Anyone who visits Spain simply has to try churros. Their taste resembles that of doughnuts and they’re most commonly sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, dipped in chocolate or eaten on their own. Whichever variant you order, we’re sure you’ll agree that they’re delicious. What are churros though? How do you make your own?
What is a churro?
Churros use steamed dough, the so-called choux pastry, that is then fried in hot oil. What you get then are delicious crispy sticks with nice rough edges. Where did churros come from? There are a few possible variants.
Firstly, there are sources claiming that churros were already being prepared for breakfast by Spanish shepherds as early as the 13th century. Another source proposes that churros came to Spain with the Moors, who popularised deep-frying in Spain. There are also similar sweet treats in Iran, Jordan and even Turkey, so there are more possible links. There is also a legend that Portuguese sailors liked the fried chinese dumplings so much when they encountered it that they tried to imitate them upon returning home.
Where to find churros?
You can buy churros almost anywhere in Spain: in bars, restaurants and street food stalls.
The most famous churreria is Madrid’s Chocolatería de San Ginés, located near the Plaza Mayor and Calle Arenal and founded in 1894. You’ll spot it from afar, as there are always queues of tourists waiting outside. How to get around that? You can go the takeaway route or come very early in the morning – you’ll usually find just the locals at those hours. The chocolatier is open 24 hours a day.
Are these the best churros in town? A matter of taste – it’s certainly popular for a good reason but it’s not without good alternatives. For instance, you can get great churros in Seville, at Bar El Comercio on Calle Lineros 9 and at Kukuchurro near the Metropol Parasol.
You can also find churros spread throughout South America, as the Spanish brought it with them during colonisation. You can eat them in bars or on the street, though you’ll rarely find them dipped in chocolate.
How to make your own churros at home?
Ingredients:
- 125 ml milk
- 25 g butter
- 80 g flour
- 2 eggs
- salt
- oil
1. In a pot, bring the milk to boil with the butter and a pinch of salt.
2. Slowly add in the flour to the boiling mixture and stir continuously until the consistency is smooth – meaning for about 3-5 minutes.
3 Remove the pot with the mixture and let it cool. In the meantime, you can prepare the chocolate, start heating up the oil and look for a pastry bag
(if you don’t have one, get a plastic bag. Once you’ve filled it with the mixture, cut off just the tip of one corner and use this opening to squeeze out the dough right into the oil).
4 Once the dough has cooled (about 10 minutes should be enough), add in the eggs, one by one, and mix. Don’t worry if the ingredients won’t mix properly at first. Just keep mixing and, after a few minutes, the batter will become smooth.
5 When you’ve got the hot oil, transfer the dough to the bag and start squeezing churros out. You’ll need to cut the piece yourself, with scissors for instance, as they won’t come undone on their own. Simple as that!
6 Wait a moment until they start to brown, then flip. After a moment, bring them out onto a place. Voilà!
7. If you wish, you can coat the hot churros in cinnamon sugar.
Enjoy!
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