Ingredients for 10 churros
5 tablespoons of granulated sugar
Powdered cinnamon, to taste
3 tablespoons of sunflower oil
1 ½ cups water
1 generous pinch of salt
1 5/8 cups Italian organic 00 soft wheat flour
2 eggs
oil for frying, as needed
Mix the sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish for dipping the hot churros and set to one side.
Mix the oil, water and salt in a saucepan, then bring it to a boil. As soon as it boils, add all the organic flour at once.
Lower the heat and quickly beat together, preferably with a wooden spoon, until the mixture is smooth and firm. Place this on the work surface to cool for a few minutes, then when it is cool enough to handle, place in a bowl.
Add the eggs and mix well together until the dough forms a smooth paste. Spoon the dough into a pastry bag with a 1.5 cm star nozzle, using only as much dough as can comfortably fit; you can add more as you go.
Heat the oil in a frying pan and when the hot enough for frying, pipe strips of dough of about 4 inches in length directly into the hot oil. As you go, cut each from the nozzle with a knife.
Depending on the size of your pan, fry 2-3 pieces at a time, more if you pan is large, over medium-high heat, for about 2 minutes. Once golden, remove from the hot oil with a slotted spoon, drain on absorbent paper, then dip into the sugar and cinnamon mixture.
Churros are long squiggles of fried dough dusted in sugar and cinnamon, eaten for breakfast, afternoon tea, or anytime—in fact, they are considered as “sweet fried tapas”. The classic accompaniment is a cup of dark thick hot chocolate, perfect for dipping into with the pastry!
Churros are among the most popular Spanish sweets in the world, a delicate dough much like France’s cream puff/ choux pastry.
Their origin is said to date back to 1800 to the nomadic life of Spanish shepherds. Leading their flocks through the mountains of the Iberian Peninsula, they could not reach the towns to buy bread, thus they created a similar dough which could be cooked in a skillet. This story is supported by the existence of a breed of sheep, the “Navajo churro“, descendant of the “churra” sheep, whose horns resemble churros fritters in their form.
The batter is not complicated, but their unique characteristic is a cylindrical shape—obtained by using a churrera, which is a classic pastry syringe with a star spout. Squeeze the dough directly into the pot of boiling oil, and in a few minutes you have churros!
