Lefse, a tender Norwegian flatbread, is an essential holiday food. This tasty potato bread has the consistency of a crêpe or tortilla but the flavor of potatoes throughout. This straightforward lefse recipe yields consistently delicious flatbreads that are great on their own or with a variety of toppings.
Lefse, also known as a Norwegian pancake, is a traditional Norwegian flatbread typically prepared with mashed potatoes and a few other common kitchen ingredients. It’s versatile enough to be eaten at any time of day, from breakfast to dessert. This recipe is great for days when money is tight because it doesn’t call for yeast and can be made with basic pantry ingredients. A couple of potatoes are always lying around the kitchen.
Materials Required for This Recipe
- Russet potatoes are best due to their high starch and low water content. The batter will be too wet to knead if you use new or red potatoes.
- Butter — since salt is already present in the recipe, unsalted butter is recommended. The amount of salt in salted butter varies by brand.
- The high fat content of the heavy cream allows you to roll the dough out without it tearing due to its elasticity.
- Flour — basic white flour works best for this lefse recipe.
Ingredients
- ▢1 pound russet potatoes peeled and cubed (450g)
- ▢1½ teaspoons salt divided
- ▢¼ cup unsalted butter softened and cubed (57g)
- ▢¼ cup heavy cream (60mL)
- ▢1 cup all-purpose flour (120g)
LEFSE: HOW TO MAKE IT
- After cooking, mash the potatoes in a ricer and transfer them to a large bowl. To chill, combine butter, cream, and salt and stir in. Mix in the flour after chilling.
- Mix the flour into the mashed potatoes thoroughly.
- Knead the dough for 1 minute on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth.
- Form the dough into a rope that is 16 inches in length.
- Divide the dough into 16 pieces, each measuring 1 inch.
- Roll each hunk of dough into a small ball.
- Roll out each dough ball into a 6-inch circle on a surface dusted with flour.
- Each piece of dough should be added to a hot cast-iron griddle or skillet of the same size and cooked until it is a speckled golden brown.
HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE LIKE A PRO
- If you measure your flour accurately, you won’t end up adding too much to your dough. One of the most frequent blunders is using too much flour, which will result in a dense lefse potato flatbread. Using a digital kitchen scale is the most accurate way to measure flour.
- The potato flatbreads can be kept warm by wrapping them in a tea towel or placing them on a baking sheet in an oven preheated to 170 degrees Fahrenheit.
- This lefse recipe is a great way to repurpose any holiday mashed potatoes you may have lying around. Instead of making mashed potatoes from scratch, use 2 cups of mashed potatoes and omit the butter, cream, and salt.
- In my opinion, a potato ricer is superior to a masher for preparing potatoes because it produces smoother, fluffier results.
- When you put one ball of rolled dough into the skillet, you can start rolling the next one while the first one cooks. Toss and proceed with the cooking. Take the lefse out of the pan. Roll out more dough, and keep going.
FAQ
HOW DO YOU PAIR THIS?
Make this lefse recipe as is, and smear some butter in the middle for a delicious snack. As a sweeter dessert option, lefse can be spread with jam or sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. Pair it with ham and cheese, smoked salmon, or use it like a tortilla for a savory meal that’s just as tasty.
I’m curious as to how this flatbread tastes.
You want the flavor of your lefse to be a cross between potatoes, salt, and butter. It shouldn’t taste like flour and should dissolve in your mouth.
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