This traditional lefse recipe has been passed down in our rural ND community for generations. It is easy to make and tastes delicious. It freezes well which makes it a great option for preserving that abundant garden potato harvest or bulk grocery store find.
What you’ll need:
- 6-quart stock pot for boiling potatoes
- Lefse making kit (see note 1 for equipment details)
- Food mill with Potato Ricer disc
- ~5 pounds of potatoes to make 8 cups mashed. (see note 2)
- ½ cup melted butter
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 Tablespoon salt
- 4 cups Flour + more for flouring surface if needed (see note 1).
Make It:
- Boil and peel the potatoes. (see note 2)
- Run the cooked, peeled potatoes through the potato ricer. Measuring out 8 cups.
- To the 8 cups riced potatoes add the ½ cup melted butter, ½ cup cream, 2 Tbsp sugar, 1 Tbsp salt. Mix until incorporated. If it’s still hot, let cool to just warm.
- Add the 4 cups flour, one or 2 cups at a time. Knead with your hands until all the flour is absorbed and a nice sticky dough is formed.
- Roll the dough into balls (see note 3.) Let rest while you prepare your rolling/cooking area. Plug in the griddle, set to 500⁰F.
- Roll out the dough balls until they are as thin as possible while still being manageable; about ¼”. Too thick, they won’t cook through, too thin, they’ll tear and be hard to handle. (See Note 1 for my best tricks)
- Carefully maneuver rolled out lefse onto the UN-greased griddle and cook for 1:30 minutes. Flip. Cook another 1:30 minutes. Remove to a cooling wrack….or eat it right then.
Notes:
- They sell Lefse making kits which are a great investment with everything you need to start out, but over the years I have found rolling the dough on a floured surface with a covered rolling pin to be time consuming and uses a LOT of flour…and it's messy. I invested in a tortilla press and will never go back. It takes just seconds, not minutes, to roll out perfectly round lefse and eliminates the need for the rolling pin and flouring board that comes in the kit. You'll still want a flipping stick and will need the griddle or two.
To roll out lefse using a tortilla press simply sandwich the dough ball in between cling wrap and put the press down until it’s the desired 1/4" or less thickness. Peel one side of the cling wrap off, then flip the lefse in your hand to peel the other side off and plop it on the griddle. No flour needed, which makes for no mess and no chalky lefse. No more frustrations of lefse sticking to the flour board or rolling pin. It was a game changer for making multiple batches.
2. Russets are traditional, but I’ve found that all potatoes will work, even purple potatoes. If you boil the potatoes first, the peels will strip right off if you keep them wet.
3. Roll the dough into balls that are slightly bigger than a golf ball to no bigger than a baseball, finding the right size for you. My littles are still young, so I’ve found the smaller 8” lefse to be easier to press, handle and eat.
To Eat:
Lefse is versatile. It can be eaten for breakfast, dessert, or part of a meal. Use it like any flatbread or tortilla or as it is. Our favorite way to eat lefse is warm with butter, sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. I also like eating it like a crepe with fruit and yogurt rolled up in it. Or make a savory wrap for lunch. Sky is the limit! I’d love to know how you like your lefse.
That’s it! Easy and delicious traditional lefse made with real garden potatoes and maybe even cream and butter from your own dairy animal or your own home-milled flour. So good!
Happy Homesteading!
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