Just saying the word lefse evokes warm-fuzzy, mouth-watering memories. Growing up, we’d only get it once or twice a year around the holidays. It was such a special treat because we knew there was a limited supply. When it was gone it was gone until the next year.
Those who love lefse know what I mean. Once that last piece of precious lefse is gone, it’s not like you can just run to the store and get more. Store-bought lefse just doesn’t taste quite right while fresh, homemade lefse is like heaven in your mouth—a soft, delicate texture with a subtle flavor of potato that makes it the ideal vessel for butter and sugar!
However, acquiring homemade lefse is not always easy.
My lefse connection
Lefse is a simple enough recipe, with only a few ingredients, but the actual process of making it—rolling out the dough just right, carefully moving the flattened dough to a griddle, flipping it at the right time—can seem a bit cumbersome and mysterious to even the best of bakers. That’s why it’s important to have a “connection,” as in someone near and dear to you who either makes lefse or knows “someone” who knows “someone” who can hook you up.
When I married my husband little did I know that I hit the lefse lottery. Jaye’s mom Mary Lou was a true “lefse lady” who’d been making it since she was a young girl. Plus, she has was happy to share her riches with friends and family—not only by offering freshly-made lefse for holiday celebrations and family gatherings but passing on her wise ways to anyone who wanted to learn. Jackpot, I would have a lifelong lefse connection!
During our recent lefse-making session, I asked Mary Lou to “Dish & Tell” about her love for lefse and to share some of her tips and best practices.
Where did This recipe come from?
The recipe Mary Lou uses for our family’s favorite lefse actually came from the Sons of Norway many years ago. It includes mashed potatoes, flour, margarine, sugar and salt. That’s it! She has tried other recipes but this is the one she relies on for consistent texture and flavor. But it’s important to note that simply possessing a recipe for lefse does not an expert lefse lady make. Oh no. It takes practice, patience and a bit of creativity if you don’t have the right lefse-making equipment.
Mary Lou remembers making lefse with her mother and using the flat top of their wood stove as a griddle. Later, when she was first married and making lefse on her own, Mary Lou would flip a frying pan over and use the flat bottom. Throughout the years, she has compiled the tools to make lefse-making easier and also perfected her tips and techniques which make all the difference in turning out great lefse.
All this practice has paid off as Mary Lou now shares her skills and love for lefse with family, friends and others who want a lesson in lefse-making—from lefse demonstrations at an annual Sons of Norway event to sharing her recipe and techniques in a book all about lefse called “Keep on Rolling.”
Making Lefse with Mary lou
I love making lefse with Mary Lou because by the time we show up, everything is very organized and in place for an orderly process—important when you are making large batches of lefse. She also has the potatoes prepped and ready to go, boiling and mashing them the day before and keeping them in the fridge overnight to chill.
When our team is in place, the first thing we do is rice the potatoes which makes for a nice smooth consistency before adding in the flour.
After adding flour to the potatoes (using our hands to mix it all together), we turn the mixture out on the counter to form a large log about the size of a medium loaf of bread and cut it into sections.
Next, we roll the dough sections into little balls.
Then, the real fun begins to roll out the lefse on the floured pastry board with a rolling pin that is also lightly floured.
When the lefse is rolled out flat to the ideal thickness, it’s time to take out the lefse turner to carefully lift the lefse off the pastry board and roll it onto the griddle.
Almost done…once the lefse is placed on the griddle, it takes only a minute or less on each side. You know it is ready to flip when you see bubbles. Then the lefse is done when you start to see a few brown spots on the other side.
Things I have learned Making Lefse with mary lou:
- Get a friend or, better yet, a few friends, to partner with and make lefse together. The process will go faster and it is a lot more fun!
- I don’t know if everyone uses a potato ricer but why wouldn’t you?! It so fun! One warning, it can take some muscle and strong hands. If you are doing a large batch of lefse, you may need to take turns or call in reinforcements.
- When rolling out lefse, Mary Lou says one of the biggest mistakes people make is not rolling it thin enough. You want to roll it so thin that you can see the lettering and lines of the pastry cloth beneath it showing through.
- You don’t need a lefse griddle. Just do what Mary Lou did at one time, flip a fry pan upside down and plop it over a hot burner.
To recap, some of the helpful tools to have on hand when making lefse:
- Potato Ricer
- Corrugated rolling pin
- Rolling pin cover
- Pastry board
- Pastry board cover
- Lefse turning sticks
Our Family’s Love for Lefse
Learning to make lefse alongside Mary Lou is something I will always cherish. We are so thankful to her for this annual tradition that ensures our family has an abundance of fresh, homemade lefse for the holiday season! Her fans include my parents and brothers who look forward to the packages Mary Lou sends with me each year when we travel north for Christmas—she is our special “lefse connection,” our favorite lefse lady, and we treasure her dearly.
Thank you Mary Lou!
