Skill Demo: Basic Lattice
Have you ever looked at a cherry pie and just admired the beauty of the top crust? Have you ever wondered how it was made and how complicated it was to make? I had always wondered how much effort my mom and aunts had to put into making a pie like that. However, I was never around when they got to making the top crust, so I didn’t know how they did it.
This semester in my pies and pastry's class, we learned to make a lattice crust. I was worried that it was going to be super complicated, and I was going to struggle to figure it out. But when I went to attempt it for the first time, I discovered that it is actually very simple. So, I wanted to share how easy it is with you.
The first thing you want to do is roll your dough out into a rectangle that is about 10x13 inches. Then you want to cut it lengthwise into 1¼ inch strips. I recommend using a ruler to make sure you keep your lines straight.
Next, you want to add your filling to your pie crust and then take your two shortest strips and put them on the sides of the pie. then add two other strips evenly spaced between them. Once the four strips are laid out on the pie, I like to think of them as strips 1, 2, 3, and 4, pull strips 1 and 3 back and lay one of the remaining four strips across strips 2 and 4. Then, lay strips 1 and 3 back on the pie over the newest strip. Next, pull strips 2 and 4 back and lay another of the strips across 1 and 3. Continue this pattern until all four of the other strips are laid on the pie.
Next, trim all of the excess dough from the edges so that there is about 1/2 an inch of dough hanging over the edge. You can do this with scissors, a knife or a bench scraper.
Once the dough is trimmed, pinch the edges of the dough together to connect the lattice to the bottom crust. Work your way all the way around the pie until all of the dough is connected.
Then tuck the excess dough under the edge of the dough so that it is even with the edge of the pan.
Next, pinch the edge of the dough between your thumbs and index fingers all the way around the pie to crimp it together more and form a pretty edge.
Lastly, take some egg wash and brush the top of the lattice well to give it a nice golden-brown color once it is done baking.
I have always loved the look of a lattice on a pie but have always been too scared to try it. Now that I have done it, I know how easy it is and am looking forwards to practicing it more and also moving on to more complicated patterns. However, I think the basic will always be my go-to because of how simple the process is.
