Sunday, July 11, 2010

Homemade Churro Win!!

I'm SO not in to frying things.

Infact, I'd go as far to say that I hate it.

These churros were no exception - I hate having to stand there, monitor the oil, make sure it's not burning, make sure I don't burn myself (fail) etc etc......but the end result was kinda worth it.

These churros were aweeeeeesome!! I've been obsessed with churros ever since I was about 8 years old. I went to Disneyland in USA with my sister and mum and ate this long, soft, sugary, cinnamony piece of dough. And it was deeeeeeeeelicious. Nothing like it in Australia at all - not until a few years ago at least.

I walked past san churro today with my boyfriend and I was like OMG CHURRO WANT!! But I was full from lunch and also broke.

So I came home and made my own.

My kitchen, hair, clothes and infact my whole apartment smells like oil.....but again, it was worth it. If only I had some chocolate on hand to dip those bad boys in......*sigh* it was good enough with cinnamon sugar though!!

This churro recipe was the whole reason I bought this book. I opened it up at the bookshop and the churro recipe was staring at me. I didn't even look at the other recipes - I was sold!! The other recipes do look good though, and I will defo be trying more of them!!

Churros from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Jill O'Connor

1 cup water
1/4 light olive oil (I used vegetable instead, I didn't have light and it said not to use extra virgin)
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups of plain flour, sifted and then measured (meh I'm not that precise. I just measured and sifted - cause I'm a rebel like that ya know....!!)
4 large eggs (I used 3 because I got sick of beating them in lol)
Peanut or canola oil for frying (I used vegetable)
Sugar & cinnamon for rolling

Combine the water, olive oil and salt in a medium heavy bottom non aluminium saucepan (uhhh.....idk, I just used a saucepan!!). Bring to a full, rolling boil over high heat. Remove from the heat and add the flour all at once. Stir briskly until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan and fathers in a clump around the spoon. Place the pan over medium heat and stir the batter for 30 - 60 seconds. This gets rid of any excess moisture and also the raw flour taste from the dough.

Line a work surface with foil and turn the dough on to it. Pat the dough in to an 8 inch circle and let cool for 5 mins. Return to the pan and beat in eggs one at a time until the dough smooths out. It should be smooth, slightly sticky, and malleable but firm enough to form soft peaks and be piped or scooped and hold its shape.

Pour oil to a depth of 3 inches in to a saucepan and heat to 365c. Fit a pastry bag with a large star tip (couldn't find my big one.....used a small one instead) and pipe strips of dough into the oil. Fry until golden brown and when cooked transfer to paper towel to drain and then roll in cinnamon sugar mixture.

They were gooooood - crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside. And in my boyfriends words "why does everything you make turn out so fucking good?!"

:)

6 comments:

Liz said...

Mmmm I love theme park churros as well. But I've had them in Spain as well and hated them. They make them savoury there with no sugar then you dip them into a hot chocolate, I always felt really sick afterwards from the fat overload.
PS. The second time I had them was just to make sure my first experience wasn't just a one off.

cupcakexgirl said...

Have you been to san churro here Liz?? If not, that's our next port of call me thinks!!

WayneandFarrah said...

YUM, looks divine!
I love San churros, we go there all the time.

Obesebaby said...

that's def. restaurant standard. good job!

betty said...

well done on the churros! im scared to deep fry in oil so i avoid these kind of recipes but i wonder if theres a recipe for baked ones..

Anonymous said...

Where in Spain?
I ask because many authentic Spanish churro recipes, call for very little (if any) fat in the pastry itself - it's flour, water, a pinch or so of salt and, sometimes, baking powder. Some recipes call for up to 2 tbsp. of oil in a dough/paste that yields 10-12 pastries. The bulk of the fat is for frying, and any properly fried food won't absorb much of the oil.
Rich-tasting churros are generally made with choux pastry (or something like it) and contain eggs, cream and/or butter. I'm told that, in Spain, churros are more likely to be made this way nearer to France (but that it's still not standard).
Savory flavor will depend on the oil used for frying. In Andalusia, olive oil is generally used, which can impart a very savory flavor, depending on the darkness of the oil.
Churros are served dusted with icing sugar in Spain, but generally only if they're not served with chocolate.
One is far more likely to encounter choux pastry churros in México, which was ruled (separately) by both France and Spain in its colonial period. Home recipes often use a little oil, but not butter/cream or eggs, and are fried and rolled in sugar or cinnamon sugar.
In my humble opinion, the non-eggy version with cinnamon is best, served with hot chocolate (not nearly as thick in México as it can be in Spain), champurrado or cajete.
But I digress...
Funnily enough, American theme park churros are more likely to include rich ingredients. They're loaded with cinnamon and sugar, which mask the heavy taste.
Random info: In Spain, churros are piped in a round shape. When the pastries are stick-shaped, they're called porras.