Treacle Tart with Woven Lattice Top

STEP 1: MAKE THE PASTRY

Rub the cold, cubed butter into the flour with your fingertips (or pulse in a food processor) until it looks like fine crumbs. Add the cold water a little at a time and bring it together into a firm dough, stopping as soon as it coheres. Wrap and chill for about 20 minutes.

STEP 2: SPLIT AND LINE

Butter the tin. Cut off about 150 g (roughly a third) of the chilled dough and set it aside for the lattice. Roll the larger piece out thinly on a floured surface, line the tin, and prick the base all over with a fork so it doesn't lift while baking. Chill the case.

STEP 3: PREPARE THE LATTICE SHEET

Roll the reserved pastry thinly on a sheet of cling film, then brush it all over with beaten egg and chill it flat on the film. Egg-wash now and do not cut it into strips yet: brushing the strips once they are on the tart lets egg drip into the filling and spoils the set.

STEP 4: HEAT THE OVEN

Preheat to 200°C / 400°F / Gas 6 and put a heavy baking sheet inside to get hot — a preheated tray drives heat into the base and prevents a soggy bottom.

STEP 5: MAKE THE FILLING

Warm the golden syrup gently until just runny — do not let it boil, or the filling sets hard. Off the heat, stir in the breadcrumbs and the lemon zest and juice. The crumbs must be fine and fresh; coarse crumbs give a lumpy, uneven set. If the mixture looks loose, work in a few more crumbs. Let it cool a little.

STEP 6: FILL AND LEVEL

Pour the filling into the chilled pastry case and level the surface so it won't slump unevenly as it bakes.

STEP 7: CUT AND WEAVE THE LATTICE

Cut the chilled sheet into 10 strips about 1 cm / ½ in wide, each longer than the tin's diameter. Weave them over-and-under into a true interlaced lattice — not laid-over or twisted strips, which melt into the filling and miss the brief. Brush the case rim with egg, lay the lattice over, and let the ends overhang.

STEP 8: TRIM AND SEAL

Press the overhanging ends down against the fluted rim to trim them cleanly and seal the lattice to the case, leaving a neat scalloped edge.

STEP 9: BAKE

Set the tin on the hot sheet and bake for 10 minutes, until the pastry just begins to colour. Reduce to 180°C / 350°F / Gas 4 and bake a further 25–30 minutes, until golden-brown and the filling is set with only a faint wobble. If the lattice browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil.

STEP 10: COOL AND SERVE

Let the tart firm up in the tin before unmoulding — it sets as it cools, so cutting too soon gives syrupy slices. Serve warm or cold with crème fraîche or clotted cream.