How to Make Lefse

A tutorial from a gal with real Norwegian blood, this lefse is a simple version that saves a lot of time and effort compared to the traditional method.

For those of you who haven't had lefse, you are missing out!  It's a sweet potato flat bread, kind of like an oversized potato tortilla.  It's typically served buttered, sprinkled with sugar, and rolled up.  For as long as I can remember, my granny and grandpa would make lefse for all the big family dinners.  When my grandpa was still alive, they would make lefse from whole potatoes.  After my grandpa passed away, my granny started using potato flakes instead (much easier and MUCH quicker).

Here is what you'll need:

4 cups potato flakes
4 tsp. sugar
3 tsp. salt 
3 cups boiling water
1-1/3 c. whole milk
1-1/2 c. margarine  (I used butter...)
1 cup Half & Half

Put the dry ingredients into a large bowl.  Bring the water, milk, half & half, and butter to a boil.  This works best if the butter is cut up into chunks.

Once it is boiling, stir it into the large bowl until it is smooth.  It should look like a big bowl of really fattening mashed potatoes.  Refrigerate overnight.

To make the lefse dough, take 2 cups of the potato mixture and work in a cup of flour.  Add more flour if it's especially sticky.  Divide this mass into palm sized balls and then roll out the dough on a well floured surface as thin as possible.

Here's where the Norwegian equipment comes into play.

Lefse turner and lefse griddle.

Use your lefse turner and place the thin circle of dough onto the lefse griddle on high heat (or around 400 degrees). 

Leave it until it bubbles- you want little brown blisters all over.

 Then use your lefse turner to flip it until it browns on the other side as well.

I actually prefer it even darker than this

Ideally, you would have lots of little tea towels to wrap the cooked lefse in to help keep some of its moisture.  Refrigerate the cooked dough in a stack.  Then when you're ready to eat it, spread on some butter or margarine, sprinkle it with sugar, roll it up tight, cut it in half, and enjoy!

If you don't have a lefse griddle and a lefse turner, you could definitely use a regular griddle and a spatula.  If you go this route, be sure to get a large cookie cutter or coffee can to cut out circles of lefse to make it more manageable.

It's so so good and a holiday tradition for me :)  enjoy!

Only two more days to enter my earring giveaway!!