How to decorate a pie lid with pastry scraps
Re-roll trimmings once, cut leaves, lattice strips, or simple shapes, and fix them to the egg-washed lid before a second coat of egg wash goes over everything. Keep decorations under 5mm thick so they bake through in the same time as the lid, and chill the decorated pie before it goes in the oven.
By the chickenpie.net test kitchen · Published 31 July 2026
Design rules that survive the oven
Pastry decoration is sculpture that has to endure 45 minutes at 200C (400F). Fine details blur, thin points scorch, and anything applied without adhesive slides off as the fat melts. The shapes that survive are simple and bold: leaves with veins pressed in with the back of a knife, discs, initials, chevrons, and lattice strips.
Scraps are the natural material because decoration tolerates pastry that has been worked twice. Press trimmings together in layers rather than kneading them into a ball, re-roll once, and accept that a third rolling will give tough, shrunken shapes.
Step by step
Decorate after the lid is sealed and crimped but before the final chill.
- Gather trimmings into a flat stack, pressing rather than kneading, and chill for 15 minutes.
- Roll to about 3mm, slightly thinner than the lid itself.
- Cut your shapes with a small knife or cutters. For leaves, cut ovals, pinch one end into a point, and press veins in with a knife back.
- Brush the lid all over with beaten egg. This is the glue.
- Place the shapes, pressing each one on gently but definitely. Overlap leaves in threes around the steam vent for a composed look.
- Brush a second coat of egg wash over lid and decorations together.
- Chill the finished pie for 20 minutes so everything is firmly set before baking.
Placement and scorching
Decorations sit proud of the lid, so they brown first. Keep them away from the outer rim where the heat is fiercest, and if they are colouring too fast in the oven, lay a loose sheet of foil over the pie for the final stretch of baking.
Never let decoration block the steam vent. Frame it instead: a ring of leaves around the hole looks deliberate and keeps the pie functional, which is the difference between a pie that looks good and one that also eats well.