Norweigian tradition is baked in love
LOREN BENOIT/Press Volunteer Olivia Simmons flattens lefse dough Wednesday morning for Trinity Lutheran Church’s Christmas Bazaar on Nov. 3. Lefse is a traditional soft Norwegian flatbread that is served primarily around Thanksgiving and Christmas.
This year the volunteer group will roll and cook more than 3,000 lefsa, a Norwegian flatbread, for Trinity Lutheran Church’s Christmas Bazaar.
Volunteer Paul Hunt uses a ricer to process potatoes in preparation for Trinity Lutheran Church's Christmas Bazaar on Nov. 3. (LOREN BENOIT/Press)
Three hundred pounds of potatoes. Tremendous quantities of flour and butter. And countless stories.
That’s what goes into the lefse, a soft Norwegian flatbread, made in the kitchen at Trinity Lutheran Church in Coeur d’Alene.
Each year, volunteers make thousands of lefse to sell at the church’s annual holiday bazaar. The tradition goes back to 1996, when Bea Jarstead and Hilfred Hussey began teaching other members of the church how to make lefse.
Jarstead passed away this week, at age 96. But the tradition she started lives on.
“It’s a labor of love and a lot of fun,” said Barb Childs. Relatively new to Coeur d’Alene, Childs sees making lefse as a way to give back to her new community. “This is what friendship in a church is about.”
There’s a rhythm to making lefse, something almost artful. Made with potatoes, flour, butter and milk or cream, lefse requires special tools: a rolling pin with deep grooves to roll the dough until it’s incredibly thin; a narrow wooden stick to lift the flattened dough and unroll it onto a hot griddle. The pattern from the rolling pin is visible on the cooked lefse, which can be flavored and eaten in a number of ways.
“It’s a Scandinavian tradition,” said Connie Gridley. She’s been making lefse at the church for decades, but for her, the practice goes back even further. “My grandmother made lefse on her woodstove.”
Many of the volunteers have Scandinavian roots, Gridley noted, which makes the tradition even more special. Fellow volunteer Dolores Johnson used to make lefse with her mother. To her, lefse represents family.
“I decided that this is one tradition I would carry on,” she said. “My oldest daughter has taken an interest. My mother must be up there in heaven, smiling because we’re carrying on this tradition.”
Working together, volunteers can make 1,000 lefse per day. Lefse is a popular item at the church’s annual bazaar, which supports the Lutheran Church Women. The group donates quilts to causes like Holidays and Heroes and will give away at least 150 quilts this year, Gridley said.
For Gridley, making lefse at Trinity Lutheran Church is about connecting with her community and preserving traditions for future generations.
“We’re making sure it doesn’t die,” she said.
Lefse and other Scandinavian delicacies can be found at the holiday bazaar on Saturday, Nov. 3. Trinity Lutheran Church is located at 812 N. Fifth St.