Sourdough Discard Churros With Chocolate Cinnamon Dip

Sourdough churros, a delightful twist to the traditional churros recipe are perfectly crispy, sweet and to die for when dipped in creamy cinnamon chocolate. This recipe involves combining the tangy goodness of sourdough starter discard with the classic golden brown, cinnamon-sugar-coated allure of churros, and fair warning: You won’t be able to stop with one!

Why You’ll Love These Sourdough Churros

I’m a strong believer that everything is better with sourdough. The delicious tang sourdough starter adds something that just can’t be replicated. PLUS, this recipe is an excellent use for that sourdough discard you’ve been hoarding in your fridge. I’m a big believer in NEVER throwing away discard... There are simply SO many great uses for it and this recipe is a huge winner!

Here are a few reasons I think you’ll LOVE this delicious churro recipe:

• Golden Brown, crispy perfection! The texture of the sourdough discard batter creates a deliciously chewy inside while the light deep-fry creates the crispiest, golden brown outer layer for that signature churro crunch. It’s heavenly!
• Use up discard! As I mentioned before, I NEVER throw away starter. I’m usually busy whipping up sourdough discard crackers, sourdough discard pop tarts, or sourdough granola bars... But on occasion having a yummy snack like these churros is a fun way to mix up my discard baking!
• Versatile snacking options: We eat these with a deliciously creamy chocolate cinnamon dipping sauce but churros can easily be paired with a variety of dips, sauces, and fruit for a fun “churro bar”! Get creative with these!

Disclaimer: I’m not Hispanic, nor do I claim to have mastered cooking Mexican, Peruvian, Spanish or Cuban dishes. I do, however, LOVE experimenting with ethnic dishes and introducing my kids to food from other cultures. I hope you enjoy these churros while realizing my process may differ from traditional cooking methods.

Sourdough Discard Versus Active Sourdough Starter 

If you are thinking “What’s the difference between sourdough discard and active sourdough starter?” – You aren’t alone! This is one of the confusing things about sourdough that TRULY isn’t all that complicated.

Discard starter is the sourdough starter in its NONACTIVE state- This means, no bubbles. Not yet fed. How my starter is when I’ve just pulled it out of the fridge or when it’s on the counter but I haven’t fed it in 8 hours or so. 

Active sourdough is bubbly and doubled in size. Typically 4-8 hours after it’s been fed is the most active phase. Active starter acts as a leaven and will make bread, rolls or cakes rise! Discard adds some fermentation properties (specifically if it’s been left to ferment for a longer time) but most of the time will not cause anything to rise.

If you want to get started with sourdough, check out these posts!

• Make Sourdough Starter
• Feed and Maintain Sourdough Starter

Tips and Tricks For Making Fried Churros:

• When heating the dough mixture, keep an incredibly close eye on it. You want the dough to thicken and form a ball, but you want to avoid any browning/baking of the dough on the bottom of the pan. This is a tricky balance. It’s better to keep the pan on low heat and let it cook slowly while stirring than to risk browned clumps of dough inside your churro.
• Make sure your dough temperature is below 125 degrees before adding the egg or you risk cooked clumps of eggs in your dough.
• Heating your oil to 375 degrees for frying is advisable. In all honesty, I usually don’t check the temperature, I just heat the oil til I hear it sizzling and then throw a little clump of dough in the oil to see if it fizzes and browns!
• You also do NOT want to overheat the oil. If your churros are browning past a “golden brown” during their 4-minute cook time, turn the heat down and let the oil cool for a bit.
• If you don’t follow my method for freezing the churro dough and starting the frying process on parchment paper, you can pipe dough straight into the hot oil but keep in mind, your churros will be C or S-shaped, not straight!.

Supplies:

• Large Mixing Bowl
• Whisk
• Measuring cups and spoons
• medium saucepan
• Large Dutch oven or wide pot with high sides
• Tongs
• Pastry bag
• Star Tip- 1/4″ to 1/2″
• Kitchen thermometer
• Parchment paper
• Airtight container
• Drying rack

Ingredients:

For The Dough:

• 1/2 cup water
• 4 TBSP sugar
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup sourdough discard
• 1 egg
• 3-5 cups vegetable oil (for frying)

For The Topping:

• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1-2 TBS cinnamon

Creamy Cinnamon Chocolate Sauce:

• 1 cup cream
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Let’s Get Started Making Homemade Churros!

Prepare the Sourdough Churro Dough:

• Combine the water, butter, sugar, and salt in a medium-sized saucepan. Heat until the butter has melted, and the mixture comes to a rolling boil.

• Remove the pan from the heat, and add flour and sourdough discard, while stirring vigorously with a metal whisk. After the mixture is well incorporated, return the saucepan to the burner and set the burner to medium-low heat. Using a wooden spoon, stir the mixture vigorously until the mixture becomes smooth and forms a ball. The dough should follow the spoon around the pan. It will be a very sticky, smooth dough.

Note: This whole process should take 1-2 minutes. Be very careful to not let the dough start cooking on the bottom of the pan. The dough should be thick enough that it will hold its shape while being piped. If the dough is sticking to the bottom of the pan or browning, your pan is too hot.

• Remove the pan from the heat, and let the dough cool for 5 to 10 minutes. The temperature should read below 125°F. I don’t usually check the temperature, but test it with my finger. It will be warm but not hot enough to cook the egg.
• Add egg. Beat vigorously until well combined.
• Spoon batter into a piping bag with a large star tip. The star tip is what creates the churro’s classic grooved surface. A 1/4″ star is what I used since that is what I had on hand. This yielded a fairly thin churro. In the future, I will likely opt for a wider (1/2″) star to create fatter, larger churros.

OPTIONAL TIP:

Place the piping bag on a cookie sheet and put in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes. You don’t HAVE to follow this step, but it helped the churros hold more of their grooved shape and made the piping a bit easier. If your batter already seems super thick you can skip this step.

• Pipe the batter onto a parchment paper sheet. I made mine about 6″ long. Place the cookie sheet back in the freezer for about 20 minutes. You want to be able to pick up the churro strips to place in the frying oil.

• While the churros are chilling, heat about 3-4 inches of vegetable oil in a Dutch oven or deep pan with high sides. Oil should be heated to about 375 degrees. I usually don’t test the temperature, instead, I wait til I hear the oil crackling and then I toss a small piece of churro dough into the oil. If the oil shimmers and bubbles around the dough and immediately begins browning the dough- It’s ready!

NOTE: The oil does not need to be INSANELY hot. If the dough seems to be browning very quickly, turn the heat down. Otherwise, the inside will be doughy while the outside will be over-baked.

• Remove the sourdough churros from the freezer once the oil is heated.

Pro Tip:

This is optional but makes the process MUCH easier. Using a pair of kitchen scissors, cut the parchment paper around each churro.

Drop the piece of parchment paper with the churro on it into the hot oil. After a few seconds, remove the parchment paper with a pair of tongs. Dropping the parchment paper into the oil with the churro will help the churro keep its straight shape.

• Fry the churros for about 2 minutes per side. You should notice the churros turning a golden brown shade. If the color is darker than desired, turn down the heat. Remove churros from oil with tongs and place on a paper towel to drain.

Coat in Cinnamon Sugar:

• Combine sugar and cinnamon on a wide, flat plate and roll churros to coat.
• Churros can be devoured immediately, or served with chocolate sauce- recipe below!

Quick Chocolate Cinnamon Churro Sauce

Heat a saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 cup of cream and bring to a boil, stirring continuously. Add 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips and continue to stir. Stir in 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Stir until the sauce thickens.

NOTE: You can add more cinnamon, depending on your preference.

Share These Delicious Sourdough Churros With Friends + Family!

Did you enjoy these sourdough churros?! Please let me know below!

Print