Churros

About this dish

Churros are thought to descend from a Spanish shepherd's bread, fried over an open fire because shepherds in the hills had no ovens — the ridges, some say, were to make them easier to hold and to cook evenly without one. They became a breakfast and late-night staple in Spain, classically dunked in thick hot chocolate rather than eaten alone.

• Vegetarian
• Lactose-free
• Not vegan because of Eggs
• Contains gluten because of Plain flour

• 250mlWater
• 2gFine sea salt
• 100gCaster sugar
• 1lSunflower oil
• 150gPlain flour
• 1largeEggs
• 2tspGround cinnamon

Instructions

1. 1

   Bring the water to a boil with a pinch of the salt, a spoonful of the sugar and a splash of the oil.

   5 min

   Tip: The oil in the dough itself is what keeps the churro tender inside its crisp shell — skip it and the centre turns bready.

2. 2

   Tip in the flour all at once off the heat, and beat hard until it pulls into a smooth, glossy ball.

   3 min

   Tip: Beating vigorously now is what develops the dough's strength, so it holds its ridged shape under pressure in the piping bag rather than slumping.

3. 3

   Beat the egg into the warm dough until fully smooth and glossy again.

   2 min

   Tip: Add the egg off the heat and beat it in gradually — straight into dough that's too hot, it scrambles instead of binding.

4. 4

   Pipe strips of dough straight into hot oil, frying in batches until deep golden on all sides.

   12 min

   Tip: Don't crowd the pan — strips too close together drop the oil's temperature, and the churros soak up fat instead of crisping.

5. 5

   Toss the hot churros straight in the cinnamon sugar.

   2 min

   Tip: They only pick up the coating properly while the surface is still hot and slightly oily — wait too long and the sugar won't stick.