Norwegian lefsa
Lefsa is a flat bread cooked in a dry skillet on the stove top, much like tortillas are. It is a traditional Norwegian bread that is made from mashed potatoes, butter, cream, and flour. This recipe is handed down from my grandparents and it's less fattening by eliminating the need for cream. Traditionally, it is buttered and cinnamon and sugar are sprinkled on it and it is rolled up. It's also a way to make cheese crisps and hot dog buns, and get the nutritional benefit of eating potatoes. If you have potato lovers in your home, consider making some lefsa for a change of pace and adopt a new tradition from the Norwegians for your family.
Instructions
Making the Lefsa Dough
1. Wash the potatoes and bake them in a 350 degree oven. When they are done, remove and let cool slightly.
2. As soon as you can handle the potatoes, cut them in half and scoop out the hot pulp into the mixing bowl for the mixer. For each pound of potatoes, add about 2 tablespoons of butter.
3. Gently beat the potatoes and until they are well mashed. Do not whip too hard or too long because potato starch is delicate, and if the potatoes are beaten too hard, they will be unusable. Don't worry if your potatoes have tiny lumps in them. Add salt to taste. The potatos should be slightly saltier than you like. You will be adding flour in the next step, which will dilute some of the saltiness.
4. At this point, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the potatoes until they are cold. Once cold, add flour in small increments, a quarter cup at a time, using your mixer. The trick to good lefsa is to use as little flour as you can but still have a dough that is easy to work with. Since these are rolled out, the dough has to have enough flour in it so it doesn't stick to the rolling pin or the counter. Because there are so many variables in the moisture in potatoes, it's hard to say how much you need to use. A good rule of thumb is to have a dough that does not stick to your hands when you handle it, but one that is not too stiff. It's better to err on the side of a tender dough and add flour as you shape each piece. Flour toughens up the lefsa when it is cooked.
Rolling Out the Lefsa
5. Flour a kitchen counter top and grab your rolling pin and lefsa sticks or spatula. Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Since you need to use a heavy pan and it needs to be quite hot to properly cook the lefsa, this step has to be started before you begin rolling out the lefsa.
6. Shape a ping-pong sized ball of lefsa dough into a round ball with the palms of your floured hands.
7. Place the ball on the floured counter top and roll it out into a flat circle--the thinner, the better. Lightly dust the counter top and the top of the lefsa sheet to keep it from sticking to either the counter or the rolling pin.
8. You will have to carefully slide either the spatula or the lefsa stick between the lefsa and the counter top. This is one of the hardest things to do when making lefsa, so take your time, and don't worry if the lefsa tears. You can use your fingers to pinch the dough back together before you put it in the pan. Don't worry about the ragged edges you might have, too. Professional lefsa cooks use knives to make their lefsa perfectly round, but when you are learning, uneven edges are OK to have. They do not affect the taste.
9. Place the lefsa in the hot pan by scooping it up with the stick or spatula, and let it cook until the top starts to bubble a bit. Put the spatula under it to peek at the color. If the underside is turning a medium brown in spots, it's time to turn the lefsa over and cook the other side. The entire sheet will not brown, it just gets brown in spots.
10. When the lefsa is the color of the picture above, it is ready to take out of the pan. Lift it carefully, and put it on top of two of the kitchen towels, and cover with two of the other towels. As lefsa cools, it softens, but it needs to be covered with towels, top and bottom, to do so.
11. Repeat with the rest of the lefsa dough. Stack the rest of the lefsa pieces on top of the original, and keep the pile covered with the kitchen towels until it has cooled. Put in a plastic bag and refrigerate.
12. Warm it gently in the microwave, and use as you wish, for hot dog buns, cheese crips, or a quick buttered cinnamon and sugar roll up.
Tags: brown spots, buttered cinnamon, buttered cinnamon sugar, cinnamon sugar, covered with, dough that, have dough