Colorado-style pizza, also called Colorado mountain pie, is a trademarked name for pizza served at the Beau Jo's pizza restaurant chain in Colorado.[1] The restaurant's pizza is made with a thick, braided crust topped with heavy amounts of sauce and cheese. The restaurant serves it by the pound, with a side of honey as a condiment.
Colorado-style pizza was invented by Chip Bair after he purchased the Beau Jo's pizza restaurant in Idaho Springs, Colorado, in 1973. Bair wanted to create a new style of pizza and thought that a braided crust would be visually appealing to customers. The pizza was successful, and Beau Jo's became a regional chain.[2]
While some other pizza restaurants in Colorado also sell pizza with thick crust or with honey on the side, they cannot call it Colorado-style pizza or mountain pies, as both names are trademarked by Beau Jo's.[1] This has limited the spread of the recipe and its status as a distinct regional style.[3]
Beau Jo's Colorado-style pizza is made with a thick, braided whole-wheat crust that has been sweetened by adding honey to the dough.[4][5] It is topped with a sweet tomato sauce and heavy amounts of whole milk Mozzarella cheese and other optional toppings.[6] The braided crust makes the pizza more stable and prevents the thick toppings from becoming messy.[7] It has some similarities to Chicago-style pizza, but is sweeter and has a shorter cooking time.[8]
Beau Jo's pies are sold by the pound due to the weight of each slice's toppings, ranging from one to five pounds.[2] Honey is provided as a side for dipping the pizza crust in, which Beau Jo's calls a "built in dessert".[5]
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