LEFSE (Norwegian Flatbread)

This week is packed with crafting for me. 

I finally found a church and next thing you know I am involved in decorating! (EXCITED!!)

This coming week is our DVBS. God opened-up a chance for me to give back my talents. 

I immediately jumped to that opportunity ofcourse!

After the long search....long wait....lots of prayer's.....God answered me! 

The church feels like home. The people are warn and welcoming.

I have a feeling I will stay here (Well as long as we dont move out of state again!)

After two (almost) sleepless nights, crazy clutter in our house. 

I'm done with the project.

Boom-box: Made of insulation sheet, milk jug caps, tuna can, cardboard, tissue paper core, left-over pipe insulation, left-over drawer liner.

Headphones: Made of scrap barstool cushion, insulation tube left-over, insulation sheet left-over.

Turn-table: Made of insulation foam sheet, pizza plater from dollar store toy pieces laying around the house, tuna cans, milk jug caps. Microphone: Made of balloon (that I had to paint black bcoz I didnt see black ones) and poster paper, ribbon.

I had a blast doing this project!

I feels wonderful to do something I love. And being able to offer it back to the Lord!

Pretty busy blessed week eh?!

 This is especially for you Scandinavians out there!!
Today I am going to share with you a recipe that came from hubby's Norwegian roots.
You probably have to be Norwegian or Sweedish to understand what I am talking about.
He's been dying to have it for a long time. It is one of the many things that reminds him of his mom.
He lost his mom when he was six, thats why every bit of his memory about his mom means so much, like this recipe.
He remembers eating Lefse when his mom made it and always remembered, but never knew what it was until recently.
All this time he thought Lefse was thin pancake. He'd make one put butter and it didnt taste the same.
It's been about 30 years since he last had Lefse.

LEFSE

Lefse, it is a Norwegian flatbread that looks like a Mexican tortilla, but sure does not taste like it.  It is simply made with mashed potatoes and flour. Lefse is made out of potato, milk or cream (or sometimes lard) and flour, and cooked on a griddle.

Ingredients

• 10lbs potatoes
• 2 sticks butter
• 2/3 cups half and half
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp salt
• 6 cups flour

Instructions
Boil, drain and rinse 10lbs of peeled Russet potatoes, but be very careful not to over cook them.
That’s the key the perfect rolling. Wet potatoes give you sticky lefse!
Rice the warm potatoes and add 2/3 cups half and half, 2 sticks of butter, 1 TBSP salt and 2TBSP of sugar.

Blend well with an electric beater.

Place this bowl of potatoes in the fridge overnight covered loosely with a piece of wax or parchment paper to allow them to evaporate some of the moisture.
In the morning, add 6 cups of flour and mix well. (I usually have to mix it with my hands.)
Now, roll dough into palm sized balls and return them to the fridge, taking them out a few at a time as you roll them.

Cold potatoes are easier to roll than room temp. Flour your lefse surface well, roll it out thin.

Grill with your griddle at 400 degrees. (don’t grease the griddle!)
You definitely need a lefse stick to get the rolled lefse from the rolling surface to the grill.
You can buy one, or make your own.
Last is the most important part. As you remove them from the grill, place them in several layers of towels to sweat until they are cool.
This takes several hours. I use a flour sack towel with a folded bath towel under it, and on top of it.
Once cooled, store in saran in the fridge, or freeze in freezer bags.
Enjoy with butter and sugar!

 OR

 Ingredients

• 10 pounds potatoes, peeled
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Instructions

1. Cover potatoes with water and cook until tender. Run hot potatoes through a potato ricer. Place into a large bowl. Beat butter, cream, salt, and sugar into the hot riced potatoes. Let cool to room temperature.
2. Stir flour into the potato mixture. Pull off pieces of the dough and form into walnut size balls. Lightly flour a pastry cloth and roll out lefse balls to 1/8 inch thickness.
3. Cook on a hot (400 degree F/200 C) griddle until bubbles form and each side has browned. Place on a damp towel to cool slightly and then cover with damp towel until ready to serve.

 OR THIS FOR INSTANT POTATOES

(THIS IS WHAT WE USED BECAUSE WE ARE TRYING TO FINISH UP OUR BOX)

Ingredients (for instant potatoes)
1 batch = 24 lefse
ADD to: 3 cups boiling water: 
1 ½ teas. salt
¾ cup margarine or butter 
2 1/3 cup canned evaporated milk
 ¼ cup sugar

 Heat all until real hot.
Now ADD: 
4 cups Idahoen instant potatoes (you can use any brand)
(2 lbs 4 oz makes 6 batches)

 
Mix like for eating. Chill.

Then ADD: 
1 ½ to 2 cups flour when ready to roll. (Mix with hands until flour is absorbed)

Instructions

Form lefse dough into golf ball sized (or larger) portions. ROLL out flat with Lefse rolling pin using flour as needed (so it won’t stick) turning often with lefse turner until thin. 

Use lefse turner to lift from pastry board to griddle. Bake on Lefse griddle at 410-435 degrees until golden brown bubbles appear. 

Flip with lefse turner and brown other side. Stack lefse on towel and cover with another towel until baking is finished to prevent drying out. Once cooled, lefse freezes well.


FLAVORING
There are many ways of flavoring lefse. The most common is adding butter to the lefse and rolling it up. In Norway, this is known as "lefse-klenning". Other options include adding cinnamon and/or sugar, or spreading jelly or lingonberries upon it. Scandinavian-American variations include rolling it with a thin layer of peanut butter and sugar, with butter and white or brown sugar, with butter and corn syrup, or with ham and eggs. Also quite good with beef, and other savory items like Ribberull and mustard, it is comparable to a thin tortilla. Lefse is a traditional accompaniment to lutefisk, and the fish is often rolled up in the lefse.

I prefer mine with JELLY!

Happy Monday!!