Colorado-style pizza, also called Colorado pizza or Colorado mountain pie, is a style of pizza made with a characteristically thick, braided crust topped with heavy amounts of sauce and cheese. It is traditionally served by the pound, with a side of honey as a condiment.
 Colorado-style pepperoni pizza | |
| Alternative names | Colorado pizza, Colorado mountain pie |
|---|---|
| Type | Pizza |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Region or state | Colorado |
| Created by | Chip Bair |
| Main ingredients | Pizza dough, tomato sauce, cheese, honey |
History edit
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.[1]
Description edit
Colorado-style pizza is made with a thick, braided whole-wheat crust that has been sweetened by adding honey to the dough.[2][3] It is topped with a sweet tomato sauce and heavy amounts of whole milk Mozzarella cheese and other optional toppings.[4][5] The braided crust makes the pizza more stable and prevents the thick toppings from becoming messy.[6] It has some similarities to Chicago-style pizza, but is sweeter and has a shorter cooking time.[7]
Colorado pies are small in diameter being typically about eight inches.[6] It is traditionally served by the pound due to the weight of each slice's toppings.[1][4] Typical restaurants offer pies in sizes between one and five pounds.[8] Honey is commonly used as a side for dipping the pizza crust in[4] as a "built in dessert".[3]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b "The Wild and Woolly Story of Colorado-Style Pizza – PMQ Pizza Magazine". www.pmq.com. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
- ^ "Colorado-Style Pizza | Traditional Pizza From Colorado | TasteAtlas". www.tasteatlas.com. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
- ^ a b Boster, Seth (2022-01-14). "The unlikely story of how 'Colorado-style' pizza was born | Craving Colorado". The Gazette (Colorado Springs). Retrieved 2023-05-26.
- ^ a b c Humphries, Monica. "I moved from NYC to Denver and fell in love with a pizza style I never heard of". Insider. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
- ^ "Beau Jo's Colorado Style Pizza – Idaho Springs, CO | Historic Pizza Restaurant". www.uncovercolorado.com. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
- ^ a b Jones, Kevin (2023-04-15). "Colorado-Style Pizza: A Unique Pie from the Centennial State". pizzaneet.com. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
- ^ "What is Colorado-style Pizza? The Centennial State Really Delivers – Slice Pizza Blog". blog.slicelife.com. 2019-02-14. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
- ^ Walsh, Karla (2019-07-10). "15 Iconic Regional Pizza Styles, Explained". www.eatthis.com. Retrieved 2023-06-13.