From Scratch

The most difficult aspect of making a woven lattice crust is resisting the urge to tell everyone how easy it is. When you get compliments — and you will, of the ooh and ahh variety — simply smile and say thank you. There must be people who perceive this as difficult or there wouldn’t be directions for faux lattice crusts, simply laying the strips atop each other. And there wouldn’t be a weird product that cuts little squares out of the crust to make it look like a lattice. Or so the sales pitch goes.

It really is simple, so let’s make one with step-by-step photos. You need to start with a dough that’s tender enough to be manipulated, but not so tender it melts. I use my pate sucree and it performs like a champ, even when stopping repeatedly to take pictures.

You need little equipment: a surface you can cut on, a pastry wheel, pizza cutter or sharp knife, a ruler and a pastry brush. You can forego the ruler if you have a good eye and skip the brush if you don’t mind getting your fingers wet.

The chilled dough has been on the counter for 15 minutes and is still cool but workable. You’ll need 10 strips so roll the dough into a 12 x 12 square or a 12 x 10 rectangle. Or thereabouts.

 

With your ruler, mark off 10 one-inch strips then use it as your guide to cut them. Moisten the edge of the dough in the pie plate with water so the strips adhere. Starting in the center and working out, place five strips over the filling.

Again starting in the center, fold back two strips and lay one of your remaining strips across the three.

Unfold the two strips, fold back the other three and place another strip across. Fold back the first two again and repeat. Turn the pie plate around and repeat the whole process. Gently press the strips to the bottom crust, re-moistening first if necessary.

There are three ways to finish the edge. The simplest is to trim both layers of dough so they are even with the rim of the pie plate. Lightly press the layers together for a clean, sleek edge. I do that often, especially when I’ll be serving people who don’t eat the edges.

The other options are to trim the crusts so they are even, leaving a small overhang, then moisten where they join and either tuck under or up over itself — as I did — and flute the edge.

A purist might say there is only one way but I’m not a purist about this and believe there is no wrong way. Whatever works, whatever you like, is the right way for you.

Before the pie goes into the oven, gently press each place where the crusts overlap. A little more water is a good idea.

If you wish, brush on an egg wash of one yolk, a splash of water and a pinch of salt and sprinkle on some coarse sugar.

 

And that’s all there is to it. Do be careful to lift and move the strips with both hands. Don’t pick them up by one end and let them dangle. That will stretch them and remember — if it stretches outside the oven it’ll shrink inside. Your first lattice might take a few minutes but it soon becomes a lickety-split process.

Don’t tell.

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