Lefse stacking and packaging

In an effort to make this maybe the geekiest lefse blog ever (yes, there are actually other lefse blogs), here is a handy trick for packaging your lefse. Note that this instruction only applies to those lefse that make it off the grill and are not eaten immediately.

Have you ever noticed that when the lefse comes off the grill, the edges have a tendency to be dry, and the middle moist? One trick we learned from Bruce's mom is to fold the lefse in half, and then stack them with the creased sides alternating left, right, etc. so that the moisture in the lefse becomes more evenly distributed while they cool. This, combined with packaging the lefse with the edges all inward in the packages, results in lefse that is fairly uniformly moist thoughtout the package.

Here's what you need (preferably before you start baking the lefse):

• two smooth kitchen towels (flour sack or other smooth towels, see instructions)
• a small sheet of aluminum foil or flat cookie sheet if your counter is not something like granite or stainless steel
• several gallon-size ziplock freezer baggies (1 per every 16 lefse rounds)
• a roll of "Press-n-seal" (which we like better than other plastic wrap products for packaging)

Part 1: Setting up the lefse stacks:

(1) Clean a space on the counter near where you will be baking the lefse. We usually do this either just to the left or right of the lefse grill.
(2) If you have counter tops that are not granite, stainless, or another non-penetrable surface, you are fine and can move to step (3). If your counter is formica or other porous material, we also recommend putting one additional layer of something like aluminum foil on the counter or use a baking sheet.
(3) Take the first smooth kitchen towel and fold it in half. Lay it on the counter with the short edge facing you. I like to use some that I got from my grandma Serene, but any smooth hand towel will work. Waffle weave or terry cloth does not work so well for this, but could be used if that's all you have.  Also, we find it is best to use towels that have been washed without scented detergents.
(4) Fold the second towel like the first and place it on top of the first towel. You will be putting the lefse between these two towels to cool.
(5) Start baking your lefse!
(6) Once the first lefse is baked, remove it from the grill with your lefse stick and adjust it until the lefse is folded in half. You can do this by twisting the stick. This will work best if your lefse is pretty round, but regardless of what shape the lefse is, try to get it folded just about in half.
(7) WIth your other hand, lift the upper towel and place the lefse on the lower towel with the folded side along the long side of the towel.

(8) Cover the lefse with the upper towel.
(9) Bake another lefse round! Mmm.
(10) Once the next lefse is ready, again remove it from the grill using the stick such that it is folded about in half.
(11) With your other hand, lift the upper towel (exposing the first lefse underneath), and lay this next lefse round down, with the long folded side of the lefse facing the opposite direction as the one under it. For example, if the lefse underneath has the long folded edge facing right, place this new round of lefse facing left.

(12) Arrange the lefse (preferably while it is still on the stick) such that the long folded side covers the edges of the lefse below.  This is the key part of the trick, and will let the moisture from the center of the lefse below (and above, once you have the next one on top) transfer to the edges.
(13) Cover the stack with the upper towel.
(14) Bake another lefse!
(15) Place the third lefse down on the stack, in the same orientation now as the first one.
(16) Alternate baking lefse, stacking left/right facing lefse, and covering with the top towel.

When you are done you will have a huge stack of lefse on the counter to cool. You can set up a second stack (say once you've done 16 rounds), or stack 32 rounds all in one stack. We don't usually stack more than 32 in one pile.

Part 2: Packaging the lefse (best if the lefse is at room temperature or just ever so slightly warm)

• Find an area to work where you can fit your stack of lefse (between the two kitchen towels) and enough room to lay out a sheet of plastic wrap and some finished packages of lefse.
• Tear off about 18" of plastic wrap. If you are using "press-n-seal", put the sticky side up.
• Take off the top towel
• Remove the top piece of lefse, and fold it in half again (this will fold it in quarters). Notice that one corner is now what used to be the "center" of the lefse round, and the opposite corner is all "edge."  This might remind you of paper folding and making snowflakes from elementary school, except that this one will have only four layers instead of 6.
• Each package will have four of these folded lefse rounds, making a "square" package. The four corners of the square will each have one "center" oriented lefse round.
• To do this, place the first lefse down in the center of the plastic wrap sheet (or near the top edge, it doesn't really matter). Orient the lefse with the corner (center of the round) in tupper left.

• Take another piece of lefse from the pile, and fold it in half. Find the "center corner" and place this piece of lefse on the first piece, with the "center corner" in the lower left hand side.

• Take the third piece of lefse from the pile, fold it, and place this such that the "center corner" is on one of the right edges of the packaging pile, say the upper right.

• Place the fourth, folded, piece of lefse such that each corner of the square you have formed is in the remaining corner, in this case the lower right.

• Now you should have a set of 4 folded lefse rounds, folded in quarters, on the plastic wrap. They should approximately form a square. You will see that all the edges are now in the center of the package, and the "centers" of the rounds of lefse are all facing out towards each of the corners. Again, this is to provide the best chance for evenly moist lefse rounds.
• Fold the plastic wrap around the lefse, and press out the air. Finish sealing the wrap.
• Place this first package in the gallon ziplock bag.
• Repeat steps (6)-(12) three more times, and you will have a pretty full ziplock bag with four packages of lefse for a total of 16 lefse in the bag.
• Keep going until you run out of lefse (and are full).

We find that the first lefse is often not so great (on the bottom of the pile), so you might just want to eat that one and not store it.

The lefse in the packages can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days if you want to use it right away. Anything you are not going to eat right away can be stored in the freezer. When you want to eat some, you can remove a package from the ziplock, and either let it stand on the counter for several hours to let it come to room temperature for serving, or place it directly in the refrigerator to thaw.

Lefse Hexa-flexa-gon

Ever find yourself bored with simply rolling up your lefse into a tube filled with butter and your favorite sugar concoction? Don't fear - if you too are tired of folding your lefse into a cone, and want more challenging configurations, we have a solution for you. This is what happens when four mathematicians (Elyn, Maureen, Jody and Bruce) and a scientist (me) get together at Thanksgiving and need an afternoon of entertainment.

We were inspired by the paper folding topological objects called 'flexagons' that can be folded from a strip of paper. For a cool demonstration, see the amazing video: Vihart's hexaflexagons. The hexagonal objects can be folded and turned to move the outer surfaces to the interior (sort of like flipping it inside out). Repetive folding reveals a series of internal surfaces and may even reorient the faces of six triangles making up the hexagon. These structures have been studied by mathematicians and even the physicist Richard Feynman.

For this project, we were inspired by another of Vihart's videos, the 'Flex Mex' tortilla flexigon: Flex Mex. mmmm - guacamole and fillings folded into a tortilla.  Here is what the hexa-flexa-lefse-gon looked like after folding:

Jody worked to test the transformation folding to check that it worked:

Finding the right unfolding configuration:

And the interior fold of the lefse opens to reveal (note the spot pattern is different):

Unfold again, just for fun:

 Add butter:

And sugar:

Fold again (reverse direction, from bottom):

And, now the butter and sugar is inside where it belongs!

And it was delicious: