A lattice pie crust involves weaving strips of dough into an interwoven pattern over the filling. This design offers a beautiful aesthetic while also being functional. The open mesh allows steam to escape efficiently as the pie bakes, which is particularly helpful for fruit pies with high moisture content. This prevents the crust from becoming soggy and ensures a crisp texture, elevating a simple double-crust pie into a visually appealing dessert.
Preparing the Dough Strips
The process begins with rolling out the dough for the top crust to a uniform thickness, ideally about one-eighth of an inch. Achieving this consistent thinness is important for a delicate, flaky result and for ensuring the strips are easy to handle during the weaving process. Once rolled, the dough must be thoroughly chilled before cutting, as this step is necessary for a successful lattice.
Chilling the dough firms up the fat, which prevents the strips from stretching, sticking, or tearing when they are cut and moved. Use a ruler and a sharp knife or pizza cutter to create strips of consistent width, ranging from a half-inch to one inch, depending on the desired look. Uniformity in width creates a neat, professional appearance. After cutting, the strips should be returned to the refrigerator or freezer to remain cold until needed for weaving.
Weaving the Classic Lattice Pattern
With the pie filling already in the bottom crust, lay the foundation by placing half of the dough strips parallel across the pie. Use the longest strips in the center and space them evenly, allowing a small gap between each one. To begin the weave, fold every other parallel strip back halfway toward the center of the pie.
Place a new strip perpendicular to the folded strips, positioned close to the fold line. Return the folded strips to their original position, laying over the newly placed perpendicular strip. This action locks the first cross-strip into the pattern.
Next, fold back the other set of parallel strips and place a second perpendicular strip parallel to the first. Lay the folded strips back down, completing the second row of the weave. Repeat this alternating fold-and-place technique across the entire surface, working outward from the center. Maintain a tight, even pattern where each strip alternates between going over and under the perpendicular strips, creating the signature basket-weave effect.
Sealing and Finishing the Edges
Once the entire pie is covered, trim the excess dough strips and the bottom crust to leave an overhang of about one inch around the rim of the pie plate. To ensure a secure seal, the edge of the bottom crust can be lightly moistened with water or egg wash, which acts as an adhesive for the lattice strips.
The trimmed overhang of the bottom crust is then folded up and over the ends of the lattice strips, creating a thick, reinforced border. This seals the top and bottom crusts together, preventing the filling from escaping during baking. Create a decorative edge by crimping or fluting the dough. This can be done by pressing a fork into the folded edge or by pinching the dough between the index finger and the thumb for a scalloped pattern.
For a golden finish, brush the entire lattice surface with an egg wash (a beaten egg mixed with water or milk). A sprinkle of coarse sugar, such as turbinado or sparkling sugar, can be added over the egg wash to provide sparkle and a pleasant textural crunch.
Troubleshooting and Creative Variations
A common challenge when working with pie dough is that the strips may break or become too soft and sticky. This is often due to the dough warming up, which causes the fat to soften and the gluten to become more elastic. If the dough becomes difficult to handle, the entire pie should be placed in the refrigerator or freezer for a few minutes to re-chill and firm up the fat.
Dough shrinkage during baking is another frequent issue, occurring when the gluten has not been allowed to relax. To prevent this, the finished, unbaked pie should be chilled for at least 15 minutes before it goes into the oven, allowing the gluten strands to settle.
For a more creative presentation, bakers can experiment with variations:
- Creating a diagonal lattice by placing strips at a 45-degree angle to the pie plate, resulting in a diamond pattern.
- Alternating between thick and thin strips to create a visually interesting checkerboard or plaid effect.
A final, important baking tip is to monitor the crust during the last half of the baking time. If the edges begin to brown too quickly, loosely cover them with strips of aluminum foil to prevent burning.