Next up in our quest to taste our way around all the places we’re desperate to travel to is churros, the sweet, stodgy, decidedly Spanish classic that tastes as good in Seville as it does in South America. Or in this case, right here at home. We’ve stumbled head first into the belief that a full stomach equals a happy heart in lockdown and while ever we are fortunate enough to have flour, we’re using it to get our bake on for a flavour of some of our favourite destinations.
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE CHURRO MIXTURE
50g butter, melted
1/2tsp vanilla extract
250g plain flour
1tsp baking powder
FOR COOKING
1 litre sunflower oil
Handful of bread
FOR THE SAUCE
200g dark chocolate
100ml double cream
100ml whole milk
3tbsp golden syrup
1/2tsp vanilla extract
FOR THE CINNAMON SUGAR
100g caster sugar
2tsp cinnamon
METHOD
Measure 300ml boiling water into a jug and add the melted butter and vanilla extract. Sift the flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl with a large pinch of salt. Make a well in the centre, then pour in the contents of the jug and very quickly beat in the flour with a wooden spoon until lump-free. Leave the mixture to rest for 10-15 minutes while you make the sauce.
Put all the sauce ingredients into a mixing bowl and place the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water; stir mixture until you have a smooth, shiny sauce. Keep warm on a low heat.
Fill a large deep saucepan one-third full of oil. Drop cubes of bread into the oil and repeat until the cubes brown in 45 seconds to 1 minute.
Cover a tray with kitchen paper and mix the caster sugar and cinnamon together.
Fit a star nozzle to a piping bag and fill with the rested dough. Pipe 2-3 strips directly into the pan, snipping off each dough strip with a pair of kitchen scissors. Fry until golden brown and crisp. Be very careful here – if air bubbles form in the churros they can explode, especially if the oil overheats or you use old flour.
Once the churros are crisp and golden brown, remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on the kitchen paper-lined tray. Carry on cooking the rest of the dough in batches, sprinkling the cooked churros with cinnamon sugar as you go. When you’ve cooked all the churros, toss with any remaining cinnamon sugar and serve with the chocolate sauce for dipping.