Lisa's Easy Lefse: Soft, Buttery Rounds Without Peeling a Single Potato

If you grew up Scandinavian in the Midwest, you know lefse season when you see it. Flour on the counter, grill humming, and a stack of soft rounds under a dish towel that never stays full for long.

Traditional potato lefse is a two-day project: boil, peel, rice, chill overnight, then roll. I love it, but it isn't always realistic. This is the version I make when I want lefse tonight. Instant potato flakes skip the peeling and ricing, and real cream and butter keep the rounds soft and rich. It's the recipe I reach for most.

What you'll need

Ingredients (makes 12 rounds)

• 2 cups boiling water
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2/3 cup whipping cream (or half and half)
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 2 1/2 cups instant potato flakes
• 1 cup flour, plus extra for rolling

Equipment

• Lefse grill or large griddle (450 to 500 degrees)
• Pastry cloth or cloth-covered board
• Rolling pin with a cloth sock
• Lefse turning stick
• A clean dish towel for stacking

No lefse grill? A big dry griddle or skillet works, it just has to be really HOT. You do need a lefse turning stick, however!

How to make it

1. Make the potatoes. Bring the water to a boil. Stir in the salt and butter until the butter melts.
2. Add the rest. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the cream, sugar and potato flakes. Mix until smooth.
3. Cool it completely. This matters. Warm dough is sticky, and sticky dough makes you add flour, and extra flour makes tough lefse. Chilling it in the fridge overnight is fine.
4. Add the flour. Mix in 1 cup flour by hand just until it comes together. Divide into 12 balls.
5. Heat the grill. Set it to 450 to 500 degrees. No grease; lefse cooks on a dry surface.
6. Roll thin. On a floured pastry cloth with a floured sock-covered pin, roll each ball from the center out. Flip it once about halfway. Keep going until you can almost see the cloth through it.
7. Grill. Lift the round onto the grill with your lefse stick. When bubbles rise and the bottom has light brown spots, flip it and cook the second side briefly.
8. Stack and cover. Move each round to a dish towel and cover it. The trapped steam keeps them soft.

Tips for better lefse

• Go easy on the flour. Use just enough on the cloth and sock to keep the dough from sticking.
• Re-flour between rounds. A quick rub on the cloth and pin each time saves a lot of tearing.
• Smooth the edges. Pat each ball into a disk and press out any cracks before you roll. Cracked edges become ragged edges.
• Store them right. Once cool, fold rounds into quarters and seal them in zip bags. They keep in the fridge for a few days and freeze well.

How to eat it

The classic: spread with soft butter, sprinkle with sugar, roll it up. Cinnamon sugar and brown sugar have their fans too. For a savory take, wrap it around ham, turkey, or leftover meatballs.

Dress the part

Lefse is a team sport. In a lot of families, the holidays mean one long day in the kitchen together: someone mixing, someone rolling, someone at the grill, and someone sneaking rounds off the stack. That's why I love our Baking Crew apron for lefse day. Get one for everyone on your crew, and the whole family matches around the table (and in the photos you'll want to keep).

I designed our lefse line to honor my Norwegian heritage and my grandmother's homemade lefse.

• Lefse Baking Crew Apron ($29.95): matching aprons for the whole lefse crew. Add a name to the rolling pin for $5 so everyone knows whose apron is whose.
• Lefse Apron ($29.95): two designs, "It's beginning to look a lot like lefse" and the Lefse Ingredients apron, with a big front pocket for your turning stick.
• Lefse Recipe Towel: the recipe right on the towel you stack your rounds under.
• Lefse Love Towel and Lefse Making Towel, Yew Betcha ($16.95)
• Lefse Love Pot Holder ($13.95)
• Lefse Mug ($17.95), for the coffee you'll want between batches

An apron, a towel and a printed copy of this recipe make a great gift for the lefse maker in your family. To arrive by Christmas with standard shipping, order by December 14.

Questions we hear

Is instant potato lefse "real" lefse?
Purists use riced russets, and that version is wonderful. Potato flakes give you a soft, tender round in a fraction of the time. Plenty of Norwegian grandmas have used them too.

Can I make lefse without a lefse grill?
Yes. Use a large dry griddle or skillet over high heat and roll your rounds to fit.

Why is my lefse tough?
Usually too much flour, either in the dough or on the cloth. Make sure the dough is completely cold before you roll.

Can I make it ahead?
Yes. Freeze cooled rounds folded in quarters, then thaw them in the bag so they stay soft.