How to make Norwegian Lefse - Recipe Diaries (2024)

FAQs

What is Norwegian lefse made of? ›

Lefse (Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈlɛ́fsə̌]) is a traditional soft Norwegian flatbread. It is made with riced potatoes, can include all purpose (wheat) flour, and includes butter, and milk, cream, or lard. It is cooked on a large, flat griddle.

There's always a potato or two hanging around the kitchen. You will love the simplicity and versatility of this recipe. Whether you are serving these lefse warm or cooled, I guarantee they will be eaten in a flash. For another Norwegian treat, try my rosette cookies.

plural lefsen. -sən. or lefses. : a large thin potato pancake served buttered and folded.

Lefse should be refrigerated or frozen. Our lefse is made with no preservatives, so it can take a week or so in the fridge. In the refrigerator, it needs to stay in its sealed package or it will dry out. If you don't plan on eating it right away, toss it in the freezer.

Historically, lefse was often eaten with lutefisk, which is a traditional Nordic dish of dried cod. The fish would often be rolled up in the lefse. Norwegians would also often eat lefse rolled up with butter, with many also adding cinnamon and sugar.

flour and overworked dough. If you find that your lefse dough is a bit sticky try placing it in the fridge to cool before you decide to add more flour. And be careful not to overwork your lefse dough, this will break down the gluten and make your lefse very tough.

Butter, sugar — enjoy!

Add sugar or cinnamon sugar for a sweet treat. While in my family lefse was always a cinnamon-sugar thing, in Norway lefse is often served with savory fillings, like smoked salmon and cream cheese, diced onion and sour cream, or cured meat and mustard. If you're adventuresome, give it a try!

Refrigerate or freeze your lefse as soon as it arrives. If you plan to eat your lefse within the next week it can be refrigerated. If it will be longer than a week, put it in the freezer. Our lefse freezes beautifully and you can freeze it for up to six months, even if it has already been frozen once before.

Klenning – The Trøndelag region's version of sweet lefse with butter, cinnamon and sugar. Kling – The name for sweet lefse in Buskerud, Eastern Norway.

It brought back good memories of the trip and filled our bellies with comfort. As I said, lefse is traditionally made with potatoes, and Hardanger Lefse is made with flour. I read somewhere that it dates back to the Vikings before potatoes were introduced to Norway.

What does lefse stand for? ›

LEfSe (Linear discriminant analysis Effect Size) determines the features (organisms, clades, operational taxonomic units, genes, or functions) most likely to explain differences between classes by coupling standard tests for statistical significance with additional tests encoding biological consistency and effect ...

Serve the lefse with scrambled eggs and smoked fish, or cheese and jam, or gjetost, or butter and cinnamon-sugar, or hot dogs, or really any topping that appeals to you. Lefse can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a few days.

Even if the lefse is partially thawed out, it can be refrozen. If the lefse is going to be eaten in a day or so, put in the refrigerator, but please make sure the lefse is completely thawed out before refrigeration.

You can even use a tortilla press instead of a rolling pin if you're somewhat intimidated in the kitchen. I won't judge! Although lefse is a classic Christmastime dish loved throughout Norway, I think you could make it for a variety of occasions.

Lefse Stick (substitute long wooden handle of spoon or even better, an unused wooden paint can stirrer). Grooved Lefse Rolling Pin (regular pin can work).

The tradition dates back to the Vikings and their brauðiskr (bread plate), and flatbrød consists of water, whole-wheat flour and a pinch of salt. Lefse is a soft version of flatbrød, often made with a few more ingredients, like milk and butter. We use it to wrap all the goodies together – just like a tortilla.

The taste is something almost earthy and intoxicating, with the potatoes imparting a satisfying umami that meshes seamlessly with the creaminess of the butter and the granular sweetness of the sugar into a complexity of flavor that doesn't seem possible from such a white-bread concoction of basic ingredients.

This juicy bread is filled with wholesome, nutritious, and flavorful ingredients like rye, whole wheat flour, oats, wheat bran, and various seeds like sunflower, sesame, and flax seeds. If you want to eat bread that is as flavorful as it is healthy, this is the recipe for you!