Colorado-style pizza

Colorado-style pizza, also called Colorado mountain pie, is a special pizza made at Beau Jo's pizza restaurants in Colorado. This pizza is known for its thick, braided crust covered with lots of sauce and cheese. It is served by weight, so you can get just the amount you want.

A unique feature of Colorado-style pizza is that it comes with a side of honey. Diners can use the honey as a sweet topping for their pizza. This style of pizza is very popular locally and shows the creative cooking of chefs in Colorado.

History

Colorado-style pizza was made by Chip Bair in 1973 after he bought a pizza restaurant in Idaho Springs, Colorado. He thought of using a thick, braided crust to make the pizza look special. The pizza became very popular, and the restaurant grew into a small chain.

Only Beau Jo's can call their pizza "Colorado-style" or "mountain pie" because these names are protected by law. Other restaurants can make similar pizzas, but they can't use these special names.

Description

Beau Jo's Colorado-style pizza has a thick, braided crust made from whole-wheat dough sweetened with honey. The pizza is covered with sweet tomato sauce and plenty of whole milk Mozzarella cheese, plus other toppings if you like. The special braided crust helps keep the pizza from getting messy with all the thick toppings. It is a bit like Chicago-style pizza but sweeter and cooks faster.

The pizzas at Beau Jo's are sold by weight, ranging from one to five pounds, because of how much topping is on each slice. Honey is served on the side so you can dip the crust, which the restaurant calls a "built in dessert".