Hot, golden churros tossed in cinnamon sugar are already pretty awesome. But sourdough discard takes churros right over the top. They’re extra crisp and a little tangy, and perfect for dunking in one of the three dips included in this recipe just in case you’re feeling indecisive!
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What are Sourdough Churros?
Churros are a classic Latin American treat made of choux pastry, the same type of dough used to make eclairs and cream puffs. They’re usually coated in cinnamon sugar and served with a dipping sauce (often chocolate or dulce de leche). My version replaces some of the flour and liquid in the choux dough to give it a subtle tang, a perfect airy texture on the inside and a deliciously crisp outside. Not a bad way to use up some discard!
Why You’ll Love These Sourdough Churros
- A delicious treat you’ll find hard to stop snacking on!
- It’s an easy recipe for an impressive-looking dessert with three dips to choose from.
- The sourdough discard not only adds a delicious tangy flavour to balance the rich sweetness of the fried pastry, it also gives the churros a puffy and crispy texture.
- You can make them straight by piping and freezing the dough, or make them the traditional way: piped directly into the hot oil.
- Very make-ahead friendly! You can pipe the dough and freeze it weeks in advance, and deep fry it when you’re ready to serve.
Ingredients You’ll Need
For the Churros
- Sourdough discard adds a subtle tang and depth of flavour. The acidity also helps the churros get beautifully golden brown and puffy in the hot oil. Use discard from a 100% hydration starter (meaning one that’s made with equal weights of flour and water). If you don’t have a sourdough starter yet, learn how to make one from scratch here.
- Milk or water adds moisture to the dough. It evaporates as steam when heated, causing the churros to puff up.
- Butter adds richness to the dough. I recommend using unsalted butter so you can control how salty the dough. You can absolutely use salted butter instead, just reduce or omit the salt called for in the recipe.
- Sugar in the choux dough helps it get golden brown and crispy, and is not enough to make it taste sweet. It’s also used to make the the cinnamon sugar the churros are tossed in after frying.
- Salt enhances the flavour. Without it the churros would taste flat! I like using fine sea salt, but kosher salt is great too.
- All-purpose flour adds structure to the dough and traps steam to make the churros fry up nice and puffy. You can use bread flour instead, for slightly chewier churros.
- Eggs add moisture, structure, richness, and elasticity. Use large eggs.
- Oil for deep frying. Choose something with a neutral flavour and high smoke point like peanut oil or canola oil. You’ll need enough to fill your pot or deep fryer to at least 2″ (5 cm) deep.
- Cinnamon for making the cinnamon sugar coating.
For the Dips
- Chocolate is heated with heavy cream, cayenne pepper and ground cinnamon to make the spiced chocolate ganache. You can use milk or dark chocolate as you prefer, and I find that chocolate chips usually work just fine.
- Mango chunks are combined with Tajín (a delicious Mexican spice blend made with chili and lime) and lime juice to make the Mango dip. Fresh or frozen mangos work equally well. Mango and Tajín is one of my favourite flavour combos, like these oatmeal cookies!
- Canned dulce de leche for making the third dip. The other two dips are made from scratch so I think using a canned dip is totally fair game. Plus, the canned stuff is actually pretty good!
Pro Tips for Piping Perfect Churros
- To make perfectly-straight churros, pipe them out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. At the end of a line of churro dough, press the piping tip against the parchment paper to cleanly break off the dough. Then cover the baking sheet and freeze. Once frozen solid you can transfer them to a Ziploc bag and store them for up to 3 months, so this is a great way to make the churros ahead! Then fry them from frozen. You’ll probably need to fry them for a couple minutes longer.
- For curved churros, pipe the dough directly into the hot oil, and use a clean pair of kitchen scissors to snip the dough off when it’s as long as you like. This is how churros are traditionally made, and it saves an extra step.
Equipment You Need for Making Churros
- A deep fryer or a large heavy-bottomed pot (a Dutch oven like this one would be perfect) to fry the churros in. If you’re frying in a pot, you’ll need tongs or a spider to fish the fried churros out of the oil.
- A piping bag. A reusable piping bag is great if you do a lot of piping and want to cut down on waste. If you want easier cleanup, disposable piping bags are a good option. I like using a large piping bag (18″ / 46 cm) or larger, so it holds all of the dough and I don’t need to reload it.
- A medium French star piping tip. This gives your churros lots of ridges so they get nice and crispy, and it helps them puff up more evenly.
- A deep fry or candy thermometer to make sure your oil is at the right temperature.
Common Sourdough Churro Problems & How to Fix Them
Why Aren’t My Churros Crispy?
- Your oil temp was too low. The oil should be at 375˚F (190˚C) in order to quickly cook the outside of the churros and make them nice and crispy.
- You put too many churros into the deep fryer or pot at once, and the oil temperature dropped. They should be able to float around freely in the oil.
- Too many eggs added to the dough. Add eggs a little bit at a time. Once it starts to loosen up, begin checking the consistency by dipping the mixer paddle or spoon into the dough and lifting it up. As soon as it hangs in a smooth V, you’ve added enough eggs.
Why Didn’t My Churros Puff or Hollow Out?
- You didn’t add enough eggs. Next time, keep adding eggs to the cooked churro dough until it hangs from the mixer paddle or your spoon in a smooth V.
- The dough wasn’t cooked for long enough. It’s important to gelatinize the starch in the flour as well as cooking out excess moisture from the dough, to make sure it puffs up properly.
- Oil temperature was too low. The moisture in the dough needs high heat in order to quickly convert to steam and make the churros puff up. Make sure your oil hits 375˚F (190˚C) before you start frying.
Why Are My Churros Greasy?
- Your oil temperature is too low. The oil is absorbing into the dough instead of cooking the outside, making your churros greasy. Use a candy or deep frying thermometer to make sure the oil reaches 375˚F (190˚C).
- The churros need to be drained for longer, to remove excess grease.
Sourdough Churros with 3 Dips
Crispy, golden sourdough churros made with a choux-style dough and sourdough discard for extra flavour. Light and custardy inside, tossed in cinnamon sugar, and absolutely perfect for dipping!
Ingredients
Method
Make Churro Dough
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together 125 g sourdough discard and 125 g milk or water until completely smooth. Whisk in ½ teaspoon fine sea salt and 15 g granulated sugar. Add 50 g unsalted butter and and heat over medium until the butter melts.
- Once the butter has melted, add 125 g all-purpose flour all at once. Keep cooking while stirring constantly until the mixture resembles mashed potatoes and leaves a film on the bottom of the pan.
- Transfer to a mixing bowl or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Leave to cool for 5-10 minutes (you can speed the cooling up by running the stand mixer for a couple of minutes). Whisk together 2 large eggs, and start adding them gradually to the dough while mixing.
- Once the dough starts to loosen up, start checking for the consistency: dip the paddle or spatula into the dough and lift up. If the dough hangs off in a smooth V, you've added enough egg. If it's still chunky, add a little more egg and check again. You might not have to add all of the egg! If you add too much egg, you can't fix it by adding more flour because all of the flour in the dough needs to be pre-cooked.
- Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a 1/2" French star piping tip. Store the dough in the fridge for up to 2 days if you won't be frying it right away.
- Make the cinnamon sugar: In a large enough bowl to coat your churros, whisk together 50 grams granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and set aside.
Fry the Churros
- To make straight churros: Line a baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Pipe a line of churro dough, and when it's as long as you like pinch the piping tip against the baking sheet to cleanly break the dough. Cover the baking sheet and freeze until the raw churros are firm (at least 1 hour).When ready to fry, preheat the oil (at least 2"/5 cm deep) in. a deep fryer or large heavy-bottomed pot to 375˚F (190˚C). Carefully drop a few frozen raw churros into the hot oil, being careful not to overcrowd the pot or deep fryer. Fry about 4-5 minutes on the first side. Use a pair of forks to carefully flip to the other side and cook for another 2–3 minutes (or until golden brown on both sides). Carefully lift out of the oil and allow excess oil to drip off. Drain on a few sheets of paper towel or on a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Coat in cinnamon sugar while still warm.
- To make curly churros: Preheat the oil (at least 2"/5 cm deep) in. a deep fryer or large heavy-bottomed pot to 375˚F (190˚C). Carefully pipe some churro dough directly into the hot oil. When it's as long as you want it, use a clean pair of kitchen scissors to snip the dough off. Pipe a few more churros into the oil, but be careful not to overcrowd the pot or deep fryer.Fry for 2–3 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Carefully lift out of the fryer and allow excess oil to drip off. Drain on a few sheets of paper towel or an a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Coat in cinnamon sugar while still warm.
Spiced Chocolate Dip
- Place 60 grams dark chocolate in a small heat-proof and microwave-safe bowl. Gently warm up 60 grams heavy cream until steaming (you can microwave it for about 30-45 seconds) and pour it over the chocolate. Leave it for 1–2 minutes to give the chocolate a chance to melt.
- Start whisking the chocolate and heavy cream together. If there are any stubborn bits of chocolate that still haven't melted, you can pop the bowl into the microwave for 15-30 seconds. Whisk together until smooth and glossy.
- Add ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, pinch cayenne, and ½ vanilla extract (if using).
Tajín Dipping Sauce
- Add 60 g mango, 2 teaspoons brown sugar, and ½ teaspoon Tajín to a small saucepan. Heat over medium until the mango softens up. Use a stick blender or transfer to a blender, and blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and whisk in ½ teaspoon vanilla extract and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (if using).
Dule de Leche
- Pour some of 1 can dulce de leche into a small bowl to serve.
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