Lefse 101 (It’s a Norwegian Thing)

Okay, so I totally meant to write this post before Christmas. Oops – I guess that didn’t happen.

I have been trying for several years to find a time for my mom to teach me how to make lefse, a Norwegian tortilla or flat bread of sorts, that is a tradition in my family during the holiday season. You would think this wouldn’t be so difficult, but December (as I am sure you can relate) is always busy, busy, busy and before we know it, the holidays are over and the lefse has been made and devoured. Finally – FINALLY! – we pinpointed a Saturday in December, right before Joe’s piano recital, for my parents to visit and my Mom to commence with Lefse 101!

If you are regular reader of my blog, then you may remember last December I wrote about my family having both Jewish and Lutheran traditions in Christmas Tree and a Menorah.

What? How does that work?

Easy, actually – my mom, a Lutheran farm girl from southern Minnesota (you betcha!) married a Jewish farmer (oy vey!) from a few hours north. Three kids and 46 years later, my family enjoys both lefse and potato latkes. True story.

Now back to the lefse.

First things first: if you are looking for details on making potato lefse, you are in the wrong place.

What, you ask? Lefse made without potatoes? Most Scandinavians I know don’t realize this is possible, but I am here to tell you that, yes indeed, it’s not only possible but my family has been making flour lefse for generations!

I’ve done a little (albeit pretty basic) research on flour lefse and it seems that the original lefse made in Norway was actually made from flour – and not from potatoes. It wasn’t until potatoes were introduced in Norway about 250 years ago, that people started adding them to lefse. (Source: http://www.lefsetime.com/lefse-history/).

Flour lefse looks similar to potato lefse, but the taste is (as you would expect) a little different. The flour lefse we make is also thinner (my mom says her lefse can hardly be too thin!) and has a slightly different consistency.

And so, without further ado … my “Lefse 101” tutorial with the lefse master in our family:

First things first – my Grandma Anderson’s lefse recipe! The ingredients are basic – lard (yes, lard!), flour, salt and hot milk. That’s it. The right equipment is also necessary – including a pastry board for rolling out the lefse and a lefse electric grill for the cooking process.

Full disclosure: I had to ask my mom where you might find lard in the grocery store. (I mean, do you buy lard regularly? I really don’t!) Turns out, it’s in the meat department, on the shelf above all the turkey products.

Once the flour, lard and salt are measured out, it’s time to combine the ingredients finely by hand so there are no big chunks of lard in the mixture.

Then add the hot milk to the mixture. My mom heated the milk in the microwave, watching it closely so that it didn’t boil.

Then the mixture is kneaded together and shaped into an oblong roll.

The roll is cut into approximately 24 pieces, depending on the size of lefse you want.

The pieces are then rolled in flour (in a separate small bowl – not pictured) and placed into a large mixing bowl coated with flour so the pieces don’t stick together or stick to the bowl. Now we’re ready to roll and bake!

I’m rolling out a piece of lefse on a fabric-covered pastry board that’s been lightly floured. These pieces are rolled out very, very thin but not too thin that they tear.

Seriously thin.

The thin piece of lefse is then transferred to a lefse griddle that has been preheating to about 475 degrees so it’s nice and hot. After a few seconds (you’ll see some bubbles forming), the piece is flipped to the other side for a few seconds. It doesn’t take long at all to bake!

And behold – a piece of heaven!

Continue until all these luscious pieces of lefse are grilled up to perfection! We like to store lefse in foil in 2-gallon freezer bags in the freezer until we are ready to serve them. (We just take a few pieces of lefse out of the freezer and microwave them for a few seconds to warm them right up.)

And of course, celebrate a successful Lefse 101 tutorial with a toast to my mom, the lefse queen in our family!

My favorite way to enjoy lefse is by making what my mom calls a “lefse cling”. Slather the lefse with butter (this is a crucial component – you can’t overindulge with too much butter here. More butter is better. Soooo much better), top with mashed potatoes (you can also use boiled potatoes and mash them up with a fork), ground beef and peas.  Fold up the lefse like a burrito and enjoy!

Seriously. This is pure deliciousness.  My family has also been known to swap out the ground beef for prime rib or ham or just about any other meat you want. Oh, and lutefisk for those who dare, of course. 🙂

My mom also makes an amazing “breakfast lefse cling” with scrambled eggs, hash browns, bacon and shredded cheese. 

Okay, I’m hungry now.

I can’t tell you how excited I am to learn this whole process so that I can carry on the family tradition. (Thanks, Mom!) What family traditions do you have during the holidays? I’d love to hear about them!

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Grandma Anderson’s Lefse

• 1/4 cup + 1 T lard at room temperature
• 4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups hot milk

Add the lard to the flour and salt, mixing in finely with your hands.

Gradually add enough of the milk to make a dough that you can roll out thinly.

Knead together and shape into an oblong roll and cut into approximately 24 pieces, depending on the size you want.

Roll each piece in flour with your hands and place in a flour-lined bowl.

Using a pastry cloth sprinkled with flour, roll out each piece with a rolling pin. (You can add extra flour to the pastry cloth to prevent the dough from sticking.) The key is to roll out thinly but not tear.

Bake on a lefse grill, watching closely – this process goes fast! If the lefse gets too brown, the edges will be too crisp.