Braiding pie dough is my favorite way to design a pie crust, but I’ll admit that it took some practice to master the craft. Today I’m sharing all my tips and tricks so you can skip my mistakes and begin braiding pie crust like a champion right away. After reading this post and watching my tutorial, I guarantee pretty pies in your future! If you know how to braid hair, you know how to braid pie crust. I’m using my favorite pie as the model for showing you how to braid pie crust: salted caramel apple pie. It would look equally as gorgeous on a traditional apple pie, blueberry pie or cherry pie.
How to Braid Pie Crust
Tips for Braiding Success
Cold Pie Dough: Keep all of the pie dough you aren’t directly working with in the refrigerator. This is why I recommend rolling out the pie dough on parchment paper so you can easily lift up the parchment, place it on a baking sheet, and stick the whole thing in the refrigerator. Warm or room temperature pie dough is impossible to braid. It must be cold. This was worth repeating! Have Extra Pie Dough: Braiding uses a lot of pie dough, so for a lattice design like you see in these pictures and video, have a 3rd pie crust handy. I used about 2 and 1/2 crusts. 1 for the bottom and 1 and 1/2 crusts for the top decoration. Two Hands: Always pick up the braids with two hands because they’re delicate and fragile. Extra Flour: Keep flour on hand to lightly dust the work surface and your hands. Easily Fix Any Tears: If a strip tears as you are braiding, just mold it back together with your fingers. Make Room: Give yourself a lot of room to work.
As I always suggest, finish the unbaked pie with a brush of egg wash and a sprinkle of coarse sparkling sugar for added crunch. Need some pie recipe inspiration? Here’s my peach pie with braided pie dough:
More Favorite Pies
Classic Apple Pie Cherry Pie Apple Cheddar Pie (includes a braided lattice) Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Apple Cranberry Pie (includes a braided edge) Salted Caramel Apple Pie (the pie used in today’s post)
And here’s a post I dedicated to different pie crust designs. I also have in-depth tutorials for how to lattice pie crust and how to crimp and flute pie crust, as well as a list of 10 best pie baking tools. Now go decorate pie like a pro! Q: What’s your favorite way to decorate a pie?
