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There’s a great big world of pie decoration out there from the simple to the insanely complex.

And while I love a nice rustic free-form galette (like this blueberry galette or this cherry galette), there’s something wonderful about the linear orderliness of a lattice-top pie crust.

A lattice is a lovely way to top a fruit pie, especially one with a particularly wet or colorful filling because it makes for natural venting to allow moisture to escape and it allows bright fruit to show through.

There’s no need to be intimidated. Weaving a lattice is actually quite simple.

At least if you follow a few guidelines.

First, start with a pie dough that’s flexible enough to bend a bit when chilled and sturdy enough to hold its shape through baking. My favorite recipe for lattice pies (and, honestly, pretty much any pie) is this easy flaky pie crust.

Then you want to make sure the dough is sufficiently chilled. The dough should be rolled into a 14-inch circle and have chilled on a flat baking sheet in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight before slicing and weaving.

Then you’ll want to follow the steps outlined below to make a beautiful lattice top pie.

Easy Flaky Pie Crust

Easy Shortbread Tart Crust

Yield: 1 top pie crust

How to Weave a Lattice-Top Pie

Here is a step-by-step visual guide on how to weave a lattice-top pie. It's an easy technique to make beautiful pies!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Active Time 2 minutes

Additional Time 3 hours

Total Time 3 hours 7 minutes

Difficulty easy

Materials

1/2 recipe pie crust, rolled out into a 14-inch circle and chilled
1 filled, unbaked pie, chilled

Tools

pizza cutter or pastry wheel

Instructions

Using a pizza cutter or pastry cutter, slice your pie dough into 8 strips about 1 1/4 inches wide.
Lay the first strip vertically across the the filled pie, just left of center.
Lay the second strip of lattice across the pie over the first strip at a 90° angle, just below the center of the pie.
Lay the third strip of lattice over the second strip of lattice to the right of and parallel to the first strip.
Lay the fourth strip over the second strip to the left of and parallel to the first strip.
Fold back the right end of the second strip and lay the fifth strip to the right of and parallel to the third strip and unfold second strip over it so it's on top of the fifth strip.
Fold back the bottom ends of the first and fifth strips and lay the sixth strip below and parallel to the second strip. Unfold the bottom ends of the first and fifth strips over the sixth strip.
Fold back the top ends of the first and fifth strips and lay the seventh strip above and parallel to the second strip.
Fold back the top ends of the third and fourth strips and lay the eight strip above and parallel to the seventh strip and return the third and fourth strips to their original positions.
Trim away the excess dough on the end of each strip and tuck it into the interior edge of the rim of the bottom crust and crimp the edges of the bottom crust as desired.