You know the things that your mom made growing up, that no matter what, hands down, its the best! Well that is Lettu, the Finnish pancake. I am pretty sure that my whole family would agree that Lettu is the bomb! There is not a lot to Lettu the Finnish pancake, so what makes it so great? Not sure actually, just try it. Some people have these “rules” on how you are supposed to eat Lettu the Finnish pancake. Well that’s nice, but I say eat it how you want. With just butter. Syrup and butter. Peanut butter and syrup. Jam. Whipped cream and jam. Whipped cream and berries. Berries mixed with whipped cream. Cold. Hot. Whatever you want. Love Lettu. Did you get that??

What is Lettu?

Lettu is a flat thin pancake that is made on a hot flat pan, similar to the french crepe. However lettu experts (people with Finnish descent)  will tell you that they are not the same…The goal of a good lettu is to make it very thin. Although when my Mamma would make them, a few would be on the thick side..and I loved them.

People in Finland love to make lettu over an open fire outside. Here in the US and Canada we tend to think of roasting hot dogs or marshmallows over an open fire , in Finland its Lettu.

Lettu is made with a few basic ingredients. Milk, eggs, flour and salt and I add a dash of sugar.

How to make lettu the Finnish pancakes

Ingredients

3 eggs

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp granulated sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 cup milk

Directions

Crack the eggs into a medium sized bowl. Using a whisk, whisk the eggs until fluffy.

Add the milk and mix well.

Add the dry ingredients. Using the whisk mix until there are no lumps left in the batter.

Spray your hot pan with a non stick cooking spray. I like to use canola oil spray.

Using a 1/3 cup measuring cup. Pour the batter onto the center of the hot pan.

Pick up the pan. Swirl the pan slowly so the batter smooths out into a thin layer.

Let the batter cook until you see it setting up.

Flip the pancake using a spatula.

Cook on the other side for about 15 seconds.

Remove from pan.

Start over!

If you use a cast iron pan the lettu will be darker. If you use a non stick coated pan, the lettu will be lighter.

Answers and tips

Isn’t finnish pancake called pannukakkua?

Yes that is another type of Finnish pancake. It is made in a pan in the oven. It is kinda similar to Dutch babies, but on the thicker side.

How is it different from Crepes?

Not a lot. Most crepe recipes I have seen call for vanilla. Other wise they are very similar.

Are there other names for Lettu?

Yes there are a few other names for Lettu.

Finnish pancakes, lätty, lätyt

Why are my lettu not browning?

Your pan is not hot enough. Make sure your pan is hot before making the first finnish pancake.

How do I roll it once all the toppings are in?

Insert a prong of the fork at the edge of the pancake. Slowly roll your fork in your fingers and the pancake will roll up.

Here are few other Finnish recipes that we have

Lemon blueberry cream cake

Finnish Pulla Cardamom Bread

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