Comments on: Lefse: A Guide to the Norwegian Classic

By: Carla Fisher

Carla Fisher — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 12:50:43 +0000

In reply to Elisabeth N.. This sounds like the lefsa my family has made for 4+ generations, although I do not know the official name, but may be called Krota Kake. My family was from the Hardanger area near Odde. I know this is an old post but contact me if there are any questions. Recipe: 5 lb. less 2 cups white flour / 2 1/2 cups rye flour (or wheat)/ 3 tsp salt/ 1 cup lard/ 3/4 cup brown sugar/ 2-3 packages of dry yeast. In a small bowl soak 2 1/2 to 3 packages of dry yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. Set aside. Heat 2 cups water. Add 1 cup Lard and brown sugar. Cool until lukewarm. Add 2 MORE Cups warm water. Mix in yeast mixture. Add rye flour and salt. Add white flour until reaching correct consistency. Knead well using a very large bowl, adding flour as needed. Coat top of dough with lard and let rise about one hour. Shape into about 12 softball-sized balls and place between two sheets of waxed paper and let rise until double. (Coat top of each ball with lard.) Roll out each ball with a corrugated rolling pin into a 12"-14" circle on a floured cloth-covered pastry board. Finish with 2 perpendicular presses with a diamond-cut rolling pin to prevent bubbles. Cook on pre-heated griddle until browned, turning once. Remove with a lefsa stick to a cutting board and cut into fourths. Spread kake out on table covered with brown paper wrap or newspapers covered with waxed paper until hardened. Kake will keep, unrefrigerated, for 6 months. Store in a cool, dry area. To serve: steam kake in hot water and let rest between towels until softened. Serve with butter and sugar. Roll up and enjoy. 2 1/2 cups rye flour (or wheat) 3 tsp salt 1 cup lard 2-3

By: Sandy Thoresen Whitman

Sandy Thoresen Whitman — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 19:41:57 +0000

All this reading about lefsa has made me yearn for some. I can almost taste my Swedish grandmother’s lefsa that she made every Thanksgiving and Christmas. Even though my other 3 grandparents came from Norway Oslo and Loiten), none of them made it. We always ate it with the meal, slathered with butter…no sugar please. For a late day snack we filled it with Thanksgiving turkey, dressing and cranberry sauce. Oh my! Delicious. I’ve never made it, but just may have to order some on line.

By: Bill Geis

Bill Geis — Tue, 17 Jan 2023 02:41:51 +0000

Growing up in Minnesota, but not Norwegian, lefsa was a Christmas time tradition. Buttered and powdered sugar, heated up was a tasty treat

By: Bob Aune

Bob Aune — Thu, 22 Dec 2022 20:23:48 +0000

In reply to Laurie. Hi Laurie We have just started our lefse and use flour as this is what was handed down through our family. We have had a family discussion regarding the amount of butter needed in our recipe. Could you share the recipe you use? Thank you so much, Bob Aune

By: Cheryl Peterson

Cheryl Peterson — Tue, 20 Dec 2022 14:18:26 +0000

In reply to Sandra Forscutt. Sandra, This is more info since my last post. Here is a link to a dessert lefse, which sounds more in line with what your fiance is referring to. If you can get more specific information about what he has had in the past, an internet search should help you find a similar recipe. https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/lefse-norwegian-potato-flatbread-recipe

By: Cheryl Peterson

Cheryl Peterson — Tue, 20 Dec 2022 03:33:19 +0000

Christmas at our house always includes lefse. I have had lefse every Christmas Eve since I have been alive. My great grandmother and grandfather immigrated from Norway in the 1800s. My grandmother made lefse every Christmas and mailed it to her adult children that had all moved away to various locations around the country. She cooked hers on top of a fire stove in her basement. I’m assuming this stove had an iron top. It is made from potatoes, flour, butter, & salt, formed into a ball and rolled out with a variegated rolling pin to make it textured. It is neither thin or thick, is roundish and can be made any size that fits on a round lefse griddle. Generally they are about 8″-10″ around with ragged edges, and cooked until light to medium brown patches are formed. The texture is flexible and moist, and not in any way crunchy, unless it is rolled too thin and/or cooked too long. We eat it with butter spread all over it with breakfast sausage in the center and rolled it up into a cylinder. When my grandmother passed, my mother, father and aunt all learned how to make it with grandma’s recipe and equipment. My dad fashioned a lefse flipper stick out of a yardstick. We have evolved to a real stick that is a marvel of woodworking and work of art. Lefse making is quite a bit of work. I worked full time and did not have time to learn. When my mom passed, my son enthusiastically took over this job with all new modernized equipment and his Grandparent’s oversight. If you have ever had Mrs. Olsen’s Lefse, it is almost the same and I’m sure it is virtually the same recipe. Since I discovered Mrs. Olsen’s, I see no need to limit lefse to Christmas. I eat it several times throughout the year as a quick meal with butter and thick turkey sandwich meat heated in the microwave. It never grows old. FYI, The type of potatoes matter and was the biggest challenge for those who tackled making it. Some have too much moisture that makes a sticky mess. It took a long time to figure out what worked and what did not.

By: Laurie

Laurie — Wed, 07 Dec 2022 18:40:05 +0000

In reply to Mark Strom. My family also came from Straumgjerde, last name Stromsheim! We had lefse without potatoes but with sugar and butter, folded and eaten along with coffee.

By: Michael Cleveland

Michael Cleveland — Sun, 04 Dec 2022 03:45:19 +0000

In reply to Elisabeth N.. By ant chance that you might have the recipe for this that you could share? My mother used to make this and since her passing we can not find her recipe.

By: Michael Cleveland

Michael Cleveland — Sun, 04 Dec 2022 03:42:12 +0000

My mother would make hard Lefse or wedding Lefse. We would make Lefse all weekend long and that last batches were the hard Lefse and once cooled and hardened, she would place them in a large box to keep them from breaking. Then at Christmas she would pour boiling water over each one to soften them up. Once softened she would spread butter and sugar then fold them up and cut into slices. I would like to find a recipe for this, any help or directions on how to find a recipe would be greatly appreciated.

By: David Nikel

David Nikel — Mon, 03 Oct 2022 06:40:27 +0000

In reply to Sandra Forscutt. They are not pancakes