An easy, confidence-boosting tutorial for creating festive, bakery-worthy pie crusts—think wavy lattices with braided edges and crisp baked cut-out toppers—finished with a glossy egg wash and sparkly coarse sugar.
Make or buy pie dough and chill the discs for at least a couple of hours (overnight is great) so the dough stays cold and holds shape.
Prepare the bottom crust: roll 1 chilled disc into a 12-inch circle, fit into a pie dish, and add your desired filling. Keep the filled pie refrigerated while making the top design.
Wavy Lattice With Braided Edge — Roll out 1.5 discs of chilled dough for the top. Using a wavy pastry wheel (or the wavy edge of a pastry wheel/fondant ribbon cutter), cut strips for a lattice. Use a flat edge cutter for braid strips.
Arrange the lattice over the chilled, filled pie (keep strips cold as you work). Trim excess dough around the rim.
Form 2 braids from the flat-cut strips. Gently press the braids around the pie’s edge, securing them to each other and to the crust.
Hide braid connection points with small dough cut-outs (optional).
Brush the lattice and braids with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar for sparkle and crunch.
Refrigerate the assembled pie briefly to re-chill the dough, then bake according to your pie recipe’s directions until the filling is done and the crust is golden.
Baked Cookie Cutter Shapes — On a parchment- or silicone-lined baking sheet, place shapes cut from 1/2 disc of chilled dough (use cookie cutters or impression pie punches).
Brush the shapes with egg wash and bake at 350°F (177°C) for about 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool completely.
Top a fully baked and cooled pie (such as pumpkin or chess pie) with the cooled baked cut-outs just before serving. Optionally garnish with sugared cranberries.
General success tips: keep dough cold at every stage; use an egg wash for sheen and crispness; finish with coarse sugar; take your time and enjoy the process.