How to Braid a Pie Crust

Braided pie crusts are a fancy and elegant way to dress up any pie. I like to make my pies look fancy; stenciling designs on them, painting them, cutting out cute shapes with cookie cutters, but I had not yet braided a pie crust. I was making apple pie and thought, "I'm gonna try this."
I was surprised that my favorite baking book (The Pillsbury Baking Book) did not show how to braid a pie crust. Not daunted, I decided to make it up as I thought it should be.
And it turned out well, so I thought I would help others learn how as well.

1. The pie you made, whether dessert or savory (mine is a two crust pie, but you could definitely put a braid on a one crust pie)
2. The excess dough that you cut off the edge of the crust
3. Rolling pin
4. Kitchen scissors or pizza cutter
5. Water

Roll your dough into a thin, long rectangle shape. It doesn't have to be perfect. Don't make it too thin or it will break too easily.

With the scissors or pizza cutter, cut three strips in about the same size. I generally cut off the bumpy side and toss it, then I cut my strips from there. This makes the first strip not have one wiggley uneven side.
Don't worry, thinking, "That is not long enough to go around the pie", we'll fix that.

Dip your fingers in the water and coat the crust edge with your wet fingers. This gives the dough some sticky so the braid will be attached instead of just sitting on top of the crust.

Attach the three strips next to each other on the edge. You will have an outer left, a middle, and an outer right.
Starting with the outer right, bring that strip over so it becomes the middle strip. It will cross the middle strip, taking its place.
Now move the outer left strip over so it becomes the middle strip. Cross it over the new middle strip you just made, making a new middle strip.
That is the pattern start the pattern over by taking up the new outer right strip. Cross it over the middle strip, making it the new middle strip.

Continue braiding in that manner. If you have never braided before, don't worry, you will start to recognize the pattern quickly and it will become easy.
As you braid, wet the edge of the pie ever so often so that you can tack the braid down as you go.

Unless your dough strips were insanely long, you are gonna run out of dough before you finish.
Don't worry. Cut some more strips from the excess dough. Attach the end of the new strip and the strip on the pie by dipping the end of the new strip in water. (Alternatively, you could just use your finger to wet the two ends.)
Place the two ends on top of one another and smooth them together. Now you can keep braided.

Once you come to the end, simply meld the beginning and end strips together. You can try melding them together to follow the pattern by joining corresponding strips, or you can just stick one end on the other. Whichever you do, use a bit of water to hold it.
Now the braid is finished and ready to bake.

I highly recommend this tool if you really like making pies, especially if you like making fancy pies. It is for preventing the crust's outside from over-browning.
You simply place it over the outside of the pie and you're ready to bake.
You can make a homemade version by folding aluminum foil over the pie edges. I've done it, and it does work, bit it can be a pain because it has a tendency to fall off with the slightest movement.