This recipe was adapted from http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/cheddar_cheese_puffs/
The dough is cooked on the stove first, so it doesn’t need any baking powder, baking soda, or salt.
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 2 large eggs, beaten (if you use extra large eggs, decrease the amount of water accordingly)
- ½ cup (2 ounces) grated sharp cheddar cheese (use a dry, aged cheese if possible) (OPTIONAL: use up to ¼ cup more as desired for topping the puffs before baking.)
- ½ tsp ground thyme
- pinch of ground pepper or chili powder
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a heavy medium saucepan, heat the water, butter, and pepper (or chili powder) until the butter is melted. Add the flour all at once and stir rapidly until the mixture pulls pull away from the sides of the pan into a smooth ball. Remove from heat and let it rest for about 2 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, stirring quickly to make sure the eggs don't cook and to incorporate the egg into the dough. The batter will at first be lumpy, but after a minute or tow, it will be creamy dough.
- Stir in the cheese and thyme until well-mixed.
- Spoon out small balls of dough (about a heaping tablespoon) onto the parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving at least an inch between the balls. (Try to make all of the dough balls the same size so they will cook evenly.)
- Optional: top each of the dough balls with a little additional cheese.
- Bake for 10 minutes at 425 degrees. Then lower heat to 375 degrees and cook for another 20-25 minutes, until puffed up and golden brown. You want the puffs to be completely browned up the sides so they don't sink too much when they cool. (For extra-crispy puffs: 5 minutes before the puffs are done, use a sharp knife to poke the side of each puff to release the steam. Then return to the oven to finish baking.)
- Serve warm. (To re-heat, reheat in a low oven for 5-10 minutes)
According to our estimates, one serving of this bread will contain 83 mg of sodium.
Note that sodium percentages depend on which daily reference you use. 83 mg of sodium per serving implies that this recipe provides:
– 3% of the U.S. FDA daily reference value for sodium for a 2,000-calorie diet that includes 2,400 mg sodium, or
– 6% of the American Heart Association recommendation of 1,500 mg sodium per day, or
– 8% of the Ménière’s diet recommendation of 1,000 mg sodium per day.
(As is the case with all of the recipes on this web site, the nutrition information provided in this recipe is only an estimate based on nutrition information provided on the packaging of each of the ingredients we used in this recipe and/or on a variety of sources on the web. This information should be regarded as an opinion only, with no guarantees that it is accurate. Obviously, the nutritional information will vary depending on the ingredients and quantities that you use.)
