Posted: Sat Dec 29, 2018 4:59am
Jim's Churros
170ml water
85g unsalted butter
Pinch of salt
150g plain flour
¼ tsp baking powder
3 medium eggs, beaten
1 tsp orange flower water (optional - I use
Mercadona's Agua Azahar)
Finely grated zest from a lemon (or from ½ an
orange)
30g sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
Weigh the water into a saucepan and add a pinch of
salt. Slice in the butter. Put the pan over heat to melt the butter and bring
to the boil.
Sieve the flour and baking powder together. As soon
as the water boils, remove it from the heat and quickly stir in the sifted
flour and baking powder. Beat the mix with a wooden spoon until smooth and it
comes away from the sides of the pan in a smooth mass.
Cool for a couple of minutes. Then gradually add
the beaten eggs, beating well until the mixture is smooth and glossy. Add the
orange flower water (if using) and grated zest with the last dollop of egg and
mix until combined.
Cover the bowl with a tea towel and leave the
batter to one side to rest for up to 30 minutes.
Mix the sugar and cinnamon.
Remove the basket from the deep fat fryer to give
a bit more space in it. Heat fryer until it reaches 180 -190º. Test your oil by
placing a small amount of dough in it. The dough should come up to the surface right
away - if not, that means the oil is not hot enough and a soggy churro is on
the way. If you haven't got a deep fat fryer, put about an inch of oil in a
saucepan - you don't need any more as the churros float on the surface.
Fit a large piping bag with a large star-shaped
nozzle. Before decanting the mix, fold down the top of the piping bag, put the
batter in it, then undo the fold. That way, if you get any batter on the top of
the bag, it will be inside.
Pipe 2 or 3 finger-length strips of batter
directly into the pan, cutting off each strip with a pair of scissors. Do not
cook more than this in one go or the oil will cool down and your churros won't
rise properly, and will be soggy inside, rather than crisp, golden and light.
Turn the churros every half minute or so, so they
cook evenly, until golden and crisp.
Remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon,
drain quickly on kitchen paper and sprinkle liberally with the sugared
cinnamon. I put the churros on a plate before sugaring them, so the excess
sugar can be re-used.