Lefse is a traditional Norwegian flatbread that is made with potatoes and flour. Generations of Norwegian families make lefse for holidays and family dinners. While time consuming and tedious, lefse can be made at home and is always noticeably better than buying it at a grocery store. Get all my tips and tricks to make the best, paper thin lefse.
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Lefse (pronounced Lefsa) is deeply rooted in family tradition and origin. Every family has its own recipe and techniques, and no two are the same.
If you are reading this, chances are lefse is something you had every single year for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter and it's a tradition you want to continue or resurrect. Not many people discover lefse out of the blue.
As a matter of fact, I'm in this same boat! My grandma was the one making lefse for years, and it's my turn to take on this family tradition.
Lefse takes time, patience, practice, and even more practice. Since there is no single way to make lefse, you get to make it your own. Do the method and recipe that works for you and your family and have fun experimenting with something different.
This is my first year going solo with lefse and when I called my grandma to get instructions, her parting words were "well, good luck!" Uff da!
So here I am, diving in and learning all I can to keep the lefse tradition going in our family and now I want to pass on all I have learned to keep it going in your family as well!
If you are a lefse lover, like I am, let's connect! Let's build a community of people who want to carry on this tradition. Join my Let's Make Lefse Facebook group and help build a community of people carrying on this tradition.
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Tips for Making Lefse
With so many different ways, techniques, and even more recipes it's hard to give exact instructions on what to do. Every family has their very own way of making lefse and to say this is the only way would start a large debate.
With that said, even with thousands of combinations, here are some key tips to always follow when making lefsa.
- Rice the Potatoes. This is a must. Lefse requires the creamiest potatoes without a lump in sight. No one likes lumpy potatoes, especially in the lefse. Do yourself a favor and get a good potato ricer.
- Use Very Little Flour. Flour, while necessary, when you use too much, it can cause the lefse to be way too thick. This takes a lot of practice. When starting out you may need to use a lot more flour, and then over time you'll learn to work with the potatoes using less and less.
- Make sure the potato mix is cold before rolling. Cold potatoes roll a lot better than at room temperature. I like to chill them overnight in logs or balls so that we are only working with a few at a time. That way the rest of the potatoes can stay in the refrigerator until you are ready to use them.
- Make sure the griddle is hot. Lefse needs to cook quickly so having a hot grill is crucial.
- Only cook the first side for about a minute. This is a recent trick I learned and it worked so well. Let your first side cook only for a minute, then flip. Let the second side cook longer and develop those brown spots.
- Do not re roll. If the lefse tears or rips, it's better to just grill as it is. When it gets balled up and re-rolled it will just be too thick.
- You will only learn with practice. There will be lots of ugly lefse, lefse with holes, ripped in half and pieces of dough stuck everywhere. Just know this is normal and part of the process. This one is worth repeating!
Ingredients
The recipe I am going to show you is my version. Typically family recipes have been passed down through generations. So if you have your own, please use that instead.
All the other tips and instructions can go along with any recipe.
If you do not have a recipe, please feel free to use mine. Here is what I use:
- Russet Potatoes
- Heavy Cream
- Salt
- All-Purpose Flour
- Unsalted Butter
Full Measurements in recipe card.
How to Make Lefse:
I am going to start by saying if this is your first time, please give yourself grace. Lefse is learned only by doing and practicing, so don't expect to get it your first shot. If you do, congratulations!
Prepare the Potatoes:
The night before you want to make lefse, prepare the potatoes.
Start off by peeling the potatoes and dicing them into 1" slices.
Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil over the stove.
Once boiling, add in some salt and potatoes and cook until they are tender. They are done when a fork can easily pierce the potato slices.
Drain the water and let the potatoes dry. Then place the potatoes in a large bowl.
Take a masher and gently mash until they are broken up into small pieces.
IMPORTANT! DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP: Using a potato ricer, press all the potatoes until they are smooth with no lumps.
Do it twice if needed. Lefse will not roll properly if there are lumps.
In a large bowl, mix together the soft butter, potatoes, salt, and cream until it is all completely mixed.
It should look and taste like mashed potatoes.
Then, add in 2 cups of flour and mix. The dough will start to form and will be thicker.
I do not add too much flour in this step. I save the flour for the rolling process. Again too much flour will make the lefse thick.
The next thing you will want to do is take a cookie sheet and line it with parchment paper.
Then, take about 1 cup of the potato mixture and form them into logs.
It will be about the size of a whole russet potato.
Place the potato logs on the parchment, cover them with plastic wrap, and place them in the refrigerator overnight.
I chill them in a dough ball or logs, because when we go to roll the lefse out, we just work with one log at a time, keeping all the others chilled.
This is also a lot easier to cut the logs vs scooping out dough to use. This is the way my grandma has always done it and it works so well.
Prepare your Workspace
Before you make lefse, it's so important that you have a good workspace all set up.
It will get messy, fast, so having everything where it needs to be will only set you up for success.
Clear off a counter and have your grill, rolling mat and a space with towels where they will be cooling.
Things to have out:
- Lefse Grill
- Rolling Mat
- Rolling Pin
- Turning Stick
- Bag of Flour
- Plate to keep scraps
- A dry, clean cloth to brush burnt flour off the griddle
- Cutting board and butter knife to slice the logs
I like to stand in a place where I can roll and reach the griddle to turn.
Here is a photo of my workspace:
Tip: Keep everything dry. Dry flour is much easier to move around and clean up. The second it gets moisture it will turn to a paste. Keep the griddle dry and clean as well.
I just use a dry cloth to brush off anything that gets stuck or stays on the grill. And to keep my space tidy.
In addition to preparing your space you need to prepare your equipment.
Start off by generously flouring your pastry board and rolling pin. Add some more flour. And then more.
This may seem excessive but those first few lefse will be very sticky and you want all your equipment to be completely floured.
My recipe calls for very little flour in the actual dough, so you can be a lot more generous when it comes to rolling.
This one batch of lefse, I ended up using almost half a bag just in the rolling process. It takes a lot.
Just push any excess flour off to the side. You will need it later.
Rolling the Lefse
Rolling lefse is an art that takes practice. Lot's of practice. I cannot stress this enough.
Warm up the lefse grill to 450-500 degrees Fahrenheit or medium-high heat. Allow it to completely warm up before grilling your first one. I find 450 is the sweet spot for my griddle.
Take one of the dough logs and cut it into pieces. The size is really up to you.
If you have never rolled lefse, I would highly suggest starting small and slowly making them bigger. Small lefse rounds are easier to transfer to the grill.
Take your first piece and gently dab each side in the flour.
Now gently roll the piece in a couple of directions.
While it is still really thick, flip it over. This will coat both sides with flour and reduce the chances of it sticking to the roller. While flipping, make sure there is still a good amount of flour under the lefse.
Since adding this step, my lefse has never stuck! It works so well.
Continue rolling in multiple directions until it is paper thin. You will see in the photo how relaxed my hands are. This is a gentle movement.
I was always taught to roll it until you could see the pattern or words from the pastry cloth through your lefse. It should be so thin and delicate.
Best rolling tip: The rolling pin gets moved in almost a gliding movement, not pushing down. Pushing down on the pin will cause it to stick to the cloth, rolling pin and then cause it to tear. It is more of a pushing and pulling movement.
If any dough gets stuck on the cloth or in your rolling pin, stop immediately and scrape it off right away.
Using a butter knife, scrape the dough off the pastry cloth, re flour and start again. If any dough is left behind on either the cloth or rolling pin it will just rip holes in all the others.
If your lefse does starts to tear or rip DO NOT RE ROLL! It is better to grill as it is with the holes. If you ball it back together and re roll, it will be too thick.
Thin lefse with a couple of holes is way better than thick lefse with no holes.
Don't be afraid to reapply flour often. I always make sure there is plenty before each time I roll.
Grilling
Now the scary part. You need to transfer that super thin and delicate lefse from the pastry cloth to the grill.
Using a lefse stick, carefully slide it under the middle of your round. You want the flat side of the stick to glide along the pastry board.
Pick it up and roll it out onto the grill.
If it starts to tear or get holes, that's okay. it's better to be grilled that way. Remember, by re-rolling it will just cause the lefse to become too thick.
Once on the grill, allow the first side to cook for about a minute or until it starts to get golden brown.
Take the lefse stick again and glide under the middle, lift and flip.
Grill the other side a bit longer and allow the brown spots to form.
Cooling
Remove lefse from the griddle and place on a flour sack towel or tea towel.
There are two ways to cool lefse and both work great.
- Lay them all flat on top of each other and cover with the other side of the towel. The moisture will keep them from becoming crusty. This is my preferred method.
- The other way is to fold in half and half again, cover with the other half of the towel and allow to cool. Stack them so that the corner of one piece overlaps the edges of the other.
Each one you make, place under the towel until you have a stack of lefse.
Once they have cooled a bit, remove them from the towel unfold and allow to completely cool.
How to store Lefse
Only store in the refrigerator once it has completely cooled.
Once cool, they can be folded back up and stored in a ziplock bag in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. After that it will start to dry out.
Does lefse freeze well? Yes! It freezes really well! Fold in 4ths like above, keep in stacks of about 4-6, wrap in plastic wrap and then keep in a ziplock bag. That way you can just remove smaller portions at a time for serving.
Variations
Instant potatoes: A lot of families swear by using instant potatoes and this is a great option if you do not have a potato ricer. Just use the same cup measurements.
Equipment
Here is what you will need to make lefse. There really is no substitute for these items. If you want to make it right and make it easier on yourself, invest in these things that you will use over and over.
Lefse Griddle: A true lefse griddle is the only way to make it. I have tried just a cast iron pan on the stove and it just did not work the same. I highly suggest investing in this equipment.
Pastry Board: This board comes with a pastry cloth that is ideal for rolling lefse.
Flour sack towels or tea towels
If you are just starting out and don't have any of the essential equipment above, there are sets on Amazon that have everything you will need.
How to Eat Lefse?
Traditionally, lefse is served with butter and sugar then rolled up and ejoyed. We personally enjoy using cinnamon sugar.
You can also use jam, Nutella or your other favorite spreads.
It does not need to be warmed back up and can be enjoyed cold or at room temperature.
Lefse Community
I want to grow a community of the next generation of lefse makers! Join me on Facebook, send me a message or connect on Instagram.
I also want to create a collection of lefse recipes. If you would like to share yours (and can), leave it in the comments below.
If you found this post helpful I would love a 5-star rating. That will help others find this information.
Norwegian Potato Lefse
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 pounds Russet Potatoes, peeled washed and diced into 1" slices. Will be about 8-10 cups rice potatoes. See instructions.
- ½ Cup Unsalted Butter Softened
- ¼ Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 2 Cups Flour Plus more for rolling, See notes
Instructions
Prepare the Potatoes
- The night before you want to make lefse, prepare the potatoes.
- Start off by peeling the potatoes and dicing them into 1" slices.
- Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil over the stove.
- Once boiling, add in some salt and potatoes and cook until they are tender. I add about 1-2 tablespoons of salt.
- They are done when a fork can easily pierce the potato slices.
- Drain the water and let the potatoes dry. Then place the potatoes in a large bowl.
- Take a masher and gently mash until they are broken up into small pieces.
- IMPORTANT! DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP: Using a potato ricer, press all the potatoes until they are smooth with zero lumps. Lumpy lefse will not roll.
- In a large bowl, mix together the soft butter, potatoes, salt, and cream until it is all completely mixed.
- It should look and taste like mashed potatoes.
- Then, add in 2 cups of flour and mix. The dough will start to form and will be thicker.
- The next thing you will want to do is take a cookie sheet and line it with parchment paper.
- Then, take about 1 cup of the potato mixture and form them into logs. They will be the size, and look like a russet potato.
- Place the potato logs on the parchment, cover them with plastic wrap, and place them in the refrigerator overnight.
Prep Work Station
- Start off by preheating the grilled to 450-500 degrees. My griddle works best at 450.
- Before you make lefse, it's so important that you have a good workspace all set up.
- Clear off a counter and have your grill, rolling mat and a space with towels where they will be cooling.
- Don't forget to prepare your equipment.
- Start off by generously flouring your pastry board and rolling pin. Add some more flour. And then more.
Rolling Lefse
- Take one of the dough logs and cut it into pieces. The size is really up to you and how big you want your rounds to be. I typically get 7-9 slices per log.
- Take your first piece and gently dab each side in the flour.
- Now gently roll the piece in a couple of directions with the rolling pin.
- While it is still really thick, flip it over. This will coat both sides with flour and reduce the chances of it sticking to the roller. While flipping, make sure there is still a good amount of flour under the lefse. Since I started doing this not one has stuck to the board.
- Continue rolling in multiple directions until it is paper thin. Use more of a gliding movement and do not push down too hard.
- If any dough gets stuck on the cloth or in your rolling pin, stop immediately and scrape it off right away. Use a butter knife to scrape any dough off and reapply more flour.
- If your lefse does starts to tear or rip DO NOT RE ROLL! It is better to grill as it is with the holes. If you ball it back together and re roll, it will be too thick.
- Reapply flour to your workspace and rolling pin often.
Grilling Lefse
- Using a lefse stick, carefully slide it under the middle of your round. You want the flat side of the stick to glide along the pastry board.
- Pick it up and roll it out onto the grill. This takes practice.
- Once on the grill, allow the first side to cook for about a minute or until it starts to get golden brown.
- Take the lefse stick again and glide under the middle, lift and flip.
- Grill the other side a bit longer and allow the brown spots to form.
Cooling Lefse
- Remove lefse from the griddle and place on a flour sack towel or tea towel. Cover the lefse with the other half of the towel. This will help prevent them from drying out.
- Can all be stacked flat, or folded into fourths.
- If folded in fourths, place the point of one pieces over the edges of the one below it. Stack them this way. Once mostly cooled lay them flat and allow to cool the rest of the way.
How to Eat Lefse
- Now is the time to enjoy all your hard work!
- Using softened butter, spread over the lefse and then sprinkle on some sugar or cinnamon sugar.
- Roll up and enjoy!
Notes
- Rice the Potatoes. This is a must. Lefsa requires the creamiest potatoes without a lump in sight. No one likes lumpy potatoes, especially in the lefsa. Do yourself a favor and get a good potato ricer.
- Use Very Little Flour. Flour, while necessary, when you use too much, it can cause the lefsa to be way too thick. This takes a lot of practice. When starting out you may need to use a lot more flour, and then over time you'll learn to work with the potatoes using less and less.
- Make sure the potato mix is cold before rolling. Cold potatoes roll a lot better than at room temperature. I like to chill them overnight in logs or balls so that we are only working with a few at a time. That way the rest of the potatoes can stay in the refrigerator until you are ready to use them.
- Make sure the griddle is hot. Lefse needs to cook quickly so having a hot grill is crucial.
- Only cook the first side for about a minute. This is a recent trick I learned and it worked so well. Let your first side cook only for a minute, then flip. Let the second side cook longer and develop those brown spots.
- Do not re roll. If the lefse tears or rips, it's better to just grill as it is. When it gets balled up and re-rolled it will just be too thick.
- You will only learn with practice. There will be lots of ugly lefse, lefse with holes, ripped in half and pieces of dough stuck everywhere. Just know this is normal and part of the process. This one is worth repeating!
- Keep everything dry. Dry flour is much easier to move around and clean up. The second it gets moisture it will turn to a paste. Keep the griddle dry and clean as well.
- Use a dry cloth to brush burnt flour off the grill.
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