From Scratch to Scrumptious

Everyone loves a lattice pie crust. So classic! So pretty! And now so easy!

A Pie-Month Bonus Post! We can’t have a month devoted to pies without an easy-to-follow guide about making a beautiful lattice crust!

Topping your favorite fruit pie with a lattice crust takes your pie from good to gorgeous! Not only do people love a classic lattice top, but it makes them think you’re a fancy baker.

A lattice top can be intimidating. It looks like a ton of work. (Unless you actually took Underwater Basket Weaving 101 in college.) But I have a simple method of making a lattice top with step-by-step pictures.

Get ready to make your most beautiful pie!

Choose Your Pie Crust

For best flavor, I recommend using my recipe for the Yummiest Pie Crust, but this lattice top method will also work with store-bought ready-made pie crusts. Be sure to buy the ones rolled up in the box and not one already in the pie plate.

Prepare Top and Bottom Pie Crusts

If you are making your pie crust from scratch, you need to have your bottom crust in the pie plate, ready to go. You will also need a fairly round top crust with minimal cracks at the edges.

To read all of my pie crust tips and tricks, check out my article: Yummiest Pie Crust & How to Roll a Perfect Circle. You’ll learn how to roll a perfect circle without cracks in the edges, the easiest way to get a rolled-out pie crust into the bottom pie plate, how to avoid the pie crust shrinking in the oven as it bakes, and how to decorate the crust edges.

Weaving the Lattice Top

Start by rolling out the top crust into as neat of a circle as you can. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but the closer it is to a circle, the better.

Cut your pie crust into strips using a pizza cutter. I like to cut them about 1″ wide.

Take every other pie crust strip and place it on top of the filled pie. Start by taking the longest strip from the middle and placing it over the middle.

Here’s what you’ll be left with. Don’t worry; you’ll use these in just a minute.

Fold every other strip in half, back over itself. Take the longest strip from the leftover pie crust pieces and lay it down horizontally. Once it is in place, unfold the vertical pie crust strips.

Now fold the other strips back over themselves to the point of the first horizontal strip. Leaving a little bit of space between the strips, place the second longest strip from the leftover pie crust pieces horizontally below your first strip. Unfold the vertical pie crust strips.

You will continue the pattern of folding back every other vertical strip until you get to the bottom edge of the pie. You will use shorter horizontal strips the closer you get to the edge of the pie.

When I folded the vertical strips back down over the last horizontal strip on the bottom, it looks like the lattice is close enough to the edge for that side to be done.

Now, fold back the strips on the top. You’ll start with the strips that go underneath the horizontal strip in the middle.

I think you get the pattern now. Want more pictures to watch the lattice finish up?

I had one more tiny strip that fit perfectly over the edge, so I added that to the top.

Here we are with a finished lattice top. Looks nice, huh?

Done with the Lattice; Let’s Finish the Edges

Now, you’ll want to moisten the bottom pie crust edge with water. You’ll need to lift each strip to get between it and the bottom crust. Lay it back down and pinch to seal the top crust to the rest of the pie.

Trim the strips and bottom crust to about 1″ past the edge of the plate. Moisten the top of the crust and fold the edges up over itself. Pinch to seal.

Now you can decorate the edges however you like. I like to do a Classic Finger Crimp.

Bake your pie and wait for your home to smell like a fancy bakery. Now show it off to all of your friends!

That’s simply beautiful… and beautifully simple!

Happy Baking!

Want to try out this lattice pie crust? Check out my Easy Blueberry Pie Recipe.