Do we call them Flatbreads? Tortillas? I call them Oil-Free Potato Wraps but whatever you call them, they are 100% delicious, completely fat-free, and only require TWO ingredients.
A few weeks ago, my readers requested I make one of their favorite Chinese take-out dishes, Moo Shu Wraps. So ever since, I have been searching for the perfect wrap.
At first, I looked at Egg Roll Wrappers from the store but was disappointed with how many ingredients (mostly preservatives) they had. And they were just too small.
Next, I tried to make my own Chinese pancake, like the ones you would get in a restaurant. To say it was a disaster would be an understatement.
I thought about just using flour tortillas, but EVERY SINGLE BRAND in my store had oil as an ingredient.
No way around it - I was going to have to learn to make my own.
The next THREE attempts all involved potatoes, using recipes I found on YouTube, mixing hot potatoes with flour to make a dough. It was messy, REALLY messy, and the dough stuck to everything, but eventually, they became somewhat edible.
And then I remembered that a very dear friend of mine made similar wraps. For the last couple of years, she has invited us up to visit and have lunch. Both she and her sister Susie are huge McDougall followers, and the meals were always made from scratch with ingredients right out of her garden.
So I reached out to her and finally, at long last, learned the proper way to make them. And she calls them Lefse, which is a Norwegian Flatbread.
So thank you Dora! They came out wonderful.
So without further ado, let me show you how to make an easy, guilt-free, oil-free wrap that you can use for tacos, burritos, moo shu, or whatever you want to put in them.
Oil-Free Potato Wraps
This recipe is one of the easiest recipes I have ever posted.
You only need 2 ingredients - mashed potatoes and flour (ok and a pinch of salt). That's it.
BUT......they do take time.
Physically, they come together quickly, but it will take time for the potatoes to cook, let them chill, mix the flour, and roll out the wraps, etc. ...so plan accordingly.
You're basically going to mix some cold mashed potatoes with flour to make a dough.
Then you separate that dough into 6 equal balls and roll them out like pancakes. And you cook them in a hot, non-stick skillet until lightly browned.
That's the quick and dirty version.
For more of the details and equipment that I used: read on.
Potatoes
I used one Sweet Potato and one Yukon Gold. You could use ALL sweet potato, or ALL yukons, but I went with one of each. Russets would probably work too.
Leave the skins on while cooking, and boil them or steam them. Do NOT bake or microwave them as you want that moisture. I used my Instant Pot, 20 min in a steamer basket, with a natural pressure release.
The important thing is you want them cooked all the way through. You do NOT want lumpy mashed potatoes.
Once they are cooked and still hot, carefully remove the skins and mash them until they are smooth. Then cover and refrigerate, preferably overnight.
Flour
My friend uses Spelt Flour, so I imagine any whole wheat flour will work. I personally used King Arthur Bread Flour.
I have NOT tried any Gluten-Free flours - so I do NOT know if they will work. Try it and let me know.
I used my KitchenAid Stand Mixer with the paddle attachment. You can also simply mix your dough by hand too. If it feels too wet, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it feels like cold, smooth, play dough.
The Dough
Once the dough is mixed, and no longer feels sticky to the touch, I rolled it into a log and separated it into 6 equal sized portions. This will make a pancake about the size of your hand. Tortilla sized.
The traditional way of rolling out Lefse, is using a cloth cover on your work surface and another type of cloth cover around your rolling pin. I did not do this and they still came out ok.
If at any time they start to stick to your rolling pin, simply add more flour. If they ever stuck to my counter, I would use my bench scraper to clean that up and sprinkle more flour.
I'll add some Amazon Affiliate links with all the equipment I used at the end of this, in case anyone is interested. I will make a small commission on each purchase but at no extra cost to you.
With each of the 6 portions, I flattened them out using my hands into biscuit sized rounds, generously dusting with flour as I went along.
Once the biscuits were formed, I heated up my pan to med-high heat. I used my cast-iron skillet, with NO OIL. You want a dry pan to cook these in.
Then, one by one, I rolled each biscuit out to form a tortilla-sized wrap. Not too thin, not too thick, about the thickness of a tortilla.
Gently lay this in your pan. After about 30 seconds to 1 minute - you shuld be able to flip it. Another 30 seconds, give it another flip, etc until they are done. You can see the brown spots on mine in the photos.
They will balloon up and this is to be expected. Simply flatten back down with your spatula.
As they come out of your pan, or off your griddle, place them on a plate and keep them covered with a clean kitchen towel to keep them soft.
Equipment I Used
And that is how I made my Oil-Free Potato Wraps
I hope I didn't make it more complicated than it really is. Just make sure you have COLD mashed potatoes, add a pinch of salt if you want, and some good quality flour. Make a nice smooth dough and carefully roll them out into tortillas. That's basically it.
Let me know how you did in the comments below, or better yet post your photos in my BNV Community FB Group or on my Instagram using hashtag Brandnewvegan.
And now - time to get started on that moo shu....
Oil-Free Potato Wraps (lefse)
- Yield: 6 wraps 1x
- Category: breads
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: american, vegan
Description
Do we call them Flatbreads? How about Tortillas? I call them Oil-Free Potato Wraps but whatever you call them, they are 100% delicious, completely fat-free, and only require TWO ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1 sweet potato
- 1 yukon gold potato
- ½ cup flour (plus more for dusting)
- a pinch of salt
Instructions
- Boil or steam the potatoes leaving the skins on until thoroughly cooked through
- Let them cool enough to handle, then remove the skins
- Mash the potatoes until silky smooth - you want 1 cup
- Cover and refrigerate - preferably overnight
- Add ½ cup of flour and mix until a dough ball forms
- Add a tablespoon of additional flour as needed to keep it from being too sticky
- Roll out into a log and divide into 6 equal portion
- Flatten each portion into a biscuit shape dusting both sides with flour
- Heat a non-stick pan or griddle to med-high heat
- Roll each biscuit shape into a tortilla, generously dusting with flour as needed
- Lay a tortilla into the hot pan and flip after 30-45 seconds
- Continue flipping every 30 seconds or so until done
- Cover with a towel and keep warm until used
Christine
These were very tasty! We spread them with hummus, topped it with roasted cauliflower and a huge hand full of fresh parsley and then seasoned with salsa. They were delicious!, I was in a hurry to make dinner so I used the potatoes while they were still warmed. I ran the potatoes through a ricer, rather than mashing them. I had no problem rolling them. I. Love that your recipe uses sweet potatoes. I’m not a fan of sweet potatoes, but I know that they are very nutritious, so I was glad to have a new way to use them. Next time I make these, I may try using whole wheat flour. Thanks for a great recipe. Last week I made your cheesy broccoli soup. That’s a winner too.. And I’m not even a vegan. .
Dianne
Lefsa very common at Christmas in MN due to all the Norwegians up here. Excited to try with sweet potatoes. I'm sure it will have more flavor!
Jenny
If you are planning to use orange sweet potatoes, might I suggest adding cinnamon and a dash of sugar?
Paula
I made these last night and they were super easy and delicious! I did add some chopped scallions and I used whole wheat flour. Thanks so much for this recipe and and the user-friendly instructions!
Kathleen M. Spracklen
How do I access the affiliate links for the equipment to make this recipe? Thanks
Monica
I.cooked one and realized I forgot the salt. They definitely need salt so I sprinkled some on after each was rolled out. Quick and easy since I had already cooked, cooled, and mashed sweet and russet potato for another recipe.
Susan Sobon
Just made this and they turned out great. Nice texture and pretty easy to roll out. I used what I had, Yukon potatoes and whole wheat einkorn flour. I will be making these regularly now. Thanks!
Dianne
Glad to see your Einkorn flour worked. I was going to try that also.
Karen
I tried this substituting King Arthur gluten free flour and it turned out great. Happened to have some Hatch green chile and grilled veggies that made this awesome?
Saroya
I don't keep flour around since I seldom use it. Could I use ground oats?? Thank you!
Eileen
What is your preferred method to mash the potatoes silky smooth so they don’t get gluey?
Joolz
So surprising to see Lefse here - and orange at that! I grew up in a Norwegian-American family in the midwest, and Lefse was an annual project. Extra was always made and frozen. I wasn't a big fan of it - it was served w/ butter and white sugar, but this looks great. I love the idea of putting sweet potato in it, and I love the idea of using it as a flatbread rather than a sweet. Thank you for bringing back this part of my childhood in a new and improved way!
BJM
When you make these again, would you weigh your potatoes so we have an idea of what size potato will yield the 6 servings?
Chuck Underwood
As I stated in the recipe - you need 1 cup of cooked, mashed potatoes
Linda
Did you ever consider using a tortilla press to flatten?
Chuck Underwood
I have one but did not try it.
Leanne
Love it! But I forgot potatoes on my Costco run, drats!
Do you think the finished product would freeze?
Chuck Underwood
yes
Zelda
Do you have to cook the wraps before freezing them?
Angela
I’ve made these multiple times with regular potatoes and sweet potatoes and they always turn out great. Today I used cold mashed potatoes from the refrigerator but I had heated them up first to help them incorporate the flour it was fine. I saw a recipe the other day on the medical medium for those who cannot have flour to use potato starch, and it looked like it turned out about the same.
Kay Kay
About what quantity of mashed potatoes did you use?
How many cups from your 1 sweet potato and 1 Yukon gold?
Chuck Underwood
As I stated in the recipe - 1 cup
Barbara Wolf
I'm sorry dear, but the recipe does not say that we need about a cup of mashed potatoes.
Chuck Underwood
My sincerest apologies - at one point it did - and then I made an edit and lost it. So - it is back again. One cup of mashed potatoes - which for me was one sweet and one yukon.
Denise Southard
Is it 1 cup of potato AND another cup of sweet potato? Thanks for clarity on this. Looks so good. I can't wait to make i t.
Chuck Underwood
yes
Dennis Bergland
Hi, you just made Lefsa.
Julia
Hi Chuck! Have you tried this with a whole grain flour?
Thank you for sharing your talents with us!
Chuck Underwood
As I stated in the recipe - you can use spelt flour
Margaret
Thanks, Chuck for this great recipe. I used chickpea flour and s little water since my potatoes were baked. Since the dough was so hard to handle I used my tortilla press and voila I had perfectly round tortillas. Did have to add cp flour on the plastic ziploc bag I had used to sandwich in the dough. Also added Bout 1/3 of a tsp of the following: onion powder, garlic powder, ground cumin and chili powder..