Churros

The first time we came across and fought over this Spanish treat was in Disneyland, Anahiem. Then we found it in Pier 39, SF and everywhere in California. And much later in Tokyo Disneyland too. And once somewhere in Singapore. Those churros in Disneyland were about 0.5m long each. I couldn't find a recipe for churros anywhere (didn't think to Google it then). Then about 5 years ago I found this recipe (I've made some slight adjustments) in a book called Mediterranean by Jacqueline Clark and Joanna Farrow:

Churros

200 g or 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour* (reduced from 1 3/4 cups)
1 1/4 cup water
pinch of salt (reduced from 1/4 t)
1 T sugar (reduced from 2 T; most times I omit it)
2 T veg oil (reduced from 1/4 cup; other recipes use butter)
1 egg, beaten (can add a few drops of vanilla)--some recipes omit the egg

Dusting:
1/4 cup fine brown or white sugar
1 t cinnamon powder

*bread flour will give a tougher dough that won't break so easily when being piped.

1. Mix together the 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon powder well, leave aside.

2. Put oil and water into a small pot. Sift flour, salt and sugar together. When water boils, switch off heat and put in all the flour and stir well with a wooden spoon. This part needs a lot of muscles as the dough is quite stiff.

3. After 2 min, add the egg into the dough and stir well till all the egg is absorbed.

4. Heat up about 6 cups of veg oil in a small pot. Find the largest star nozzle (best if about 1/2 "/1.25 cm in diameter) you have and, using a cloth piping bag or plastic piping tube (a plastic bag will burst), push the dough out into small coils or 's' shapes directly into the hot oil (caution: sometimes little pockets of dough will burst out. One of my friends, a Spaniard, burnt herself very badly cooking churros so do be careful.) or, to be safer, pipe onto a plate (using kitchen scissors to cut into 12 cm lengths) and then carefully drop into the oil.

5. Turn churros over to get even browning. When it is medium brown, scoop it out onto paper towels to drain. Then quickly toss into the cinnamon-sugar mixture and serve hot.

Apparently churros are eaten with a hot cup of chocolate or dipped in choc sauce. I did that this afternoon, when it began to rain, and it was bliss. But I wonder how do they make the chorros in Disneyland so long?