pie crust

How to Make Pie Crust Lattices

November 3, 2021 By Ashley Leave a Comment

When I first started baking, I avoided making pie crust lattices. Instead I would always do a full crust on top with little air vents and that was it. Which is totally fine. But lattices intimidated me and I didn’t want to try them. Nowadays, nearly all of my double crust pies get lattices and pretty designs. Lattices are really easy to make, and I’ll show you how they’re done. The lattices in this post are perfect for lattice beginners. For my lattices, I used my favorite go-to all butter pie crust.

Basic Lattice

In the two photos below, I show how to make a typical pie crust lattice. One of the most important things to keep in mind when working on creating a lattice, is to make sure that the pie crust doesn’t get too warm. You also don’t want to overwork the pie dough or it will be tough. So you don’t want to re-roll the dough over and over. Once or twice is enough.

Roll the dough out into a 12″ round, about 1/8″ thick, which is as thick as you would typically roll out the bottom crust. Use a straight edge ruler to cut strips. For a basic lattice, cut out 1″ strips. Place a few strips vertically across the pie. You can weave the lattice as close together or as far apart as you like. I usually leave about 1/2″ or so between the strips one a basic lattice. Pull back every other strip to the center of the pie. This is where the first horizontal strip will go.

Place the first horizontal strip, and place back the strips you folded back. For the next horizontal strip, fold back the alternate strips (ie: the strips opposite of what you folded back for the first strip). Lay the next strip right above the first one. Then place the folded back strips back up. Keep weaving in the strips, repeating the same alternating pattern of folding back strips and laying in strips.

To finish, trim off any overhanging strips and pinch the edges strips to the overlapping bottom crust. Roll the edges inward, until the edges of the crust sits on the lip of the pie plate. Crimp the edges of the pie. For this pie, I brushed the top with egg wash and sprinkled it with turbinado sugar. The egg wash helps with browning and the sugar adds a sweet crunch.

Thin Lattice

Thin lattices are made with thinner pie dough strips. I typically use 1/2″ strips. I also weave the strips tightly together so that the lattice doesn’t have any empty space. Weave this thin lattice the same as the basic lattice, but just make sure your strips are super close together. With a tightly woven lattice like this one, you can make the lattice on your work surface before transferring it to the top of the pie if you wish. I find it a bit easier to make it off of the pie than on it.

Fattice

The fattice is made using wider strips, about 1 1/2″ – 2″ strips. Just like the basic lattice, the fattice is woven the same, but also tighter like the thin lattice. This lattice is less delicate and a good one to start with if making a lattice for the first time. Fattices also look good when weaved at an angle. More on angled lattices below.

Angled Lattice

Angled lattices are woven the same as the basic lattice but the strips are placed at angle. This is my favorite lattice to make. I think it looks more modern and interesting.

If you decorate your pies with any of these pie crust lattices, let me know! Drop a comment or tag me on Instagram. I love seeing your bakes and creations.

Enjoy!

Ash xx

For pie recipes, check out these posts:

Chai Spice Apple Cranberry Pie

Sweet Potato Pie with Toasted Marshmallow Meringue

Triple Berry Crumble Pie

April 30, 2021 By Ashley Leave a Comment

One of the awesome things about this triple berry crumble pie is that you can make it any time of year. This pie is perfect with either fresh or frozen berries, or a combination of the two. Juicy, sweet tart raspberries, blackberries and blueberries are baked until bubbly in my go-to all butter pie crust. Then, to give this pie a bit more crunch and some cinnamon flavor, I topped it with a cinnamon crumble. Sort of like cobbler vibes in pie form. The smell of this baking pie is out.of.this.world. My triple berry crumble pie is one of my favorite any time of the year pies, but is my absolute favorite to make when the berries are at peak ripeness in the summer, and are super affordable.

About the all butter pie crust

Prepare the pie crust first. The dough will need to have some time to chill before baking. I used my all time favorite all butter pie crust. It’s a total keeper. I use it ALL the time. With any pie, be sure to keep the dough lined pie pan chilled while working on the topping and filling. This ensures that the crust won’t shrink, but also makes sure the butter doesn’t just melt out of the crust when baking. You can refrigerate the lined pie plate for 30 minutes, or chill it in the freezer for 10 minutes before baking.

The crumble topping

While the pie crust is chilling, make the crumble topping. The crumble does benefit from some time in the fridge, but it’s not necessary. I like to make the crumble in advance so that it is ready to go when the filling is done.

Flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt are combined in the bowl of a food processor. Cold, cubed butter is added and pulsed until the mixture forms large clumps, and the mixture is no longer sandy. Refrigerate the crumble if it is made in advance.

Triple Berry Pie Filling

This filling. So, so good. Along with the berries, the filling includes brown sugar, granulated sugar, lemon juice and zest, tapioca flour, salt and (surprise) an apple. I learned this trick from Cook’s Illustrated. Adding in a shredded green apple helps to thicken up the filling due to the apple’s naturally high pectin content. I always put an apple in my berry pies. You can’t taste the apple as it takes on the flavor of the berries.

For the most concentrated flavor, and to help reduce the water content in the pie, I cook half of the berries and reduce the mixture by half. Once the berries are cooked down, set aside to cool just a bit. While the berries are cooling, place the remaining berries and ingredients into a large bowl. Peel, shred and wring out the apple, to remove any additional liquid, and add it to the bowl. Add in the cooked berries (they will still be hot) and stir completely. The filling should now be room temperature.

Assembling and baking

Pour the filling into the chilled pie crust. Sprinkle the crumble topping on top of the pie, breaking up really large pieces of crumble into smaller pieces. You want a variety of crumble sizes. It’s going to seem like a lot of crumble, but it’s totally fine once the pie is baked.

Bake the pie on a baking sheet. This helps to crisp up the bottom of the crust and also catch any overflow juices from the pie. It also helps you remove the pie out of the oven easier. The pie is baked at a higher temperature to start browning the crust and the topping, then the temperature is reduced to continue baking the filling, and to make sure the crust and crumble don’t brown too much. Bake until the pie is bubbly.

The pie filling will set up more as it cools. Let it cool completely for 3-4 hours before serving.

If you make this triple berry crumb pie, let me know! Drop a comment or tag me on Instagram. I love seeing your creations.

Enjoy!

Ash xx

For more pie recipes, check out these posts:

Brown Butter Stone Fruit Tart

Meyer Lemon Ginger Tart with Toasted Honey Meringue

Chai Spiced Apple Cranberry Pie

Honey Cardamom Peach Galletes

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Triple Berry Crumble Pie

An all butter pie crust filled with raspberries, blackberries and blueberries, topped with cinnamon crumble and cooked until browned and bubbly.

Prep Time30 mins

Cook Time1 hr

Course: Dessert

Servings: 9″ pie

Ingredients

Pie Crust

1/2 recipe All butter pie dough

Crumble Topping

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes

Mixed Berry Filling

7 cups combination raspberries, blackberries and blueberries
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 ½ tablespoons tapoica flour, or ground tapioca
1 small granny smith apple
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
Zest and juice from half of a lemon

Instructions

Prepare the pie crust.

On a floured work surface, roll out the disc of chilled dough. Turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls until you have a circle 12 inches in diameter.
Place the dough onto the pie dish. Ease the dough, without stretching, into the pie dish.
Fold and tuck the dough on the edges to create an outer ridge. Flute the edge, or crimp with a fork. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Prepare the crumble topping.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Pulse to combine.
Add the cold the butter to the flour mixture, and pulse until the mixture starts to form large crumbs. Place in the fridge to keep cold while preparing the berry filling.

Make the berry filling.

Preheat the oven to 400F and place a rimmed baking sheet, large enough to place the pie on and catch any juices, on the oven rack.
Place 3 1/2 cups berries in a large saucepan and set over medium heat. Use a potato masher to mash and break up the berries.
Cook the mixture, stirring occasionally until the mixture is thickened and reduced to 1 1/2 – 1 3/4 cups. Let cool slightly while preparing the remainder of the filling.
In a large bowl, combine both sugars, tapioca flour, salt, lemon juice, and remaining 3 1/2 cups of berries.
Peel and grate the apple on a box grater. Place the apple in a clean kitchen towel and wring out as much liquid as you can. Place the grated apple in the bowl with the uncooked berry/sugar mixture and mix to combine.
Add the cooked, and slightly cooled berries to the mixture and stir until well combined.
Pour the berry mixture into the chilled pie dough. Top the pie with the chilled crumble topping.
Place pie on the baking sheet and bake 30 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350F and continue to bake until the juices bubble, 30-35 minutes.
Place the pie on a wire rack cool to room temperature, about 3-4 hours, before serving.

Notes

Store the pie at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 2 days.

You can freeze baked and unbaked pies. They can be stored up to 3 months. Avoid freezing in glass pie plates and the glass can shatter when placed in a hot oven.

All Butter Pie Dough

November 11, 2019 By Ashley Leave a Comment

Pie dough is one of those foundational recipes, that once mastered, opens the door to all sorts of bakes – pies, tarts, galettes, and even scones and biscuits. The process of making this all butter pie dough is actually called the biscuit method, but no matter what it’s called, the process to make them both is relatively the same.

SCIENCE OF PIE

The science of pie dough making is simple. Cold butter (or fat) is cut into flour (including any flavor mix ins – sugar, salt, herbs, etc.) in order to disperse little pieces of the butter throughout the dough. The flour coats the butter, and when baking, the water in the butter evaporates, creating steam. The steam causes the dough to puff up and create pockets which results in flaky layers. A small amount of cold liquid (usually water) is added to help bind the dough, making it easier to work with. Also, for gluten formation. Gluten is actually needed for pie crust but only very little, which is why so little water is called for in pie recipes. Too much water can equal too much gluten formation resulting in a tough crust.

WHY BUTTER?

Why do I use all butter? What about shortening, lard, or even oil? Really, you can use any of these fats you prefer. Or you can use a combination of them. But, I prefer all butter because the flavor is just unbeatable. Sure, shortening won’t melt while you’re working with it in a dough. And of course it’ll create a flaky tender crust. But it’s flavorless. I also prefer to not use shortening in baking if I don’t have to. Personal preference. Another win for butter? It helps aid in the browning process. There’s an insane amount of amazing flavor in a golden brown all butter pie crust.

HOW TO MAKE PIE DOUGH:

One of the most important things to keep in mind while making your all butter pie dough, is to ensure that your butter and liquid stays super cold. Warm and melting butter can react with the gluten in the flour which could make for a tough crust. It won’t react in the oven to create steam pockets. It also makes the dough hard to work with and unable to keep its shape.

Combine the flour, sugar and salt into the bowl of a food processor. I love using a food processor to make pie dough. I always struggled with doing it by hand with a pastry blender and I found that using a food processor cuts the butter into the flour perfectly, and also a lot faster. Once the flour, sugar and salt are in the bowl, pulse a few times to make sure everything is mixed together well. Add the chunks of cold butter to the bowl, and pulse until the butter is evenly distributed, with pieces about the size of peas. You should be able to squeeze some of the mixture together and it forms a solid clump.

Once it is at this stage, pour out the mixture into a large bowl. I know, it’s a bit annoying to have to dirty up another dish. You can continue to finish the pie dough in the food processor if you wish. Your pie dough will still come out amazing, delicious and flaky. But, once you get the butter to pea size pieces, that’s when it is ideal to add the water. Those pieces of butter continue to get smaller if you continue to use the processor to mix in the water, which means less lofty flaky layers. So, I like to continue to finish the dough by hand. I also I feel like I have a bit more control over the water when doing it by hand as well.

Use a spatula or your hands to mix in a tablespoon of water at a time until it starts to form large clumps, with no large pockets of dry flour remaining. Here’s the thing, the amount of water varies, and it’s something you have to gauge by eye here, not by the perfect measurement of water. The dough needs to just be able to come together to form a ball. The dough should not be very sticky, or wet.

Divide the dough in half, and shape each half into a disc about an inch tall. Wrap tightly with cling film. The dough needs to relax, absorb the water and firm the butter back up, so leave it to rest in the refrigerator for an hour before rolling out the pie dough.

ROLLING AND SHAPING:

You will need to bring your dough up to working temperature before rolling out. If your dough is too firm, it’ll crack when rolling. Too soft and it will get sticky and be hard to roll. One of my favorite tips – before removing the plastic wrap, roll out the dough as much as you can while wrapped. This helps give you clean edges, a perfectly round shape and a head start. Remove the plastic and place the dough on a lightly floured surface or non-stick mat. Take it easy with the flour – too much and it can make the dough tough, dry and begin to crack.

Roll the dough out to a 12″ diameter, or to about 1/8″ thick. When rolling, take care to not roll the pin over the edges of the dough. This flattens and tapers off the edges. Roll from the inside of the dough round outwards. I generally just loosely roll up the dough on my rolling pin and lay the dough into my pie pan. It’s important to note that you shouldn’t stretch your dough as this can cause shrinking when baking. If the dough cracks, use extra dough to patch the cracks rather than trying to stretch the dough back together. At this point follow the pie recipe for crust directions. Regardless, after rolling, the pie dough needs to firm up and chill again. The longer the better. I like to freeze mine if possible. Super cold dough helps prevent shrinkage and allows that butter to adequately do it’s thing while baking.

If you make this all butter pie dough, use it to make these Honey Cardamom Peach Galettes!

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All Butter Pie Dough

My favorite all butter pie crust is easy and fast to make, and bakes up perfectly flaky, tender and delicious.

Prep Time10 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Perfect All Butter Pie Dough

Servings: crusts

Ingredients

3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup unsalted butter, cold, cubed
1/2 cup ice water

Instructions

Place the flour, sugar and salt into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine the ingredients.
Add the butter to the flour mixture in the bowl and pulse for 4-second increments until the butter is cut in to the flour and there are pea-sized pieces of butter remaining.
Pour the flour/butter mixture into a large bowl. Using either your fingers or a spatula, stir in the water, a tablespoon at a time. Stop adding water when the dough begins forming large clumps. The dough should be moist and slightly sticky, but not wet, with no big pockets of dry flour remaining.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. With floured hands, fold the dough onto its self until all flour is incorporated, forming the dough into a ball. Use a light hand to keep the butter from melting and to prevent too much gluten formation.
Divide the ball in half. Flatten each ball into a disc and wrap tightly with plastic wrap.
Refrigerate the dough for two hours or for up to three days before using.
When ready to roll out the dough, let the dough rest on the counter to warm up a bit before using. The dough should still be cool when working with it. You want to be able to roll it out without cracking but not be too warm to melt the butter and become sticky.
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface or a non-stick rolling mat. Roll from the center outward, rotating the dough 180 degrees, with your hands, every so often. This helps keep its round shape and prevents sticking. Add a little more flour if needed to prevent sticking.
Roll the dough to about 1/8" thick and about 12" round. Lightly roll the dough up with your rolling pin, about halfway.
Lay the dough onto the pie dish. Ease the dough, without stretching, into the dish.
If making a double crust or lattice pie, refrigerate before proceeding with your recipe. If you're using the bottom crust only for your recipe, crimp or decorate the edges, then refrigerate.
Refer to your pie recipe on how to proceed.

Notes

Recipe makes enough for two crusts, or a for one double crust pie.

Pie dough can be refrigerated for up to three days or frozen up to two months.

Honey Cardamom Peach Galettes

August 7, 2019 By Ashley Leave a Comment

Oh, hey there! We’re back from our last summer vacation. We headed up to Seattle for the week to visit with family, see the sights, and of course eat some amazing food. I had to stop by Dahlia Bakery when I was there (absolutely love the cookbook) and it was amazing as expected. We tried the banana bread, the fig bar and a lemon bar – all of which were delicious. We drank lots of fabulous coffee from some small, local coffee shops, hit up Trophy for some cupcakes and ate at quite a few farm to table restaurants that were super yummy.

Obviously, when I got home, I was really inspired to bake. So, I made these crazy delicious honey cardamom peach galettes and they certainly did not disappoint. Make these for your next outdoor BBQ. Maybe for labor day festivities. Make these just because they’re so good.

I’ve been wanting to create a galette recipe, or a freeform pie, for the blog for a while now and I knew peaches would make the perfect filling. I could smell these giant peaches when I walked into the grocery store. Really, have you seen the size of some of these peaches? Being a huge fan of peaches, I never need an excuse to bake with them. Especially when they’re in season. I spiced them up with some cinnamon and cardamom, brush the finished galettes with honey and finished them with a sprinkle of crushed pistachios. The flavor combination is SPOT ON. Peaches, cardamom and honey are made to be together – a match made in baking heaven.

For my honey cardamom peach galettes, I used my go-to all-butter pie crust recipe. It’s super easy to make (food processor for the win) and produces a buttery, flaky crust every time. I made a full batch of dough to create 6 individual galettes. A full batch of the pie dough will make two full size galettes, half the recipe for one full size galette. I rolled out the dough and used a 6″ cake board to cut rounds out of the dough. You could also use a cake pan or a bowl instead, just something with a 6″ diameter will work.

It’s important to always be working with cold pie dough. Be sure to refrigerate your dough rounds while preparing the peach filling. Just like with any fruit, taste the peaches to see how sweet they are. This will help you determine if you will need more or less sugar for the filling. My peaches were perfectly ripe and sweet, so I didn’t use as much brown sugar. Don’t forget that there will be honey brushed on top that will also add additional sweetness. Mix together peeled, sliced peaches (I like to slice mine 1/4 inch thick), lemon juice, cornstarch, cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla bean paste, and brown sugar. The peaches will naturally start to macerate a bit but don’t get rid of that flavor syrup. It will be added to the galettes before baking.

Distribute the peaches onto the dough rounds, about a 1/2 cup of peaches per galette. Leave about a 1 1/2 inch border around the perimeter of each. Fold the dough up and over the peaches, section by section to create a circular shape, pressing lightly to seal at the edges of each intersection. There’s really no right or wrong way to fold over the dough. You just want the pie dough to fully encase the peaches and form a barrier so all the juices won’t seep out.

Place the galettes back in the fridge to firm back up before baking. Doing this will ensure that they keep their shape while baking. Once the dough has firmed up a bit, they’re ready to be baked. Distribute the reserved peach syrup over the galettes, avoiding the crust. To get that golden brown crust color, brush the crusts with an egg wash. Sprinkle the crusts with some turbinado sugar for some extra crunch and sweetness. Bake the galettes until they are golden brown and bubbling. Baking at a higher temperature also ensures that the crust browns and retains it s shape while baking.

Melt the honey for a few seconds in the microwave or in a saucepan and brush a liberal amount over each of the galettes. The honey adds delicious depth of flavor but also gives them an appetizing glossy finish. Sprinkle the honey cardamom peach galettes with some chopped pistachios and they are ready to be served. Husband prefers his with vanilla bean ice cream. I like them without – they don’t need anything else, they’re perfect on their own.

If you try my honey cardamom peach galettes, let me know! Leave a comment in the comment area below and be sure to snap a photo and tag it #littlevintagebaking on Instagram. I love seeing your Little Vintage Baking creations!

For more summery treats check out these recipes:

Roasted Peach Crisp Ice Cream

Meyer Lemon Ginger Tart with Toasted Honey Meringue

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Honey Cardamom Peach Galettes

Spiced peaches encased in a flaky all-butter pie dough baked until golden brown and bubbly, then brushed with honey and sprinkled with chopped pistachios

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Total Time40 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Honey Cardamom Peach Galettes

Servings:

Ingredients

All-Butter Pie Dough:

3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour
2 tsps granulated sugar
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 cup (226g) unsalted stick butter, cold, cut into cubes
7-10 tbsp ice cold water

Peach Filling:

3 cups (1.5 lbs) peeled and sliced peaches - I used 4 large peaches
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cardamom
3 tbsp light brown sugar
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1 egg
1 tbsp heavy cream or milk
3 tbsp honey
3 tbsp chopped pistachios
Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling

Instructions

Make the pie dough:

Place the flour, sugar and salt into the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine.
Scatter the cold butter cubes over the flour mixture. Pulse until the mixture is coarse, with some pieces of butter about the size of peas.
Pulsing in 5 second bursts, drizzle in the ice water. Pulse until the mixture starts to form large clumps and begins to come together into a ball.
Turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured surface. Divide the dough in half and shape into disk. Wrap each piece with plastic wrap and place into the refrigerator for an hour. Pie dough can be refrigerated for three days or frozen for three months.
Once the dough is chilled, lightly flour your work surface. Roll the dough out, about 1/8 inch thick, about 12" round. I like to lay parchment paper on my dough before rolling out to keep the dough from sticking.
Using a 6" cake round, cut out three 6" rounds out of the dough. Place the dough rounds on a parchment lined sheet pan.
Repeat steps 5-6 for the second disk of pie dough. You should have six 6" disks. Place the disks back into the refrigerator to keep cold while preparing the peach filling.

Preparing the galettes:

Preheat the oven to 425F.
In a medium bowl, combine the peeled and sliced peaches, lemon juice, cornstarch, vanilla bean, cinnamon, cardamom and brown sugar. Stir to combine thoroughly.
Place 1/2 cup of the peaches into the center of each dough round, laying the peaches flat and leaving an inch and a half or so around the perimeter of the dough rounds. Reserve the syrup left over from the peaches macerating.
Fold the edges of the dough over, overlapping slightly. Gently press where the dough intersects to help the dough keep it's shape while baking.
Place the galettes into the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
When ready to bake, evenly distribute the reserved syrup over the galettes.
Mix the egg with a tablespoon of milk or cream. Brush the mixture onto the galette edges. Sprinkle the edges with turbinado sugar.
Bake for 23-26 minutes or until the crust has turned golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
Microwave the honey for 10 seconds or heat in a small saucepan until just warmed through and thinned.
Brush the honey over the peaches. Sprinkle the chopped pistachios over the peaches and serve warm or at room temperature.