Prune and Raisin Lattice Pie
Butter pastry woven into a golden lattice over a filling of stewed prunes and raisins that turns jammy and caramelized in the oven. The fruit softens into a sticky, wine-dark filling that cuts through the richness of the crust.
Ingredients
- 300 gall-purpose flour
- 150 gcold unsalted butter
- 0.5 tspsalt
- 1 large egg
- 2-3 tbspice-cold water
- 400 gpitted prunes
- 200 graisins
- 150 gsugar
- 400 mlwater
- zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbspmilk
Method
- Soak prunes and raisins in hot water for at least 1 hour. Drain. Simmer with sugar, water, lemon zest, juice, and cinnamon for 45-60 minutes until jam-like. Remove cinnamon stick and cool completely.
- Make pastry: combine flour and salt, cut in cold butter until coarse crumbs. Add egg whisked with ice water, mix until dough just comes together. Divide into two disks, wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 200°C. Roll larger disk and line a 23-cm pie dish. Fill with cooled fruit filling.
- Roll out second disk and cut into 1.5-2 cm wide strips. Weave strips over filling to form a lattice. Trim and crimp edges.
- Brush lattice with egg wash (yolk + milk). Bake for 20-25 minutes until pastry is golden and filling bubbles. Cool at least 30 minutes before slicing.
FAQ
The dough strips are too thin or the filling is too wet. Make strips 1.5–2 cm wide and chill the assembled pie for 15 minutes before baking. Let the pie cool before slicing — the filling firms up as it cools.
Add lemon juice and zest — they balance the natural sweetness of prunes and raisins. Soak the raisins in black tea or juice instead of water for a more nuanced flavor.
The filling released too much moisture or you baked on the top shelf. Bake on the lower third of the oven at 200°C for the first 15 minutes. Adding a tablespoon of breadcrumbs under the filling also helps absorb juice.
Yes — dried apricots, dates, or figs work well. The texture is similar. Soak any dried fruit for 30 minutes before using, and adjust the sugar based on sweetness.
At room temperature for 2 days, covered loosely. In the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Cold pastry is best served closer to room temperature — take it out 30 minutes before serving.
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Comments (1)
Ingredient temperature matters enormously for prune and raisin lattice pie. Unless the recipe says otherwise, everything should be at room temperature. Cold all-purpose flour doesn't cream properly, and the texture suffers throughout.