In a pot, heat the water with the salt. When it starts to boil, pour it all at once over the flour. Use a wooden spoon to mix the flour and water together. The dough will be very sticky and quite dense. To make porras, add instant dry yeast.

Transfer the dough into a churro maker or a piping bag. This step is essential to get good churros and avoid problems during frying. The churro maker compacts the dough and removes air, which helps prevent the churros from bursting in the oil. This is a very important step.

Pipe portions of the raw dough onto a kitchen towel or wooden board. Heat a skillet with plenty of light olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the dough portions to fry. Before frying, if possible, check the oil temperature: between 385°F and 390°F (195°C to 200°C) for churros, or 445°F (230°C) for porras.

Fry over medium heat to make sure the churros cook through and aren't raw inside.

Once fried, transfer to a tray lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil. Serve sprinkled with sugar.