• Dough. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Put the water, salt, and butter in a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Add the flour all at once and beat vigorously with a sturdy wire whisk, still over the heat. It will form a very firm mass of dough that should pull away from the sides of the pan. Remove the pan from the heat. Crack an egg into a small cup. Pour the egg into the saucepan and immediately beat it into the dough using the whisk or a handheld electric mixer. Repeat with the remaining 3 eggs, incorporating each one thoroughly before adding another. The mixture will be satiny and sticky and have a consistency between soft dough and thick batter. Stir in the thyme and half cup of the cheese.
• Forming and baking. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Using 2 flatware teaspoons, drop balls of dough (each measuring 1 teaspoon in volume) in rows on the paper, allowing 1 inch of space between them for spreading. Or use a pastry bag with a large plain tip and pipe the dough out in half-inch mounds. Place a pinch of the remaining cheese on top of each gougere. (At this point you can cover the pans tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate them for up to 24 hours.) Bake the gougeres until puffed and golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Serve while still warm.
1/2 teaspoon of salt
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into half-inch cubes
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar or Gruyere cheese
This article appears in October 2024.