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Spanish Churros

Recipe Using Khapli Wheat Flour, With 7 Sweet And Savoury Variations

Why Khapli Wheat Flour Works in a Churro Dough

Spanish churros are made from an uncomplicated dough of flour, water, salt, and sometimes butter or eggs. The flour is mixed into boiling water with the other ingredients added soon after, to get a smooth paste, then forced through a star nozzle (which produces ridged edges) into hot oil. What makes khapli wheat a good substitute is its nutrients, and if you use 100% khapli atta, and not a blend of maida and khapli wheat, you will have denser results. 

While maida is not just empty calories, it can be worked into a balanced diet, but you can still choose something that adds more nutrients to your plate. What’s more, human studies on people with diabetes showed marked improvements in lipid markers after replacing conventional wheat products with (khapli) emmer wheat products, but the findings come from proper dietary interventions, and khapli atta is not a solo fix for lowering bad cholesterol levels.

How Khapli Wheat Flour Changes the Churro-Making Process

The method for the churros recipe stays the same: bring water (or a water-milk mix) to a boil with a pinch of salt, remove from heat, and vigorously stir in the flour until the dough pulls away from the pan sides and forms a smooth mass. With khapli wheat flour, some adjustments are needed:

• Rest the dough for 10 minutes before piping. Khapli's gluten structure is weaker and more brittle than refined maida, so a short rest lets the dough relax and become easier to extrude without tearing.

• Pipe with slightly less pressure and use a wider star nozzle. Because the dough is a touch less elastic, thinner extrusions can break apart in the oil; a medium-thick churro shape holds together better.

• Fry at a slightly lower temperature (around 170°C instead of 180°C). This gives the denser khapli dough ample time to cook before the exterior over-browns.

Beyond this, the frying, sugar-coating, and serving steps are identical to a standard churros recipe.

Khapli Wheat Spanish Churros Recipe

Weaker gluten needs extra support, and khapli atta will benefit from using sourdough discard. Because the sourdough pre-digests some of the starch and gluten, making the already fibre-dense khapli dough easier on digestion, and adds a mild tanginess that complements khapli atta's nutty, slightly earthy flavour. It's also a good way to use up sourdough starter that would otherwise be discarded if you already maintain one.

Ingredients Khapli Wheat Sourdough Churros

• Aashirvaad Chakki Khapli Atta, sifted: 1⅓ cups

• Water: ¾ cup

• Unsalted butter: ½ cup

• Sourdough starter, discard or active: ½ cup

• Sugar (for dough): 1 tbsp

• Salt: ½ teaspoon

• Large eggs: 3

• Vanilla extract: 1 tsp

• Ground cinnamon (for dough, optional): ½ tsp

• Baking powder (optional): ½ tsp

• Neutral frying oil: 2 cups

Cinnamon Sugar Coating

• Sugar: ½ cup

• Ground cinnamon: 2 tsp

Method for Making Spanish Churros Recipe

• Add water, butter, sugar and salt to a medium saucepan. Put it over medium heat until the butter melts and the mixture just starts simmering.

• Mix the baking powder (optional) into the sifted khapli wheat flour, then tip it into the saucepan all at once. Keep stirring with a wooden spoon until the dough pulls away from the sides and forms a thick, smooth ball, about 1-2 minutes.

• Remove from heat and let the dough cool until just warm to the touch, not hot.

• Beat the eggs into the dough, one at a time, until the dough turns smooth and glossy.

• Stir in the sourdough starter discard or active, ground cinnamon (optional), and vanilla extract until fully incorporated.

• Cover the dough and let it rest for 10 minutes before piping. Khapli wheat's is weaker gluten and needs this rest time for it to relax and pipe well.

• Heat around a cup of neutral frying oil in something like a kadhai to 180°C. Since khapli atta has bran, it will brown faster; a lower temperature will help in cooking the churros inside out.

• Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe 10-15 cm strips directly into the hot oil, using scissors to cut the dough as you go. Fry for 45 seconds to 1 minute per side.

• Drain the fried churros on paper towels. While still warm, mix (for coating) the sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl and roll each churro in it until fully coated.

• Serve immediately with liquid chocolate sauce, rabri, or condensed milk. They're best eaten hot, straight out of the coating.

Note: The sourdough discard step is optional if you don't maintain a starter – the dough will still work with just eggs and butter, though you'll lose the mild tang that offsets khapli's nutty flavour. If using active starter rather than discard, the dough can also be refrigerated after Step 5 for a longer, slow ferment before piping and frying.

Sweet and Savoury Ways to Enjoy Khapli Wheat Churros

Start with the churros recipe above and experiment with dessert making with khapli atta first, then roll them in the sugar-cinnamon mix. You can try more options below if you like fusion desserts as well as savoury snacks.

• Cardamom-saffron khapli churros with rabri dip: Add crushed cardamom and a pinch of saffron (better if the colour is activated in warm milk) to the dough, then serve with rabri instead of hot chocolate.

• Date-jaggery stuffed khapli churros: A more sattvic-friendly sweet option features a thick date and jaggery paste, stuffed into the churro, or rather, piped, after the churros cool. Dust with nutmeg-cinnamon sugar rather than plain sugar.

• Chocolate-stuffed khapli churros: Pipe the khapli dough into slightly thicker, shorter tubes, fry them, then use a piping bag to put melted dark chocolate ganache through one end once the churros have cooled for a bit.

• Masala khapli churros: Mix chaat masala, roasted cumin powder, and a pinch of black salt into the khapli dough before piping, then serve plain or with a dusting of the same spice mix after frying.

• Cheese-stuffed khapli churros: Stuff the fried churros with a mozzarella or processed cheese filling, seasoned with oregano and chilli flakes. This is a good starter to surprise people who love cheesy recipes.

• Paneer bhurji-stuffed khapli churros: A more substantial savoury option features scrambled, spiced paneer bhurji that is stuffed into a thicker churro shell after frying, so you get a nice handheld snack.

• Chai-spiced khapli churros with condensed milk dip: Infuse the dough with a chai masala blend (ginger, clove, cardamom, black pepper) and serve with condensed milk as the dip instead of chocolate.

Spice Blends And Dipping Sauces to Pair

• For sweet churros: cinnamon-sugar, cardamom-nutmeg sugar, or a dusting of jaggery powder.

• For savoury churros: chaat masala, cumin-black salt mix, or oregano-chilli flake seasoning.

• Sweet dips: hot chocolate ganache, rabri, condensed milk, or a simple jaggery-caramel syrup.

• Savoury dips: mint-coriander chutney, garlic mayo, or a tomato-chilli ketchup with a touch of tamarind.

Khapli Wheat Flour vs Refined Flour For Churros

Upgrading Churros Recipe with Khapli Atta

Churros are, by design, an indulgent fried snack, and khapli wheat flour doesn't turn them into a health food. What it does is shift it slightly toward more fibre with a better post-meal blood sugar response. It’s an important thing, especially if you tend to want to indulge in treats like churros frequently, rather than as a once-in-a-while indulgence. For readers already cooking with khapli atta for rotis or parathas, extending it to this fun recipe like churros is a low-effort way to use up the same flour in a different way.