4 Beautiful Pie Crust Designs
Discover four creative methods for decorating a pie top crust to make your dessert visually impressive. These designs include a woven lattice with braids, baked cookie cutter shapes for a finished pie, a detailed woven pattern, and an overlapping leaf arrangement. Each technique requires pie dough, egg wash, and optional coarse sugar, with specific rolling and assembly instructions. The guide explains how to apply the designs before baking, except for one method using pre-baked shapes. Follow your chosen pie recipe's baking times and temperatures after decorating.
Ingredients
- pie dough (I use this homemade pie crust, which makes 2 discs of dough)
- all-purpose flour, as needed for rolling dough
- egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon (15ml) of milk or water
- optional: coarse sugar
Method
- These decorative tops, apart from the baked cookie cutter shapes covered in step 3, are applied to an unbaked pie. Ensure your pie is filled and prepared for its top crust. Once your designed crust is in place, bake as directed by your specific pie recipe.
- View the video tutorial first. This top crust requires 1.5 discs of dough plus a separate disc for the base. Roll one chilled disc on a floured surface to a 12-inch (30cm) circle. Use a scalloped wheel to cut 18 wavy strips. Take another disc from the fridge, cut it in half, and roll one half into a 14-inch long oblong shape. Slice this into 6 strips, each 1/4-inch wide and 14 inches long. Gently braid three strips together, repeating to make two braids. Cut 2–3 shapes from any spare dough. Retrieve your filled pie and weave the 18 wavy strips over and under, pressing ends into the base crust to seal. Trim excess. Position one braid around half the pie, press to secure, then add the second, joining them. Press cookie cutter shapes where the braids meet. Apply egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake according to your pie's instructions.
- Consult the video tutorial before beginning. Use a fully baked pie. You will need 1/2 disc of dough for the cut-outs. Roll the dough to 1/8-inch thickness on a floured surface. Cut shapes with cookie cutters. Transfer them to a lined baking sheet, brush with egg wash, and bake at 350°F (177°C) for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely before arranging on the cooled pie.
- Watch the video tutorial prior to starting. This design uses one disc of dough. Roll it into a 12-inch (30cm) circle on a floured surface. With a pizza cutter, cut 10 strips roughly 1 inch wide. Slice every other strip lengthwise to create 6 thick and 8 thin strips. Weave a lattice, alternating 1 wide strip with 2 skinny strips as shown. You should end with 3 thick and 4 thin strips in each direction. Trim any overhang, tuck, and flute the edges. Brush with egg wash, sprinkle with coarse sugar, and bake as your pie recipe specifies.
- This simple design is not in the video. It requires one disc of dough. Roll the dough to a 12-inch (30cm) circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Cut leaf shapes using a leaf or impression cutter. Arrange the leaves on the filled pie, overlapping them slightly. Crimp the edges with a fork. Brush with egg wash, sprinkle with coarse sugar, and bake following your pie recipe's guidance.
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition data not available.
Recipe details
CategoryDessert
Cuisineamerican
AuthorSally
