How To Make A Lattice Top Crust

Lattice topped pies look far more difficult to make than they are. I was making peach pies for a client today and I thought I'd demonstrate how easy it really is to weave a lattice top pie crust.

When halving your chilled pie dough, you can typically make one half a bit smaller than the other because lattice tops require less dough. Roll it out just as you would the bottom crust, ensuring that it's diameter is such that your strips will be long enough to cover the pie, with a bit of overhang.

1. Use a pizza cutter or if you have one, a pastry or fondant wheel, to cut strips of dough however wide or narrow you'd like your strips to be - keep in mind they will shrink back somewhat when baking. Start with laying down the center vertical strip and work outwards from there.

2. Fold back every other strip (in this case, strips number 2 and 4), and lay a strip horizontally across the center.


3. Unfold the strips and then fold back the strips you skipped in Step 2 (in this case, strips number 1, 3 and 5). Lay another strip horizontally. If your pie is quite large, repeat Steps 2 and 3, then proceed to the other half of the pie.



4. Unfold the remaining strips and trim any excess. Using your thumbs, press the ends into the crust.


The pie is now ready to bake or freeze for future baking - easy, right?