This is my grandmother Verna Kolden's recipe, passed down to me by my aunt, Kathy Sprester.
4 Cups Riced Russet Potatoes
5 Tbsp Salted Butter*
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream*
1 1/2 Cups (or 7.5 ounces) Unbleached All-Purpose Flour (I prefer to weigh flour instead of measuring it for more accurate results).
* Try to buy organic dairy products if you can find them; everything was organic in 19th century Norway.
Step 1:
Peel and quarter 4-5 potatoes. I tried to pick potatoes that were as smooth as possible so that they're easier to peel. Here I have enough for two batches:
When cutting the potatoes, cut in half first, then place each half flat-end down and slice down the middle. This will prevent the potato from slipping so you don't cut yourself:
Boil the potatoes until they are fork tender. (Just because you can stick a fork through them does not mean that they are tender. The fork should go through easily, but the potato should not break apart). Remove from the heat and drain. I let the potatoes stand for a couple minutes before ricing, this allows them to finish cooking all the way through.
Step 2:
Rice the potatoes. If the potatoes are thoroughly cooked this will probably be the second hardest part of making lefse. If the potatoes are still hard it could be the most difficult thing you've ever done in a kitchen. Either way, its definitely the messiest part of the process.
We ordered a couple different ricers and I liked this one the best:
Step 3:
Measure 4 cups of semi-packed riced potatoes into a large mixing bowl.
Add the butter. When the butter is melted, mix it all together and let stand at room temperature until the potatoes are thoroughly cooled.
Step 4:
When the potatoes are at room temperature, add the dry ingredients and the cream. Mix together and then kneed the dough about 10-15 times.
Now the dough is ready to form into patties. I used about 1/3 cup of dough for each patty.
Form into patties and place on a plate. This recipe will make about a dozen patties so you'll need to stack them. Make sure that the edges of the patties are smooth - this will improve your
chances of rolling out lefse that resembles a circle.
I've read recipes that suggested leaving the potatoes in the refrigerator overnight before adding the dry ingredients. I found that its better to make the patties the night before and refrigerate those overnight. The colder the patties, the better chance you have of not having any stick to your pastry board the next day.
I'll update tomorrow when I roll the lefse...Good night!
Step 5:
Ok! Its another day and we're ready to roll the lefse that has been cooling overnight. Hopefully you're well rested because this step is the most difficult in the lefse making process.
The lefse patties should feel cool and firm to the touch.
Flour the pastry board with a good dose of pastry flour and also flour your lefse stick, rolling pin and rolling pin cover.
Remove one patty from the refrigerator. Do not remove the others until you are ready to roll each one. Its critical to keep each patty as cool as possible until its ready to be rolled. The side that has been facing down all night will be more moist than the side that has been facing up. Therefore, we'll place the patty dry-side down onto the pastry cloth. Rub a little flour on the moist side of the patty and go to work.
I found its easier to start in the middle and roll out towards the edges.
You may be tempted to roll it too thin. You should be able to see the writing on the pastry cloth through the dough, but resist the urge to roll it to any more than 12". The thinner the lefse gets, the greater chance it will stick.
I'll update tomorrow when I roll the lefse...Good night!
Step 5:
Ok! Its another day and we're ready to roll the lefse that has been cooling overnight. Hopefully you're well rested because this step is the most difficult in the lefse making process.
The lefse patties should feel cool and firm to the touch.
Flour the pastry board with a good dose of pastry flour and also flour your lefse stick, rolling pin and rolling pin cover.
Remove one patty from the refrigerator. Do not remove the others until you are ready to roll each one. Its critical to keep each patty as cool as possible until its ready to be rolled. The side that has been facing down all night will be more moist than the side that has been facing up. Therefore, we'll place the patty dry-side down onto the pastry cloth. Rub a little flour on the moist side of the patty and go to work.
I found its easier to start in the middle and roll out towards the edges.
You may be tempted to roll it too thin. You should be able to see the writing on the pastry cloth through the dough, but resist the urge to roll it to any more than 12". The thinner the lefse gets, the greater chance it will stick.
As you can see, my round is not exactly 'round', but with practice hopefully I'll get better. Most of my lefse look like the state of Texas.
Step 6:
We're ready to grill the lefse. One word of caution: As soon as the patty is rolled thin, try to get it on the grill as soon as possible. If you let it sit on the pastry cloth it will likely continue to warm to room temperature and will stick to the pastry cloth.
Run your lefse stick under the middle of the lefse and lift up:
Step 6:
We're ready to grill the lefse. One word of caution: As soon as the patty is rolled thin, try to get it on the grill as soon as possible. If you let it sit on the pastry cloth it will likely continue to warm to room temperature and will stick to the pastry cloth.
Run your lefse stick under the middle of the lefse and lift up:
If there is any sticking, try to jiggle the lefse free. If there are many places of sticking, you may need to wash and dry your pastry cloth. I learned that there were some areas of sticking on the board that I could recover from by rubbing in extra flour, and some that I could not. I found that in general I needed to wash and dry the pastry cloth at the end of each day.
Place one end on the grill and lay the lefse flat, continuing to unroll the lefse onto the grill:
When the lefse starts to bubble on the top, use the lefse stick to turn the lesfe over:
After a minute or so the lefse should be ready. Again, use the lefse stick to remove the lefse from the grill. Its a good idea to stack your finished lefse in a lefse cozy or between two towels. This will keep the lefse from drying out.
When the lefse is cooled (1-2 hours) you can fold it into quarters and wrap about three at a time in saran wrap. You can place a few of these packages in a freezer bag and store in the fridge until they are ready to serve!
Place one end on the grill and lay the lefse flat, continuing to unroll the lefse onto the grill:
When the lefse starts to bubble on the top, use the lefse stick to turn the lesfe over:
After a minute or so the lefse should be ready. Again, use the lefse stick to remove the lefse from the grill. Its a good idea to stack your finished lefse in a lefse cozy or between two towels. This will keep the lefse from drying out.
When the lefse is cooled (1-2 hours) you can fold it into quarters and wrap about three at a time in saran wrap. You can place a few of these packages in a freezer bag and store in the fridge until they are ready to serve!
I love my grandmother for the hundreds of lefse rounds she made us over the years, and I wish I could share one of these with my grandfather. I miss you both.
