Which flour mixtures can be used?

According to the recipe, rye flour and potatoes, oat flour and potatoes, or oat flour and water all make excellent flatbread.

Why should the dough be made the evening before?

The potatoes are mashed or ground warm and the flour is kneaded in to a smooth dough. Erken recommends doing this the evening before rolling out, so the dough gets to rest — hence the long total time of around 12 hours.

What is the difference between flatbread and lefse here?

Half-baked flatbread (lefse) is not turned on the griddle and is not baked through; the rounds are placed in a clean cloth after baking. Ordinary flatbread is baked through and turned with a paddle and a thin stick.

What equipment is needed?

A grooved rolling pin to roll the rounds very thin and round, a little barley flour to sprinkle over and under, and an iron griddle, pan or clean-scrubbed stove plate with a baking-paddle, spade and a thin stick to lift and turn the rounds.

Flatbread

Name: Flatbread
Prep time: 2 h
Cook time: 10 h
Total time: 12 h
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: Norwegian
Ingredients: 1 kg boiled potatoes (floury, peeled while warm); 300 g barley flour (about half of the flour quantity); 300 g rye flour (can be swapped with oat flour); 1 tbsp syrup (optional); 1 dl milk (optional, as needed); flour for rolling out (preferably barley flour); butter (freshly churned, lightly salted – for half-baked flatbread (lefse))

Erken's flatbread: a dough of warm, mashed potatoes kneaded with rye/barley flour or oat flour, kneaded the evening before, rolled out very thin with a grooved rolling pin and baked on a griddle. A half-baked version becomes lefse spread with freshly churned butter and cut into triangles.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 571 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

Erken's basic recipe for flatbread, without fixed amounts – the way the baking tradition was handed down. The baking-paddle, the spade and the griddle belonged to the traditional baking equipment, and the dough was always kneaded the evening before.

How to make it

1
Boil the potatoes
Boil the potatoes, peel them and mash or grind them while they are warm.
2
Knead the dough
Knead the flour into the warm potatoes to a smooth dough. Add a little syrup and milk if desired. This should be done the evening before rolling out.
3
Roll the rounds
Roll the dough out very thin with a grooved rolling pin. Sprinkle a little flour – preferably barley flour – over and under, and roll the rounds completely round.
4
Bake
Place the rounds, baking-side down, on a griddle, frying pan or clean-scrubbed stove plate, and lift and turn them with the paddle and a thin stick. Bake them dry and crisp.
5
Half-baked flatbread (lefse)
If you want half-baked flatbread, the rounds must not be turned on the griddle and must not be baked through. Place them in a clean cloth after baking.
6
Butter and cut the lefse
Spread half the round – the side that lay down – with good, freshly churned and lightly salted butter, fold the round together and cut it into triangles of the desired size. Wrap them in the cloth again.

Changes from the original

The original gives no amounts; here, guideline amounts for an ordinary batch have been set out. The griddle/stove plate has been supplemented with a modern frying pan or crêpe maker, and "grynmel" has been explained as barley flour/finely milled coarse flour.

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Time machine – what changed?

Pick two editions and see what Henriette Schønberg Erken added, removed or changed between them.

From1914 1949 Modernised

To1914 1949 Modernised

1949 (proofread, p. 671) → Modernised~83% of the text changedremovedadded

~~Potetene kokes, skrelles, knades (stampes)~~ 1 kg kokte poteter (melne, skrelles varme). 300 g grynmel (byggmel) (omtrent halvparten av melmengden). 300 g rugmel (kan byttes med havremel). 1 ss sirup (valgfritt). 1 dl melk (valgfritt, etter behov). mel til utkjevling (gjerne grynmel). smør (nykjernet, lite saltet – til halvstekt flatbrød (lefse)). Kok potetene, skrell dem og stamp eller ~~males~~ mal dem mens de er ~~varme, og heri knades~~ varme.. Kna melet inn i de varme potetene til en jevn deig. Tilsett eventuelt litt sirup og melk. Dette bør gjøres ~~aftenen~~ kvelden før ~~utkjevlingen. Deigen kjevles ut ganske~~ utkjevlingen.. Kjevle deigen helt tynn med riflet kjevle. Strø litt mel — – gjerne grynmel — – over og ~~under~~ under, og kjevl ~~levene ganske runde.~~ leivene helt runde.. Legg ~~dem~~ leivene med bakstefløyen på ~~takke (jern), panne~~ takke, stekepanne eller på renvasket ~~kom fyrplate med bakstefløien,~~ komfyrplate, og løft og ~~drei på~~ snu dem med ~~«spuduen»~~ spaden og en tynn ~~kjep.~~ kjepp. Stek dem tørre og sprø.. Ønsker du halvstekt flatbrød, må leivene ikke snus på hellen og ikke gjennomstekes. Legg dem inn i et rent klede etter stekingen.. Smør halve leiven – den siden som har ligget ned – med godt, nykjernet og lite saltet smør, legg leiven sammen og skjær den i trekanter i ønsket størrelse. Pakk dem i kledet igjen.

Note on Modernised

Originalen oppgir ingen mengder; her er det satt opp veiledende mengder for en vanlig bakst. Takke/komfyrplate er supplert med moderne stekepanne eller crêpejern, og «grynmel» er forklart som byggmel/finmalt grovmel.

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Frequently asked questions

Which flour mixtures can be used?: According to the recipe, rye flour and potatoes, oat flour and potatoes, or oat flour and water all make excellent flatbread.
Why should the dough be made the evening before?: The potatoes are mashed or ground warm and the flour is kneaded in to a smooth dough. Erken recommends doing this the evening before rolling out, so the dough gets to rest — hence the long total time of around 12 hours.
What is the difference between flatbread and lefse here?: Half-baked flatbread (lefse) is not turned on the griddle and is not baked through; the rounds are placed in a clean cloth after baking. Ordinary flatbread is baked through and turned with a paddle and a thin stick.
What equipment is needed?: A grooved rolling pin to roll the rounds very thin and round, a little barley flour to sprinkle over and under, and an iron griddle, pan or clean-scrubbed stove plate with a baking-paddle, spade and a thin stick to lift and turn the rounds.

Equipment for this dish

Stand mixer →Erken kneaded and whisked by hand for ages – a stand mixer does the work for you.Engrospris.no

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