Learn how to lattice pie crust to add a fancy touch to your next dessert. These simple tips for rolling, cutting, and weaving will help you customize your favorite fruit pie recipe.
Recipe Science
- Rest the pie dough at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes. Slight warming relaxes the fat and gluten, making the dough more pliable.
- Cut the top crust into ½ to 1-inch strips, a ruler and pizza cutter can be used for precision. Chill the strips to make weaving easier.
- Brush the crust with egg before baking for a golden, shiny finish. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar for sweetness and texture.
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Why It Works
Making a freshly baked homemade pie is a labor of love but worth the effort. A simple double-crust is always stunning. However, a lattice top allows for creativity and customization. It only takes a few extra cuts to make your design unique.
This step-by-step guide will ensure success in adequately preparing and chilling the dough. Use it for your favorite fruit pie, such as strawberry, apple, peach, or cherry pie. Friends and family will think you went to culinary school. Let’s get started!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Dough: You’ll need 2 pounds of pie crust to make the bottom and top crust.
- Egg: Use one whisked egg to brush on the surface and edges of the crust. This creates a shiny, golden brown color when baked.
See the recipe card below for all ingredients and measurements (US and metric).
Ingredient Substitutions
You can easily customize the lattice pie crust with these tasty options:
- Pie Crust: Store-bought pie dough can be used. Defrost if frozen before shaping.
- Egg Wash Swap: You can use milk or cream. However, when baked, the surface will be duller instead of shiny.
- Topping: Granulated, turbinado, or sanding sugar can be sprinkled on top for extra crunch and sparkle. Ground cinnamon can be mixed with the sugar to add a warm churro spice flavor.
How to Make a Lattice Pie Crust
Step 1: Prepare the Crust for Rolling
I use an easy pie crust recipe that yields enough for a top and bottom crust, like my apple pie recipe. It’s a classic Pâte Brisée, made of flour, butter, salt, and water. However, my recipe has a higher ratio of butter to achieve a super flaky crust. I break the butter into coarse pieces, about the size of a pea.
I create two 1-inch thick discs and refrigerate them for at least 4 hours. However, overnight is ideal to allow the gluten in the dough to relax. Rolling out the dough too soon after mixing results in a tougher bite.
Tips for Perfect Execution: Rest the top and bottom crusts at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes to soften, making them easier to roll.
Step 2: Roll Out the Bottom Crust
Roll the bottom crust first, about ¼-inch thick. This ensures a sturdy base layer when slicing.
Step 3: Shape the Bottom Crust
Ease the bottom crust into a 9-inch pie dish, pressing the sides and edges. Trim the excess dough, leaving a ½-inch border to fold over the top crust later. Chill the dough while making the lattice.
Step 4: Roll and Cut the Lattice Crust
Using the top crust, roll out a 13 by 10-inch rectangle with a rolling pin. Cut it into 10 strips of dough 13 inches long and 1 inch wide. You can make thinner ½-inch thick strips if desired. I find a long ruler and a pizza cutter, or a pastry wheel, work well for creating the strips. Chill or freeze afterward to make them easier to weave, about 20 to 30 minutes.
Step 5: Weave the Crust
Add your desired pie filling to the bottom crust. Lay 5 parallel vertical strips evenly over the top of the pie.
To start weaving, fold back every other strip, then place a perpendicular strip across. Unfold the strips over the new piece.
Repeat this process, folding back alternate strips each time to complete the lattice pattern with the remaining strips.
Step 6: Trim and Crimp
Once the strips have softened, trim any overhanging long strips of dough along the edge of the pie to ½ inch.
Press the lattice strips and bottom crust edges together, then fold them over. Crimp the edge using your fingers and thumb for a neat finish.
Step 7: Add Egg Wash
Right before baking, brush the crust with a whisked egg. This will enhance the golden brown color and make for a shinier appearance. I also like to sprinkle on some cinnamon and sugar for extra sweetness and texture. Sanding sugar works well, too.
Step 8: Bake
Bake according to your specific pie recipe directions. The assembled pie can also be covered and refrigerated one day before baking.
Frequently Asked Questions
A standard double crust requires you to cut a hole for venting. However, a lattice crust has built-in ventilation with the openings from the weave pattern. Not only do they look pretty, but those openings allow excess steam to escape from the fruit, concentrating the flavors and thickening the filling over time.
A lattice crust design is excellent for blueberry pie, apple pie, peach pie, or cherry pie. Any baked fruit pies work well!
Yes, you can use store-bought pie crust to create a lattice! Let the crust come to room temperature for a few minutes to make handling easier. Roll it out gently if needed, then cut it into strips for weaving. It’s a quick way to get that beautiful lattice look without making crust from scratch!
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How to Make a Lattice Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 2 pounds pie dough, for top and bottom crust
- 1 large egg, whisked for egg wash
Instructions
- Prepare the Crust for Rolling – Allow the top and bottom crust to sit at room temperature for about 10 to 15 minutes. This process will make it easier to roll. If still too hard, let it sit at room temperature until more pliable.
- Roll Out the Bottom Crust – Dust the counter and the top of the dough with flour. When rolling out, rotate and dust with flour underneath and on top to prevent sticking and make it easier to transfer to the pie dish. Roll the bottom crust into about a 12 to 13-inch circle, about ¼-inch thick.
- Shape the Bottom Crust – Place the rolled-out dough into a 9-inch pie dish and gently press up against the sides and bottom. With a paring knife, trim the excess dough, leaving a ½-inch overhang to fold over the lattice crust edges later. Place the prepared pie dish in the refrigerator to keep cold.
- Roll and Cut the Lattice Crust – Roll out and trim the second piece of dough into a 13 by 10-inch rectangle. Use a pizza cutter and cut it into 10 strips, 13-inch long by 1-inch wide. Alternatively, cut them into thinner ½-inch strips. Separate slightly and freeze them on a baking sheet until very firm, about 20 minutes or refrigerate for 30 minutes. Freezing the dough makes it easier to weave the strips together without tears or breaks. It also helps the lattice maintain its shape during baking.
- Weave the Crust – Using the chilled strips, lay 5 parallel pieces evenly over the filling. Weave the sixth strip in the opposite direction, lifting the other pieces as needed to facilitate weaving. Continue with the remaining 4 strips, one at a time.
- Trim and Crimp – After letting the strips thaw and soften for a few minutes, trim the overhanging edges to ½-inch. Press the edges of the bottom crust and lattice strips together and fold over the edges. Using your fingers, crimp evenly around the pie crust edges.
- Add Egg Wash – Brush the crust with egg wash and sprinkle with other toppings such as sugar or cinnamon if desired.
- Bake – Bake according to your specific pie recipe, or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day before baking. Bake until the crust is golden brown on the top and sides.
Notes
- Topping: Granulated or sanding sugar can be sprinkled on top for extra crunch. Ground cinnamon can be mixed with sugar to add a warm spice flavor.
Nutrition Facts
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
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