Lefse

Lefse is a Norwegian flat-bread.  All of my youth, my grandma made heaps of lefse for any family holiday gathering – Christmas, Easter, Thankgiving, etc.    After my grandma passed away, and my grandpa remarried – my step-grandma, who I had known all my life, took over the lefse making. 

She taught me how to make it, and I have done so a number of years – it’s a loooooong process, and fewer in our family enjoy it.  So, I do it less often.  Every now and then, though, when I want to do something a little special for someone, I make it for them specifically. 

Here's my grandma's recipe:

4 c dried instant potatoes

4 c boiled liquid (2 1/2 c water, 1/2 c evaporated milk, square of butter)
2 c flour

Whip potatoes with boiled liquid and let cool.  (Preferably overnight)

Add 2 cups flour and use extra flour to roll lefse rounds.

Again, because it is labour intensive, and because I’m prone to deciding “I’ve had enough of this”, I just make the mashed potatoes, and measure out 1 cup increments.  And then mix almost ½ cup of flour into each one cup, and finish off each little batch.

Each 1c potatoes / ½ c flour makes about 7 pieces.  Roll thin.  The first couple of pieces will probably not work out – but you’ll need to get through them to figure out the proper pan temperature.  It’s usually right around “6” on a regular coil burner.

Enjoy!

 

Mixing in the flour.  I found a suggestion to fold in the flour, rather than mix, and gave it a try. 

 

 

Make a small disk to start. Try not to have any "faults" as they will be exaggerated with the cookery.

Roll thin.  Thin thin thin.

 

 I don't quite think this is frying.  More like cooking.  Kinda like a pancake, but less messy.  (Well.  Sorta on the messy part.)