Is culture baked into our veins or do we control our own life? Let’s make some Churros to see what lies behind!

If anyone has ever been to Spain, may have been faced with the incredible sight of whole cured pork legs proudly hanging from ceiling wall to wall or simply placed on the bar, ready to be served as a bite, into the forefront of Spanish culture washed down with small ice-cold lagers.

Some may even have the courage to explore the local cuisine and dive into the adventure of exploring the various delicacies around the lodging but probably few of us dared to expand the boundaries of tourism.

Popping open a crowded bar’s door in the morning when napkins are littering the floor and the chatter from the people are blended into the news coming from the television with the occasional screeching of the milk frother shouting through the air. There and then, we can meet the humble backbone of society, served on the same white plates as the glass cupped lattes, the churros.

Churros is a typical Spanish fried dough that reached to every corner of the world where the Spanish language is heard. Some say that churros came to the Spanish peninsula by Portuguese travelers who frequently sailed to the Asian continent where there has been a similar dessert still popular nowadays.

Others say that churros is the invention of Spanish shepherds who used churros as a way of getting fresh baked produce at the campfire, far from the coziness of their homes.

Today’s churros is somewhat different from any of those, since nowadays churros is fried in specially made olive oil filled churros making friers. The dough is pressed through a star shaped nozzle that creates a firm crunchy outer layer and soft core with a widely recognizable form.

Another delicacy is the similar, yet more likely the original churros is the porras. Porras is much wider in diameter and less starry shaped or rather none at all which makes its outer layer less crunchy but its inside airier and thus softer.

Although they are clearly different, churros and porras are used interchangeably and clear distinction between the two are not everywhere respected or cared for. Depending on the place where we buy them or when we buy them, churros may be sprinkled with sugar without asking or in many places of the world sugar and cinnamon on top is very popular for some unfathomable reason.

Be it coffee in the morning or hot chocolate in the afternoon, though the love of churros or porras will bind together all, whose heart beats together in the morning like a pledge of allegiance under the raising rays of the late sun.

Ingredients

Native

2 cups / 240g Flour
1 cup / 240ml Water (hot)
½ teaspoon / 3g Salt

Fancy

2 cups / 240g Flour
1 cup / 480ml Water
12 tablespoons / 180g Butter
1 teaspoon / 6g Salt
6 medium / 300g Eggs

Porras

2 cups / 240g Flour
1 cup / 240ml Water
1 teaspoon / 5g Salt
1 teaspoon / 5g Yeast

How to make Churros – Porras

Churros

Mix flour, boiling water and salt together quickly. If going for the fancy version add the butter too.
Knead it until a uniform texture reached. (For the fancy version add the eggs now and mix it into the dough.)
Fill it into a piping bag or churros making equipment. The churros mass supposed to be very dense (except the fancy version) so choose a tough piping bag (or put 2 – 3 puny ones into each other) otherwise it will rip into pieces.
Spread a thin layer of oil onto a tray (parchment paper also works) then squeeze the churros out. Experienced churros makers can squeeze them directly into the oil.
Heat oil to 360°F / 180°C or as hot as possible and with oily hand transfer the churros into the oil.
Fry them until golden brown for about 3 minutes.

Enjoy!

Porras

Mix flour, lukewarm water (no more than 85°F / 30°C) salt and yeast in a bowl.
Cover the bowl, put it to a 68°F – 81°F /20°C – 27°C place to rise for 45 – 90 minutes.
Fill the dough into a piping bag or porras making equipment.
Spread a thin layer of oil onto a tray then squeeze the porras out. Experienced porras makers can squeeze them directly into the oil.
Heat oil to 360°F / 180°C or as hot as possible and with oily hand transfer the porras into the oil.
Fry them until golden brown for about 3 minutes.

Enjoy!