
     

    • Ready all ingredients and tools before you start as this goes quickly. Pre-heat oven to 400° for wheat flour or 350° for gluten-free flours. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
    • Place butter in a medium saucepan and melt over low heat. When butter is melted, add the milk, turn heat to high and bring to a boil. When the milk and butter get to a full boil, dump in the flour and salt all at once. Turn heat down to medium-low and stir like mad with a wooden spoon. Stir, beat and fold until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan, 1-2 minutes. Move the dough to a medium bowl and cool 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
    • Add eggs, one at a time to the bowl, stirring like mad after each one until completely incorporated. It will look like a slimy mess for the first minute but keep stirring. The dough will come together. Lastly stir in the cheese and chives.
    • With a #40 disher, piping bag with plain tip or tablespoon, drop portions of pastry onto parchment lined baking sheets. Sprinkle a little extra Parmesan on top if desired. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Check the puffs early and watch them as ovens and timing vary. Allow puffs to stand for a few minutes after baking. Serve immediately or cool completely and place in an airtight container. Puffs can be made a day ahead and served at room temperature or warmed in the oven for a few minutes.

    Notes

    Choose from four flour options: white whole wheat, whole wheat pastry, gluten-free pre-made blend or homemade gluten-free blend (see note at end). I prefer organic flours for baking. You’ll need baking parchment for this recipe.
    If you want to blend your own GF flour, here is my recipe. With a digital scale, weigh out 40 grams brown rice flour, 35 grams sweet rice flour, 25 grams quinoa flour, 20 grams cornstarch and 24 grams tapioca flour.
    Whisk together until well blended. You can do it all in one bowl using the tare feature. I used all Bobs Red Mill flours. This makes enough for several batches of gougeres. 
    Use 72 grams for whole wheat pastry flour or gluten-free flour blend.
     

    Nutrition

    Serving: 2Calories: 174kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 7gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 91mgSodium: 190mgPotassium: 66mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 455IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 156mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. F morin says

      December 18, 2019 at 12:12 pm

      Perfect! Just made them!
      I’ll freeze them
      We’ll make them again,

      Reply
      • Sally Cameron says

        January 06, 2020 at 2:53 pm

        Love to hear that! They are yummy, and I think fun to make. Thanks for commenting.

        Reply
    2. Marci says

      October 13, 2015 at 5:30 am

      I have large eggs. Any idea how many I would use?

      Reply
      • Sally Cameron says

        October 13, 2015 at 10:01 am

        Hi Marci, 2 eggs. Hope you enjoy them!

        Reply
    3. Tera says

      July 13, 2015 at 3:57 pm

      Am I able to use all purpose flour?

      Reply
      • Sally Cameron says

        July 15, 2015 at 6:06 pm

        Hi Tera. I did not develop the recipe or test it with white all purpose flour. It should work I would think. Honestly, please try the white whole wheat flour. King Arthur is available in most stores or use Trader Joes White Whole Wheat. It's better for you than refined white flour. Time to start getting away from refined white flours and products in general. They offer no nutritional value.

        Reply
    4. Ashley says

      April 20, 2013 at 12:06 pm

      I made the gluten free version of these today. My husband and I couldn't stop eating them! Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
      • Sally says

        April 20, 2013 at 12:41 pm

        Thanks Ashley! I just overhauled my moms 1956 banana bread recipe to be GF. Stay tuned! It will be out in a few days!

        Reply
    5. Virginia Kahler-Anderson, aka HomeRearedChef says

      June 24, 2012 at 5:45 pm

      OMGosh! These things are phenomenal!! I have made these before, but actually haven't in many years. And I just LOVE that you have given us a recipe for making them gluten free. I am saving this recipe of yours. Thank you very much. 🙂

      It is really awesome that Genie Grato Featured your post, or I would not have found this recipe for gluten free.

      ~Virginia

      Reply
    6. susan says

      May 23, 2012 at 9:30 am

      I am so all over these! These are gorgeous and I cannot wait to make these!!!

      Reply
    7. LP @dishclips says

      April 30, 2012 at 9:54 pm

      I love the step by step pictures. Makes the recipe comprehensible. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
    8. M G says

      April 30, 2012 at 2:32 pm

      I am SO MAKING these!!! Thanks for the tip. 🙂

      It seems there's a lot of versatility to this recipe. I can add some diced chiles and pepper jack cheese too. 😉 Cali touch! 😉

      Also, rosemary, parsley..etc.

      Yummy!!!!!

      Reply
      • Sally says

        April 30, 2012 at 9:55 pm

        The herbs sounds great, as do the pepperjack cheese instead of Parmesan, but be very careful with diced green chiles. You don't want to add moisture to the dough. If you use fresh chiles sparingly, roasted, peeled an chopped, it might work. These are not biscuits. They are much lighter, and extra moisture could weigh them down or cause them to still be doughy on the inside. Please comment back and let us know what you do and how it comes out. I'd suggest you start with just pepperjack, as Gruyere is traditional.

        Reply

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    chef sally cameron | afoodcentriclifecom.bigscoots-staging.com

    Welcome! I'm Sally, a classically trained chef (but you don't have to be!). My passion is cooking fresh healthy food and sharing it with others.

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