Theres pumpkin pie and pecan pie but, oh, that fruit pie.
Every first-time lattice ends up a mess.
Even mine was hot trash.
Let the easy weaving begin.
The wet filling will also make the strips extremely slippery.
Again, any weaving will be impossible to do neatly under these conditions.
Whats a baker to do?
Far, far away from the pie.
Build it in advance even.
No mess, no rushing as your crust strips start to dissolve, no trash.
This method gives you the chance to fix mistakes and make adjustments.
Beyond simply creating a tidy-looking pie, weaving your lattice separately allows you to take your time.
Get a flat board or cardboard circle
So, youre ready to weave a lattice.
You have your top pie crust rolled out and strips are cut.
(Dont have a cake circle?
Cut a circle out of a piece of cardboard thats roughly the size you need.)
The point is to have something flat, thin and stiff.
A thin cutting board or the false bottom of a tart pan could work also.
Dinner plates are slightly concave, and that curve tends to make the sliding process a little trickier.
It can be done, but my recommendation is always a cardboard circle.
With your remaining strips, begin weaving the lattice pattern.
Fold every other strip backward on top of itself and add a strip in the other direction.
Alternate folding back strips as you add pastry to the pattern.
Once youve woven all of your strips, feel free to make adjustments until youre satisfied with the spacing.
Dont trim off any excess from your lattice yet; you might need the extra length.
Take your lattice pie crust out of the fridge.
It should be firm by now but a little flexible.
Its really as easy as it sounds.
Then the lattice should slide freely.
