Churros

Bring the water, butter and salt to a rolling boil. Take it off the heat, tip in all the flour at once and beat hard with a wooden spoon until it forms a smooth ball that pulls away from the pan.

💡 Add the flour all at once, not gradually — dribbling it in makes lumps. Beating over the residual heat dries the dough slightly, which is what lets it hold the ridged shape in the oil.

Let the dough cool for 5 minutes, then beat in the egg until the dough is glossy and smooth. Spoon it into a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle.

Heat the oil to 180°C. Pipe 12–15 cm lengths straight over the pan, cutting each off with scissors as it drops in. Fry 3–4 at a time so the oil stays hot.

💡 The star shape is not decoration — those ridges give more crisp surface and, crucially, stop the churro bursting in the oil the way a smooth round one can. Use a sturdy metal or reinforced nozzle; the dough is stiff.

Fry, turning once, for about 3 minutes until deep golden all over. Lift onto paper for a few seconds, then roll each churro in the cinnamon sugar while it is still hot and slightly damp so it clings.