Grandma Ag's Lefse (using instant potato flakes)

[@douglasschafer6372]

Excellent, thanks

[@ChefHikerBiker]

Glad you liked it!

[@KrstnaSchroeder]

Tip: when making your balls, use an ice cream or cookie scoop. It makes them all the same size and you’ll know how many you get before you roll them out. I keep my dough cold at all times, taking out 5- 6 balls at a time to work with. ( btw, I’ve been making lefse since I was 5 when my grandmother taught me...over 40 yrs now)

[@ChefHikerBiker]

Yes, good tips.

[@fuzznickers]

Thank you for sharing this ❤️ I was the youngest grandchild on both sides of my parent's families so I only remember the tail end of lefse making with family. Sharing your technique from start to finish will help me learn the proper way to make it and share it with my 85yo mother who talks about the family tradition still today.

[@ChefHikerBiker]

That's sweet. Thank you.

[@mommiedearest5337]

All that hard work shows how much Grandma loved you! This is a great video. Thank you. And thank you for sharing Grandmas’s talent and kitchen tools!

[@ChefHikerBiker]

Thank you for all the appreciations and comment. 😊

[@janetpfiz3597]

Love the stories. My mother and her sisters also made lefse for the holidays

[@ChefHikerBiker]

Stories are what turn into traditions, because you're trying to relive those stories. Thanks for watching.

[@BlueTigerRunning]

Thanks for video. My mom's family was Norwegian, so we had lefse a lot growing up. The name of that rolling pin is a therinsila. The one I have that's like a 100 years old has just one handle in front. I have never made with flakes, but might try, as I would like for Christmas, and I live in Florida now, so hard to find :)

[@ChefHikerBiker]

Thanks for the comment. I hope you like the potato flake recipe.

[@michaeltooke9164]

Oil. The butter in the less dough is oil. Thanks for doing this! Really interesting and we'll done! Grandma taught you well!

[@ChefHikerBiker]

Thank you. Glad you like my videos.

[@cherylidler2386]

Well!!! This is a new version of lefse folks! It certainly looks lovely, I was worried the mixer was going to ruin the mix as the gluten would be so over active that the sticking to your board might be a BIG PROBLEM, but no sir! You rolled out those lefses with no problems at all... great stuff!!👏🏻IM GOING TO GET SOME POTATO FLAKES AND GIVE IT A GO,! My grandies will have lefse this christmas after all!!.. I still have my handmade rolling pin that my dad made for me many years ago.. it has only straight lines/ridges, he had a lathe, made a rolling pin for everyone in the family and beyond, so.. now there are a lot of us happily rolling as we think of him with every roll of the pin.. he made boards too.. I sewed the covers, put elastic in the outer edge.. pretty slick, no gradations like your bought version though!!.. we can eyeball the size we want pretty good .. I must share with all my cousins and family if my attempt works well? Thanks very much for this video and GOD JUL to you and yours BEST..CHERYL🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦

[@ChefHikerBiker]

Thank you very much. I love hearing about your memories and tradition. I don't have a specially made rolling pin, but everything I have was my grandmother's, and that means the world to me. I made a triple batch this year. Ended up with 45 rounds, and I did it completely by myself. I made all the potatoes Sunday night, then mixed in the flour Monday morning. Then, as the dough sat in the fridge, I got my rolling and cooking area set up. Started rolling around 10am, and was done around noon. All the while I was asking grandma if I was doing good and making her proud. I feel she was telling me, "good job." Now, I need to work on my rømmegrøt and lutefisk. Merry Christmas to you and yours.

[@RoseKrattiger]

Thank you for sharing your family recipe! It's perfect and I will always use this recipe from now on!

[@ChefHikerBiker]

That's nice, I'm glad you enjoy it that much.

[@rambl6993]

Hi, Mark. Tomorrow will be my first try at making lefse. All my equipment has arrived and I’m ready to get started on this culinary adventure! I just prepared the potato flakes mixture and it is cooling on my counter. Needless to say, tomorrow is a big day! I hope to be able to give you a good report.

[@ChefHikerBiker]

Awesome! I can't wait to hear the good news.

[@garycrumrine9538]

Love your mom's swear word comment. My Grandma, emigrated with her family from Norway, could swear up a storm in Norwegian with the best of them. We used Lefsa as bread and ate it for every meal. When it was lefsa making time, the whole family would start on Friday night making up the potatoes, then make 30 to 60 dozen lefsa rounds, and cut in half, then freeze. It usually lasted for three months or so, then we'd schedule another visit to the farm and repeat.

[@ChefHikerBiker]

Awesome! We pretty much only make it for the holidays.

[@Craig-ib7gk]

Tip: get a docking roller. A pizza-dough docker will work, but if you're very luck you can find one that is a full-pin just like your corrugated roller, but with tiny spikes. I inherited mine from my grandmother, who got it from her grandmother. Anyway, dock the lefse round right before you lift and roll it to take to the griddle. You'll get a much tighter freckle (they'll be maybe a quarter inch at the most) and virtually no bubble-up. Depending on the familial demand, I make anywhere from 5-lbs (about 26 rounds) to 20-lbs (about 105 rounds) every year around Thanksgiving.

[@ChefHikerBiker]

Back when Grandma was still alive, we were doing 20 pound also. Back then it was a big family affair with all my aunts, uncles and cousins; we all took turns rolling and cooking. At the end, each of the families had a couple bags to take home. Never used, much less even seen, a docking pin before.

[@Craig-ib7gk]

@@ChefHikerBiker They're sometimes called a "pin wheel". Regardless, hit Amazon and lookup "docking roller". It will be obvious what ti does once you see it. Decent ones cost about $20. Some more, some less. Anyway, a few passes over the entire surface of the round to dock it right before lifting for cooking is what you're shooting for. Honestly telling you, it will change your lefse life. I wish it was easier to find a full size rolling pin version like mine, but as I said, I inherited it, and I've only ever seen one other like it. It has the pins on about a 3/8in spread, and only requires a once-over on the round to get nice, tight docking pricks. A pizza dough docker is usually more sparse on the pins, so a few passes may be warranted. Pick one up and try it next time you're making lefse.

[@drummerlovesbookworm9738]

Thank you! You’re a really good instructor!

[@ChefHikerBiker]

Thank you, and thanks for watching.

[@rambl6993]

These are ADDICTIVELY good! The friends to whom I’ve given samples gave me rave reviews for them. Some have eaten them with butter sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon, and couldn’t have enough of them. Talk about being encouraged to hone one’s newly acquired skill!

[@ChefHikerBiker]

Next thing you know you'll be making 5-6 batches and giving them to friends and family for Christmas. 😁👍

[@rambl6993]

@@ChefHikerBiker I’m sure I’ll get insanely good at making them, because I’ll make them all the time, as our regular bread, not just for the holidays. I’ll be making the dough again tomorrow, and bake them the day after. BTW: I’ve looked it up on the internet. The dough must stay in the fridge overnight in order to give the gluten a chance to work.

[@ChefHikerBiker]

My great grandmother, Jenny, made lefse very day. It was their daily bread. I figured the resting had something to do with the gluten and the potato starch. Oh by the way, I got the email. Everything looked good. You've got this!

[@rambl6993]

@@ChefHikerBiker Thank you so much, Marc. Will keep you posted with my progress, as I make new batches and move toward perfection :)

[@ChefHikerBiker]

👍

[@rambl6993]

Today I made lefse for the third time. I decided to add 1/4 C flour (so now my dough incorporated 2 C of flour instead of only 1 3/4 C), which made for a dough that stretches and holds together better. I am amazed at the progress I’ve made in just 3 iterations: my lefse no longer break when I handle them and I am now able to lay them on the griddle without a problem. Most of them came out nice and round. I now also know about how long to keep them on the griddle, so they come out soft and flexible. I am absolutely delighted.

[@ChefHikerBiker]

👏👏That's great! Just remember, you need to focus on the wetness of the dough. There might be times when the full second cup of flour will be to much. If that happens, the dough will become tough and springy making it hard to roll out. It will act more like pizza dough; you'll roll it out, and it will pull back in. I love your up dates and I'm ecstatic for you and over your passion for making lefse. I wish I could have a sample. I'm sure they taste very good too.

[@rambl6993]

@@ChefHikerBiker Ah, they taste like I could eat the whole batch myself, in one sitting… As I mentioned in a previous comment, I have friends already waiting for this new batch, so they do go fast :). It really is amazing stuff. Anyway, most of the credit goes to you - for an awesome recipe and careful, detailed guidance. Thank you!

[@ChefHikerBiker]

☺️

[@rambl6993]

Hi, Mark. Just got done making the lefse. I came out with 16 of them. I will now work on my report and will follow up with that soon, and I’ll try to attach some photos as well.

[@ChefHikerBiker]

Find me on Facebook (Marc VanderPal) and send the photos through messenger

[@rambl6993]

@@ChefHikerBiker I wish I could, but I’m no longer on FB. Long story…

[@ChefHikerBiker]

Email them to me; [e-mail]

[@rambl6993]

So I’ve just put my second batch of lefse in the cozy! I can report that I got A LOT better already at getting most of my lefse be round rather than oblong and uneven in shape. The other huge progress I’ve made is in laying the lefse onto the griddle WITHOUT it tearing - the top of my griddle is like teflon, which made the lefse slide toward me as I was trying to place them onto the griddle. To remedy that problem I used to try moving them with my fingers, which of course broke them, since they are so thin and delicate. It is an AWESOME recipe, so much so that they are addictive, so a batch “evaporates” in a very short time. It’s too bad that only about 16-17 lefse come out of one batch. I have friends already hoping for more, so again I’ll be left with only a few. I must reiterate, and it can’t be overemphasized that the pastry board needs to be really well floured before rolling a new lefse. If one spot - no matter how small - is left without enough flour covering it, a small piece of the lefse WILL stick to the board!! Even if it’s a small area where the dough sticks, it’s enough to tear a piece of the lefse upon one’s trying to place it upon the stick and lift it toward the griddle. At that point, you can’t manage any repairs, no matter what you try, since they’re so delicate. Also, I think I kept them on the griddle too long this time, so when they came out of the cozy, though cooled, they were brittle other than in the center area.

[@ChefHikerBiker]

I saw the pictures you sent me, they look very good. I believe you got the rolling down pretty good. And yes, I saw the picture of a cooked one, and yes, it was a bit over cooked. A few dark spots are fine, but you had brown crusting all over. You can make multiple batches; just multiply the ingredients evenly. If you do larger amounts, leave most of the rounds in the fridge, and pull a few out, as you go.👍good on ya' though.

[@daveaasen2171]

Taking my first crack at Lefsa as my family supplier is too far away now so have been doing without for a few years - your video is great and it inspired me to give it a go using the flakes :)

[@ChefHikerBiker]

Awesome! I did a double batch this year. I guess my relatives will like me for another year. Hahaha. Good luck and let me know how it goes.

[@daveaasen2171]

@@ChefHikerBiker Followed your instructions and the Lefsa turned out great - flakes save a lot of time and effort - only thing I did different was to use a wheel pizza slicer to cut the pieces vs scissors Thanks for making the video :)

[@ChefHikerBiker]

I am so glad everything turned out well. You can now be someone's lefse supplier. 👍😁 Merry Christmas to you and yours

[@rambl6993]

I forgot to ask an important question: what temperature setting do we have on the grill? After I saw your video the first time, I made a trial batch - yes, without real knowledge or the right equipment… Yet, although they came out looking like tortillas, they STILL were so good. Addictively good. Anyway, right from the get go I realized that - as you’ve mentioned - the amount of moisture in the dough is critical for the success of the recipe.

[@ChefHikerBiker]

You might have to play with that a bit, but typically we run around 400° - 425°.

[@arlenebond7361]

I LOVE LEFSE....AROUND TURKEY TIME..I WOULD SPREAD BUTTER ON IT AND SLICE TURKEY OH SO GOOD...THANK YOU FOR YOUR GREAT VIDEO....NOW I'M CRAVING FOR LEFSE...MUST LOOK FOR A SOME PLACE TO BUY THIS...ANY SUGGESTIONS WHERE I CAN LOOK? AGAIN THANK YOU

[@ChefHikerBiker]

Some grocery stores do carry it. Look around the area with the refrigerated, not frozen, dough and rolls.

[@voxveritas333]

Freddy's Lefse, Fargo, ND.

[@ChefHikerBiker]

I've tried 3 or 4 produced lefsa. Don't know if Freddy's was one of them, but non, that I have tried, compare to homemade.

[@ajinpnw6221]

When you fold the Lefse and cut, does that make 2 from one big round or more? Also, your storing in ziplock bags, does this keep them damp enough ? Love the video, would of liked to see more rolling out..otherwise awesomeness all around! Thank you💕

[@ChefHikerBiker]

You'll get 4 pieces per round. There might be a small part that still connects 2 of them together. Just pull them apart. We don't keep the lefse in the bags for long. Only a week or so. But we do freeze them to make them last longer. They freeze and thaw very well. But again, they don't last long in the freezer. Meaning we eat it quickly. The longest they stay in our freezer is a month.

[@rambl6993]

Great video and wonderful-looking lefse! How long do the lefse have to stay covered? Can lefse be frozen?

[@ChefHikerBiker]

Thank you, and thanks for your questions. They're not covered for long. After the last one is cooked, we take a moment to eat a round, maybe two, before cutting and bagging. And for your second question; they do freeze very well. When you're waning them, just set them on your countertop to thaw. No oven or microwave needed.

[@rambl6993]

@@ChefHikerBiker Thank you so much for your guidance. I’m so glad I asked about how long to keep them covered, because I saw in one place that they needed to be kept warm for about 4 hours!! I’ve looked at a number of videos on making lefse and I totally loved yours - both the presentation and the home atmosphere. I’ve already saved it in my account and will use it as my go-to tutorial. I’ve already watched it twice and will do it again today, as I’m getting ready to soon receive the materials I’ve just ordered: the grill, stick, warming sack, pin and covers, pastry board. I’m excited about this new culinary adventure and I’ll likely ask you more questions as I progress.

[@ChefHikerBiker]

Wow! Thank you so much. It will take a bit of practice to get the dough to the right moisture level. But you'll get there. And I'll do my best to answer any questions. 👍👍

[@rambl6993]

Ok, Mark. It looks like KZbin won’t allow me to post photos, so you’ll only have a verbal report from me as to how my first effort went. I think I’ve done really well for a first try! Like everything else, it takes time and practice to get better. Here are my observations after making my first batch: - Since I live in a very dry climate, my dough needed 1 3/4 Cups of flour to pull into a ball. Indeed, the moisture level of the dough is key to the success of lefse recipes, so I used a little trick in order to test the dough: I took a bit of dough from the mixer and rolled it out with a mini rolling pin, to see how it stretched, so that worked well. - Laying the lefse onto the hot surface of the griddle (I tried 425 deg, then set it to 450 degrees and all worked well at that temperature) is not as easy as it appears… My griddle surface is teflon, and the lefse begins to slide toward me when I try to place it on the griddle. One needs quite a bit of practice to master that move, I think. I’ve struggled with the first few lefse and put finger holes in them :( but then it got a little better for me. - One cannot be overly careful as to how well one flours the rolling pin and the pastry board. I’ve had some dough stick to the board and the pin in a few places, thus ruining a lefse or two… - I have no idea how you manage to end up with lefse shaped like a perfect circle!!! I’ve ended up with a few like that, but most of them were far from being a perfect circle in shape! What’s the trick to get them all perfectly round? - The last two lefse only sat in the cozy for about 10 minutes. As a result, they were quite crisp. The stack showed me that the longer they had spent in the cozy, the softer they were (the whole batch of 16 balls took me about 2 hrs to complete, btw). So, they do need a long time in the cozy to make them soft, as they should be.

[@ChefHikerBiker]

Nicely done! As for a trick to get the round shape, it's multi faceted. Here's what I do; I make the ball as round as possible. I then flatten the ball to 4-5 inch disk, again as even and circular as possible. When I start rolling, start in the center and roll out over the edge, using very little pressure, I start rolling to the 12 o'clock position and roll for half hour position. You'll need to go around several times, but you should have a pretty good circle. If you don't, it will still taste good.

[@rambl6993]

Thank you for your kindness in patiently elaborating on technique and putting up so graciously with novices, Marc. They came out DELICIOUS, and I already used half of one to make a roast beef rollup… SO awesome. I already have a few friends lined up, anxious to receive samples, so I’ll be left with only a small number of lefse from this first batch :) Even my picky husband liked them, and that’s saying something. His remark when I was making them, though, was “They’re a lot of work”. Not really, though. I like the process of making them - it just takes a bit of time, and the fact that they freeze well is a great bonus. Now more on the “how to’s” topic… I do start with a dough ball as round as possible and flatten it as close as I can into a circle before rolling, but I think I press too hard when rolling, for one thing. So you’re saying that you only roll N - S and E - W (so to speak)? The way I’ve been doing it is rolling from the center outward, all around the circle, the way I thought I saw you doing in the video. I’ll have to look at that part of the video again.

[@ChefHikerBiker]

Your rolling around the circle is correct. I start rolling to the 12 o'clock position, the the 12:30, then 1 o'clock, the 1:30, 2, 2:30, 3. Just move the pin in small increments. At least, that's how I do it too. But keep the pressure on the rolling pin light. I literally use just my finger tips to hold the pin. Don't grip it like a baseball bat and wrap your fingers around the handle. And don't get frustrated and deterred if they're not coming out round. They still taste good, in the end. I have been rolling lefse for 40 years, and even I get sound oblong shapes.

[@rambl6993]

Oh, good. Thanks for clarifying. Your analogy with the baseball bat is funny yet right on the money: that’s what I’ve been doing, and pressing down pretty hard too. No wonder most of mine were not coming out round :( From the get go I realized that rolling with the proper technique is key to ending up with round lefse and not putting holes in them. Due to the dough being so thin, one can’t simply rotate it on the pastry board, like one can do with pie dough for example, to help obtain a circular shape.

[@ChefHikerBiker]

You get it. And I can't wait to hear how your next batch goes. Just remember, practice makes perfect. But your on your way. I like wrapping turkey clubs in my lefse. Turkey, bacon, shredded lettuce (I feel shredded works better than whole leaf), diced tomato, and a little mayo.

[@garycrumrine9538]

I still have my griddle in the same box.

[@ChefHikerBiker]

Take care of it and it will last forever.

[@rambl6993]

Hello, Marc. I’d like to communicate with you about a batch I made yesterday. I took a photo of a lefse to show you what it looked like before I put it on the griddle. I’m now on FB, found your page, and managed to comment under your latest post on your FB page. Hope you’ll see it. Thanks!

[@ChefHikerBiker]

Haha, Yep, I've done my fair share of those in my life. You can just wad it up in a ball and re-roll it. Or, you can cook it as is. It'll still be good to eat.

[@virginiakarlsbroten2737]

Very interesting but the flour container obstructed the view of your rolling, which would have been good to see.

[@ChefHikerBiker]

Yeah, I didn't realize the bad angle until later. I hope you try the recipe. It is very good.

[@virginiakarlsbroten2737]

I'm going to try it today. I don't think Idaho Spuds are available any more. I can't fine them. I have used them in the past. I got a bag of potato flakes yesterday and will follow your recipe and see what happens

[@ChefHikerBiker]

Idahoian is available around here. Let me know hiw it goes and if you like it.

[@zenmama979]

Refrigerating potatoes overnight creates more resistant starch.

[@ChefHikerBiker]

That's kinda what I was thinking too, but just wasn't sure.

[@kipling1957]

I would just half these ingredients for two people.

[@ChefHikerBiker]

We make a lot and give them out as Christmas gifts.

[@nbenefiel]

Lefse freezes well.

[@ChefHikerBiker]

Yes it does, and it thaws quickly too.

[@karene9131]

The potatoes have to be cold or the dough is to sticky to roll out…

[@ChefHikerBiker]

Yeah, I know that.

[@karene9131]

Do you use the regular Idahoan potato flakes or the red potato flakes?

[@ChefHikerBiker]

Regular Idahoan

[@blackjackmaster1432]

you put the potatoes in the fridge so it changes the starch in the potatoes a pro cook can explain it better

[@ChefHikerBiker]

I know cooling the potatoes will tighten up the starches. What I don't know is why my grandmother's recipe says to do it, overnight, in the fridge. Letting them sit out on the counter, will tighten up the starches. Is the fridge maybe drying out the mixture a little bit also. That's the part I don't know. I mean, the potatoes come out of the fridge, and we nead in the flour; by that time, the potatoes are room temperature again. So why did I have to rerigerate them to begin with? Why couldn't I just leave them on the counter overnight? Then portion them out and refrigerate the balls until we're ready to use them.

[@hasijo45]

Why don't you just close up and get going making lefsa !!!!!!!!1

[@ChefHikerBiker]

Haha It's fun, but my back wouldn't handle it.