James Martin Churros Recipes

CHURROS

Steps:

• Boil the kettle, then measure 300ml boiling water into a jug and add the melted butter and vanilla extract. Sift the flour and baking powder into a big mixing bowl with a big pinch of salt. Make a well in the centre, then pour in the contents of the jug and very quickly beat into the flour with a wooden spoon until lump-free. Rest for 10-15 mins while you make the sauce.
• Put all the sauce ingredients into a pan and gently melt together, stirring occasionally until you have a smooth shiny sauce. Keep warm on a low heat.
• Fill a large deep saucepan one-third full of oil. Cooking with hot oil can be dangerous - before you start, read up on how to deep-fry safely to avoid accidents in the kitchen. Heat until a cube of bread browns in 45 seconds to 1 min. Cover a tray with kitchen paper and mix the caster sugar and cinnamon together.
• Fit a star nozzle to a piping bag - 1.5-2cm wide is a good size. Fill with the rested dough, then 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. Cooking with hot oil can be dangerous - before you start, read up on how to deep-fry safely to avoid accidents in the kitchen. Keep children out of the kitchen and protect yourself by wearing long sleeves and eye protection, and keeping your face away from the pan.
• 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 some 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.To see a video of how to prepare churros, take a look at our churros ice cream sandwich recipe.

CHURROS

Steps:

• Mix the sugar and cinnamon together and set aside.
• Sieve the flour with a good pinch of salt into a bowl and make a well in the centre.
• In a saucepan, mix together the butter, sugar and salt and water together. Bring to a boil and stir to ensure that the butter melts.
• Pour into the bowl containing the flour and beat with a whisk or a hand held beater to make a thick batter without lumps.
• Fit a piping bag with the 1.5cm star nozzle and fill it with the batter. The easiest way to do this is to place the bag in a tall measuring jug or glass, and folding the sides down.
• Fill the large heavy bottomed wok or frying with the vegetable oil - it should be about one-third full. Heat the oil to 170°C or until a small piece of bread browns in less than 30 seconds. The heat of the oil is important. 170°C is moderately hot, and if you let the oil become hotter, the dough will brown without cooking properly from inside.
• With one hand, pipe the mixture directly into the hot oil, using the other hand to cut the churros with a pair of kitchen scissors to the length you want. Watch the video at the top.
• Be careful not to cook more than 3 or 4 at one time, or they will all stick together. When you pipe them in, they will tend to stick together but after a minute or so when you flip them over you can gently separate them, and they will stay separated.
• Fry for about 3 to 4 minutes until crispy and golden. Anything less, and they will be undercooked. If they brown in less time, the oil is too hot, so turn it down before making the next batch.
• Once they are a deep golden, remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain briefly on kitchen paper. Then transfer to the plate with the cinnamon sugar and roll well to coat.
• Eat immediately with your fingers.