Lefse Ideas & Recipes

By  Chef Austin

  

 

 

If lefse (pronounced lhef-sa) isn't a part of your holidays, then adopt this delicious and fun Norwegian tradition into your family's yearly celebrations. Lefse is a potato flatbread rolled out with a specially grooved rolling pin then cooked on a super-hot griddle. Typically, the warm flatbread is slathered in butter, given a generous sprinkling of cinnamon-sugar, then rolled up and devoured. It's a little savory, a lot sweet, and very rich - the perfect combination for a holiday treat.

Making lefse is easy, so it's a great family activity. Lay out an assembly line of mixing, rolling, cooking, buttering, and sprinkling, and each family member can help with a step. Play some sentimental Christmas music while you're working, and along with some yummy lefse, you'll make a lifelong holiday memory.

Featured above: Bethany Houseware's Lefse Griddle Starter Kit - Lefse grill, lefse stick, and rolling pin, and cloth rolling pin.

We had lotsa lefse fun with Bethany Houseware's Lefse Griddle Starter Kit. It has everything you need to make perfect lefse, including a "just add water (and butter)" lefse mix. I'm usually wary of bagged mixes, but I give this mix my Chef Austin's Nod of Approval. The directions are easy to understand and the kit includes truly helpful tools: The cloth rolling board has measurments to show you how far to roll out lefse. We noticed our lefse could get really sticky, really fast, so a Pro Tip: Use a LOT of flour to really flour that rolling board - and flour the board between each lefse - because the lefse will stick if you don't use enough flour. The rolling pin and cloth covers make beautiful patterns in your lefse. There is also a long turning stick to transfer you lefse to the included non-stick griddle. The griddle is high-quality and heats up to 500°F, enough to quickly make a stack of warm lefse. 

The only thing that wasn't in our lefse kit was toppings for our potato flatbreads. Here are a few traditional and non-traditional finishing touches we gave our fresh lefse. After you've made a stack of flatbreads, try these toppings and use them as inspiration for lefse-making adventures with your family!

You will need:

Bethany Housewares Silverstone Lefse Griddle + Starter Kit

 

Traditional Butter with Cinnamon-Sugar

1 Stick of Butter, room temperature 

1/4 Cup Sugar

1 Tbsp. Cinnamon

Step 1
Mix sugar and cinnamon until combined.

Step 2
Spead softened butter over a lefse (be generous with the butter).

Step 3
Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar and roll lefse to eat. This is the traditional Norwegian way to serve and enjoy lefse.

 

Simply Rolled Lefse

Chocolate-Hazelnut Spread

Strawberry Jam

Apricot Preserves

Honey

Step 1
Raid your pantry and refrigerator. Fill small bowls or ramekins with whatever jams, jellies and spreads you already have.

Step 2
Simply roll up a lefse and dip into whichever topping you want! Lefse is slightly savory - combining it with something sweet makes a delicious contrasting-flavor pairing.

Scandinavian Sour Cream Frosting

1 1/2 Sticks of Butter, room temperature

2 Cups Powdered Sugar

1/2 Cup Sour Cream

1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract

Step 1
Cream butter and sugar in your mixer. Add in sour cream and vanilla extract. Mix until fluffy and creamy.

Step 2
Spread frosting onto lefse and roll. Stack or arrange rolled lefse on a platter and dust with powdered sugar.

 

Lefse Ham & Cheese Pinwheels

 1/2 lb. Sliced Deli Ham

4oz. Thinly Sliced Swiss or Cheddar Cheese

1 Cup Spinach 

1/4 Cup Sliced Red Onion

1/2 Cup Mayonnaise or Cream Cheese

4-5 Lefse, prepared

 

Step 1
Spread a layer of mayonnaise or softened cream cheese on a lefse.

Step 2
Layer spinach leaves over mayonnaise or cream cheese. Sprinkle with desired amount of sliced red onion.

Step 3
Layer sliced ham and cheese on top of spinach and onion.

 

About the Author:  Chef Austin Merath is Everything Kitchen's Culinary Wizard, Kitchen-Gadget Reviewer, and New-Product Tester. He studied under chefs in College of the Ozarks' Culinary Program. It's his job to make sure you choose the kitchen tools that are right for you by testing the best we have to offer. When not cooking, Austin is tinkering with computers or exploring the Ozarks with his wife Amy. Click here for his full bio.