Auntie Charlotte's Best Ever Norwegian Lefse Recipe
Every year, my family makes traditional homemade Norwegian Lefse for the holidays - Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's. It's a round flat bread that's sort of like a tortilla, but it's made with potatoes. When slathered with butter, sprinkled with sugar and rolled up, there's nothing better! My hubby's family is Norwegian, and he's been making and eating Lefse for years. Then he got a refresher course from our neighbor's Auntie Charlotte, who was a perfectionist when it came to Lefse and had her own recipe. We decided it was time to share this recipe of goodness, so we scheduled a Zoom DIY tutorial with my family, one of my sister's families and neighbors who are essentially just like family. Amidst the silliness and occasional chaos of this video, you'll learn how to make the most wonderful Lefse ever. One thing: among my family members there's a bit of controversy over whether to use real potatoes or potato flakes. Flakes are certainly easier, but real potatoes are more traditional. Here's the recipe (2 options):
Auntie Charlotte's Best-Ever Lefse
Supplies (easy to find online): Lefse griddle, rolling pin, rolling pion sock, Pastry board and cover, wooden Lefse turning stick, 2 kitchen towels, plastic baggie for storage.
*Lefse takes practice. Be sure to check out Auntie Charlotte's hints at the bottom. They can really make a difference!
Ingredients:
Makes 12 Lefse rounds
Option #1: Russet Potatoes, 6 medium
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 2/3 - 3 Cups flour
Extra flour for rolling
Butter
Sugar (white or brown)
Directions: Peel and quarter potatoes. Boil until soft. Drain and use a ricer to make sure all lumps are removed. Allow to cool in refrigerator. While potatoes are boiling (or cooling), mix all other ingredients and let sit for 30 minutes. When potatoes are chilled, mix in as much flour as you can to make a slightly firm dough (this is where experience helps). Heat griddle to 500 F. Form dough into a log and cut into 12 pieces. Roll them into balls. On a generously floured pasteboard and cloth, roll each dough ball into a thin, round circle (like a tortilla). Use the lefse stick to lift the lefse off the board and place on the griddle (griddle should be dry - no oil, spray etc.). Fry until bubbles form and the underside develops golden brown spots. Flip and fry other side. Remove from heat and place on kitchen towel to cool. While the lefse is cooling, place another towel on top so the lefse steams a bit more. Repeat. To serve, fold and place on serving tray next to butter and sugar so guests can slather and sprinkle their own. To store: allow to cool to room temperature then fold in quarters, and keep in sealed plastic bag or similar container to prevent drying.
Option #2: (Potato flakes)
Supply list is same as above
Ingredients:
2 Cups potato flakes (Charlotte uses Hungry Jack)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 Cup milk
1 Cup cold water
1 T vegetable oil
1 T butter (melted)
Directions: Mix all ingredients except flour and let sit for 30 minutes. The add 1 Cup flour, mix and form into a loaf. Divide into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, and on a lightly floured pastry board and cloth, roll out into a thin round (like a tortilla). Heat griddle to 500 F. Use Lefse stick to lift lefse off of the board onto the griddle (griddle should be dry - no oil, spray etc.). Fry until golden brown spots form o, then flip and do the same on the other side. Pop any bubbles that form. Remove from heat and place on slightly damp kitchen towel to cool. While the lefse is cooling, place another towel on top so the lefse steams a bit more. Repeat until all doing is fried. To serve, fold and place on serving tray next to butter and sugar so guests can slather and sprinkle their own. To store: allow to cool to room temperature, fold in quarters, and keep in sealed plastic bag or similar container to prevent drying.
*Hints: As I mention above, there is definitely controversy among my family members about method! Some insist on potatoes, others, insist on potato flakes. And some says towels must be damp and others say they should be dry. But Aunt Charlotte has some hints that help either method.
1. Batter/dough must stay cool. If your house is too warm, it can make dough too sticky while you're cooking.
2. Even if you follow the directions, you may need to add a little flour.
3. When rolling, use plenty of flour on surface to prevent sticking.
4. Let lefse col to room temperature before folding and storing.
Making Norwegian Lefse ???? #howto #Norwegian #lefse #uffda 
Norwegian Lefse-
10 med potatoes (5lbs)
1/2 c butter
1/2 c cream
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoon sugar
2 1/2 c flour
(Makes about 20)
Peal potatoes and cut into equal chunks. Boil in salted water until barely fork tender (do not over boil). Drain and “rice” potatoes into large bowl. Add butter, cream, salt, and sugar. Mash together with a potato masher.
Chill over night.
In the morning add flour and work in with hands. Form into a log and cut into even sections. Balls should be the size of a small tennis ball. Kneed each ball a little, pat into a patty and roll end on table to form a nice edge and prevent cracking.
Keep dough patties in the fridge and pull out one at a time as needed.
Roll on heavily floured board until very thin, you should see the writing on the board through the lefse. Fry until bubbly and lightly browned on each side, about 1-2 mins per side.
Serve with butter and brown or white sugar. Cool on towel and refrigerate any extras.
Needed:
Potato Ricer
Lefse board with cover
Lefse rolling pin with cover
Electric Lefse fryer
Lefse sticks
#uffda
LEFSE in 3 Minutes: Hang onto your sticks!
LefseLand's fun and fast answer to, How do you make lefse? See the entire process 2-day boiled down to just 3 minutes!
Get the FREE recipe and order products at LefseLand.com.
Hi - I'm Amy Marquard - an American with all Swedish and Norweigan parts. I love lefse. Really good, tender and warm lefse (with melted butter and brown sugar, of course!)
And I love to make it. In fact, my daughter and I recently peeled 85 pounds of potatoes and turned them into beautiful lefse, one 5 lb. batch at a time, for good friends and family.
Throughout the process, I worked hard to make lefse easier to make and the very best to eat, by using just a few real ingredients. Like real potatoes, not instant.
And after reading more than 100 lefse recipes, I challenged, scrutinized and experimented with each ingredient and technique while documenting my findings of every last lefse-making step.
The result? A solid recipe, fool-proof techniques and repeatable results that, combined with a whole lot of love, makes what my family thinks is the very best-tasting lefse ever!
For all the people who have asked, So, how do you make lefse? - I present my video gift: A 2-day process boiled down to 3 short minutes for your enjoyment and education.
Make lefse. Smile more!
Sincerely,
Amy
P.S. Be sure to visit LefseLand.com for our FREE Fool-Proof Lefse recipe, including our very detailed instructions and techniques - and leave me your video comments here.
How to Make Lefse (Norwegian Potato Flatbread): Passing on Family Traditions
In this video we go through the process of making lefse.
Having had a grandmother who felt strongly about passing on Norwegian traditions, we had grown up helping on lefse days, but were excited to attempt making lefse start to finish as adults on our own. I made sure to include the kids in each step along the way, in hopes they will also feel confident to pass along the tradition when they're older.
The recipe I used:
16-18 russet potatoes (8 cups once riced)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup butter
1 tbsp salt
4 cups flour
Peel, then boil the potatoes until tender. Drain the liquid and rice the potatoes. (I riced the potatoes twice). Add the cream, butter, and salt - allow this mixture to cool completely.
Once cooled, add flour and make a soft dough. Roll the dough into balls (tennis ball size or smaller) and refrigerate.
Track: Breathe
Music composed and recorded by Oak Studios
Creative Commons - Attribution ND 4.0
Track: Lucie, Too
Music composed and recorded by Oak Studios
Creative Commons - Attribution ND 4.0