One of the joys of the marketplace is listening to customers. It’s gratifying to hear praise for my books, and it’s a joy to keep learning from other aficionados about the art of making lefse.
Example: When I was selling my books at the Linden Hills Holiday Market in Minneapolis in November, I had the pleasure of meeting Rev. Charles Colberg of Minneapolis, who gave me two tips that have pleased my feet and especially the consumers of my lefse.
First, Rev. Colberg turned me on to Darn Tough socks, which are unconditionally guaranteed for life. Can’t kick about that guarantee, so I asked for and received a pair for Christmas. I love the fit, feel, and warmth.
The second tip from Rev. Colberg has lifted my lefse to the next level — and I already made very good lefse. The tip: Switch to King Arthur Flour.
This tip was so simple that I pooh-poohed it initially. After all, flour is flour, right? Well, no, as I discovered. There are reasons why King Arthur Flour is twice as expensive as the flour I have been buying. It is never bleached and has a protein content (gluten) that is carefully calibrated so that you have the same results every time you bake.
I was not put off by the price. I will pay what is asked if it makes my lefse better. And it did. When I rolled lefse for customers in the week before Christmas and for the Christmas Eve family gathering, my dough was velvety but tender. And my rounds were round with edges that were reliably smooth and not ragged. Same recipe I’ve always used but different flour.
So that is my tip: Switch to King Arthur Flour. It is arguably the second best tip I can offer lefse makers striving to improve. My best tip? It’s not mine but a tip from Bonnie Jacobs, who owns Jacobs Lefse Bakeri in Osakis, Minnesota. “Here’s my best advice on trying to make perfectly round lefse,” Bonnie told me in Keep On Rolling. “Do it more than once a year.”