Traditionally eaten for breakfast in Spain, churros are deep-fried and tossed in sugar like doughnuts, but they are made with a thick, non-yeast batter rather than a risen dough. Eat them with coffee or dipped in hot chocolate, as the Spanish do.
Ingredients
- 300 g plain white flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- A good pinch of salt
- 375 ml boiling water
- 1 litre sunflower or vegetable oil, for deep-frying
- Caster sugar, for dredging
How to Make It
- Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together in a mixing bowl. Add the boiling water and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth. Transfer to a saucepan and cook gently for a couple of minutes, stirring, until the mixture comes away from the side of the pan. Cover and leave to rest for half an hour.
- Heat the oil in a suitable deep, heavy-based saucepan to 175°C; it must be at least 3 cm deep, but not fill the pan by more than a third. If you do not have a frying thermometer, check the oil temperature by dropping in a cube of bread; it should turn golden brown in a minute.
- Traditionally, the mixture is piped straight into the oil and you can do this if you wish, using a piping bag fitted with a 3 cm nozzle. You’ll need to deep-fry the churros a few at a time. Carefully pipe lengths (as long as you like), straight into the hot oil. Alternatively, drop tablespoonfuls of the mixture into the oil. Fry, turning every now and then, for 3–4 minutes until golden all over.
- Remove the churros with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper, then toss in a bowl of caster sugar. Serve as soon as possible, while still warm.
