1 Before starting the lattice top, roll out half of your
pie dough
and line your pie dish with it. The dough should extend beyond the rim
of the pie dish by about half an inch. Put it in the refrigerator to
chill while you work on the lattice. On a lightly floured surface, roll
out the other half of your pie dough to the same extent as the first
half (about 3 inches beyond the diameter of your pie dish). It's easier
to work with the dough if it is chilled, so if it the dough has
softened too much, put the rolled-out piece on a flat cookie sheet and
chill it in the refrigerator or freezer for a few minutes.
2 Cut the dough into even strips, 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch wide,
depending on how thick you want your lattice strips. You can use a blunt
knife with or without a ruler or straight edge to guide you, or you can
use a pizza wheel or a pastry wheel if you have one.
3 Fill your pie shell with the pie filling. Lay out 4 to 7
parallel strips of the pie dough, depending on how thick your strips
are, on top of the filling, with about 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch space
between them. Fold back every other strip.
4 Place one long strip of dough perpendicular to the parallel
strips as shown. Unfold the folded strips over the perpendicular strip.
5 Now take the parallel strips that are running underneath the
perpendicular strip and fold them back over the perpendicular strip, as
shown. Lay down a second perpendicular strip of dough next to the
first strip, with some space between the strips. Unfold the folded
parallel strips over the second strip.
6 Continue this process until the weave is complete over the top of the pie.
7 Trim the edges of the strips flush with the dough of the
underlying pie dish, which should be about half an inch over the sides.
Fold back the rim of the shell over the edge of the lattice strips, and
crimp to secure.
Left: 3/4-inch strips. Right: 1/2-inch strips