Instant-Potatis Lefse
Potetlefse·(poh-TEHT-lef-suh)
Mormors Arv (Heritage, Midsummer, and Julbord)
Grandma’s all-day potato-boiling marathon isn’t a moral imperative; it's just how they did it before food science handed us a shortcut. Modern Norwegian home cooks and resourceful Midwestern ex-pats alike rely on pure potato flakes to knock out flawlessly tender, hyper-authentic flatbreads on a random Tuesday. The real secret to that nostalgic, pliable texture isn't the raw tuber—it’s letting the dough chill into a starchy glue, using a ridiculously light hand with the flour, and trapping the hot bread under a damp towel straight off the griddle.
Before you start
Preheat your griddle.
A large, dry cast-iron pan or flat griddle needs to heat over medium-high before you start rolling, as the flatbreads cook fast and require no oil.
Ingredients
- unflavored instant potato flakes2 cup
- boiling water1 1/2 cup
- heavy cream1/2 cup
- unsalted butter4 tbsp
- kosher salt1 tsp
- granulated sugar1 tsp
- all-purpose flour1 1/4 cup
Method
- 01
Hydrate the potato flakes.
In a large heat-proof bowl, combine the boiling water, heavy cream, melted butter, salt, and sugar, then gently stir in the potato flakes until it forms a smooth mash that tastes rich and heavily buttered.
- 02
Chill the mash completely.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 3 days. The starches must retrograde and turn cold and sticky; if you add flour while the potatoes are warm, they will absorb too much and you'll end up baking cardboard.
- 03
Work in the flour.
Turn the cold mash onto a surface, sprinkle with 1 cup of flour, and gently knead just until it comes together like a soft pie dough. Avoid over-kneading, adding the remaining 1/4 cup flour only if it is aggressively sticky, then divide into a dozen golf-ball-sized portions.
- 04
Roll the dough out aggressively thin.
On a heavily floured surface—ideally using a cloth-covered rolling pin—roll a dough ball into a nearly translucent 8-inch circle.
- 05
Dry-fry the lefse in a hot skillet.
Carefully drape the thin dough onto a dry 400°F cast-iron skillet or griddle for a minute or two until it bubbles and develops light brown freckles, then flip and cook the other side.
- 06
Trap the steam under a damp towel.
The second a lefse comes off the pan, slide it onto a plate and immediately cover it with a clean, slightly damp kitchen towel. Stack subsequent lefser underneath it as you cook; this trapped steam is the mandatory trick that softens the crust and renders the bread perfectly pliable.
Notes
Serve it right.
For coffee time, smear with good salted butter, dust heavily with cinnamon and sugar, and roll it up like a cigar. Alternatively, use it to wrap a grilled hot dog with crispy onions for a proper everyday meal.