How to Lattice Pie Crust

I share how to lattice pie crust with step-by-step photos.  You’ll be surprised how easy it is to decorate your pies with a lattice top. 

After my easy pie crust recipe by hand post, I want to share how to make a lattice pie crust.  From apple pie to cherry pie along with other pie recipes, you can top pie crust with a lattice design.

I make a lattice top in my apple blueberry pie.

Weaving a pie crust not only creates a beautiful design but also helps the steam to escape from those little holes.

Usually, pie recipes with fruit fillings tell you to keep the pie in the oven until the fruit is bubbly. Imagine how the pie would end up without these small holes not allowing the steam to escape.

The steps are pretty simple. Let’s start!

Step by step instructions

First I make my all-butter pie crust recipe. I stir flour, salt and sugar in a bowl and add the butter to cut into the flour.

Then I add the water and vinegar(optional) gradually to the dough and stir to check the consistency until the lumps form out of the mixture.

After I make a ball out of the dough, I cut it in half, make discs out of them and let them rest in the fridge.

In the meanwhile, I prepare the pie filling and set it aside. 

Then I remove one of the doughs from the fridge to cover the bottom of the pie.

I place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it into a 12-inch (30 cm)circle.  Then I place it into a 9-inch (23 cm) pie plate without stretching the dough.

The sides overhang from the sides.  I don’t trim the edges, I use all the dough while giving a shape. Next, I place the dough into the fridge to keep it cold. 

Then I remove the other dough to roll out.   You may need to let it stay at room temperature if needed before rolling it out if it is not in a rollable consistency.

I roll it into a 12-inch (30 cm) circle as well.  Next, I cut it into 1.18-inch (3cm)wide even strips with a pizza cutter but you can use a sharp knife if you don’t have one.  You can use a ruler to make even strips. I brush off the excess flour with a pastry brush.

This is usually how wide I make the strips. It makes 10 strips this way.  If you want to use more strips, you can cut them into 1-inch (2.5 cm)wide strips or as you like.   

Then I place the lattice strips on a small baking sheet and keep them in the fridge to keep them cold.  If your kitchen is very cold and so is the dough, you may skip this step but I always keep them in the fridge for a while.

We want the dough that is lined into the pie dish to be cold but at the same time, before we give a shape to the edges at the end, we don’t want the edges to be hard as a rock, so it won’t crack when we fold the dough to shape. 

They should be in a shapable consistency.  So you may need to keep the dish at room temperature for a few minutes before adding the filling.

I fill the crust that is lined in a pie dish with the filling, removing the excess liquid.

Now it is time to learn how to lattice crust.

As I make 10 strips, I explain it this way.  Even if you want to make more strips, the logic is the same.

First I place equally spaced 5 strips horizontally on top of the filling. You’ll see 5 parallel strips. I set aside the other 5 dough strips.

I lay the longest strips in the middle and then place the shorter ones on the edges. 

Starting from the edge, I fold back every other strip halfway.  This makes 3 folded back stips.

I take one of the largest strips that I set aside and place it in the center vertically which is perpendicular to the parallel strips. Then I unfold back these 3 strips over the perpendicular one.

Next, I fold back the two strips that lay under the first vertical strip.  I take a strip that I set aside and place it close to the first vertical strip(I try to space it out just like I do the first 5 horizontal strips). Then I unfold the two strips over the perpendicular strip.

I fold back 3 strips that are under the vertical strip and add a perpendicular small strip that is close to the edge, trying to equally space it out with other vertical strips.  Then I fold back the 3 strips over the perpendicular strip.

We just shaped the right side of the pie!  Now let’s do the same steps to the left side.  

First, I fold back the 2 strips that are under the first vertical strip, add another strip that is perpendicular to the horizontal ones and unfold the 2 strips. 

Then I fold back 3 strips that are under the vertical strip, add a vertical strip that is perpendicular to the parallel strips and unfold the 3 strips.

Yes, we finished weaving a lattice pie crust step.

Now it is time to make flute the edges. (Optionally you can give a shape with a fork.)

I fold the edges onto themselves along with the lattice strips that hang from the sides.  If there are too many excess lattice strips on the sides, you can trim it first, then place those small square pieces to the sides with less dough to equally disturb it. You should give a little pressure with your hands so they stick to the dough. (If you want to give a shape with a fork, you can do it now by pressing the dough with the tines of a fork.)

The dough will not look perfect at the edges but we’ll flute them by pushing the dough using our index finger and pushing it from the other side with our thumb and index finger (just like I do in my easy pie crust recipe by hand post).  

Before placing it into the preheated oven, I egg wash the top and the edges and bake according to the recipe.

I hope you find this post informative and enjoy making a lattice crust!