Sunday Brunch: Giant Gougères

Name: Sunday Brunch: Giant Gougères
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Global
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 6 larges eggs; 237 milliliters all-purpose flour; 1 Tbsp fresh thyme, minced; 113 grams 3/4 cup grated Gruyère cheese , plus a little extra for topping (I went by weight, and 4 ounces made way more than 3/4 cup for me); 296 milliliters nonfat milk; 1 teaspoon salt; 10 Tbsps unsalted butter

This recipe serves 8. This recipe covers 10% of your daily requirements of vitamins and minerals. One serving contains 303 calories, 11g of protein, and 22g of fat. A mixture of salt, butter, thyme, and a handful of other ingredients are all it takes to make this recipe so tasty. From preparation to the plate, this recipe takes around 45 minutes.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter a baking sheet or line with parchment paper. (I used one half sheet pan and one quarter sheet pan because I could not fit all 8 pastries on the half sheet pan.)

Ingredients you will need

Butter

Equipment you will use

Baking Paper

Baking Sheet

Oven

Frying Pan

Combine the milk, butter, and salt in a heavy saucepan and cook over medium heat until the butter melts and the mixture comes to a full boil. (Do not use whole milk, or the gougères will collapse. If you have only whole milk, use half milk and half water.)

Ingredients you will need

Milk

Butter

Water

Salt

Equipment you will use

Sauce Pan

Add the flour all at once, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon. Keep stirring until the mixture has formed a smooth mass and pulls away from the side of the pan and some of the moisture has evaporated. This will take about 3 minutes.

Ingredients you will need

All Purpose Flour

Equipment you will use

Wooden Spoon

Frying Pan

Transfer the paste to a heatproof mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

Equipment you will use

Mixing Bowl

Stand Mixer

Add 5 of the eggs, one at a time, incorporating each egg before adding the next. (If using a stand mixer, mix on medium; if working by hand, use a wooden spoon.) When all the eggs have been added, the mixture will be very thick, smooth, and shiny. Use a rubber spatula to mix in the cheese, pepper, and thyme.

Ingredients you will need

Cheese

Pepper

Thyme

Egg

Equipment you will use

Wooden Spoon

Stand Mixer

Spatula

Make the egg wash: whisk the remaining egg together with a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Use a large spoon to form 3-inch rounds about 1 inch high on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.

Ingredients you will need

Salt

Egg

Equipment you will use

Baking Sheet

Whisk

Bowl

Brush with the egg wash and sprinkle with grated cheese.

Ingredients you will need

Cheese

Egg

Baked until they have puffed, are light for their size, and are golden brown, 35-45 minutes.

When they come out of the oven, poke a small hole in the side of each pastry to allow steam to escape (this should prevent them from collapsing). If splitting and filling, allow the gougères to cool to room temperature first. Otherwise, serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

Equipment you will use

Oven

You can use this recipe to make classically small gougères, too: just use a spoon to drop the dough into 1-inch mounds spaced 1 1/2 inches apart and bake for about 25 minutes. Small gougères need not be slit when they come out of the oven to avoid collapsing.

Ingredients you will need

Mounds Bar