Grethe from Mollas Bakeri in Rollag, Norway, is as authentic as they come. For her, staying true to the old traditions of cooking lefse is the secret to what makes her products stand out. For a truly authentic lefse experience, you’ll need a takke (griddle) on hand, heated by a wood-fire. As this may be difficult for most, a large electric griddle will suffice – although, you won’t quite be able to replicate the charred freckles and earthy, smokey taste. Nonetheless, with a little hard work and patience, you’ll earn yourself one tasty treat which you can show off to all your family & friends.

For more about Grethe & her bakery, see this post. You can also watch a short video to see how she cooks lefse on her traditional takke.

Mollas Lefse (Kling)

(makes around 30 large lefse)

Ingredients:

• 250 grams (2 cups) sifted rye flour
• 1 litre (4 cups) whole milk
• 450 grams (2 cups) salted margarine, melted
• 6 whole eggs
• about 1.8 kg (14 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
• Spread: 400g (2 cups) sugar & 1.3kg (5 3/4 cups or 11 1/2 sticks) salted butter

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Warm the milk slowly over medium heat. As soon as it begins to boil, take it off the heat and transfer to a heat-proof bowl. Add in the rye flour and stir until it has a porridge-like consistency. Add the melted margarine into the mixture.

Lightly whisk the eggs together and pour into the mixture. Begin to add 1.5kg (12 cups) of the all-purpose flour and mix. The dough should be sturdy enough that you can make rolls out of it – if more flour is needed, continue to add a little bit at a time. Divide the dough into individual rolls weighing 120g each.

Using a ribbed rolling pin (the ribs help push the dough further out, thinning it), roll each ball out as thinly as possible keeping their round shape. They should be around 50cm/20in in diameter.

Using a takke/griddle, cook the lefse evenly on each side, turning after only a couple of seconds if using a wood-fire takke or slightly longer on an electric griddle. The lefse should bubble up and brown. Once cooked, place plastic wrap below and above each one, layering them on top of each other, and cover with a large tea towel. This maintains the humidity.

When the lefse is finished cooking, begin to make the spread. In a food mixer, add the butter and sugar and mix well until incorporated.

When you are ready to make the kling, take one lefse at a time, and spread the butter/sugar mixture evenly over one half of the lefse. Then fold in half. Fold in half again. Using a knife, cut in half. Repeat with the rest of the lefse.

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Grethe’s lefse recipe can also be found in the cookbook, Mat fra Numedal. Her story can be found here.

See her cooking the lefse on the wood-fired takke.