Colorado mountain pie
Also known as: mountain pie
A Colorado specialty with a thick, braided golden crust edge served alongside honey, distinctive among American pizza traditions for this sweet pairing.
- Origin
- United States
- Thickness
- thick
- Bake temperature
- 230–260 °C (typically 245 °C)
- Bake time
- 12–18 min (typically 15 min)
- Skill level
- intermediate
- Domestic oven
- good
- Time commitment
- 3-5 hours
- Topping density
- generous
Origin and history
A Colorado specialty featuring a thick, braided or sealed golden crust edge, generously topped, and traditionally served with a side of honey for drizzling on the crust — a distinctive regional pairing not found in most other American styles.
Defining characteristics
- Thick, braided or twisted golden crust edge, often brushed with butter or egg wash
- Served with a side of honey specifically for the crust
- Generously topped, closer in spirit to a hearty, large-format pizza
Dough
- Hydration
- 60–68% (typically 64%)
- Salt
- 2–2.5% (typically 2.2%)
- Oil
- 3–6% (typically 4%)
- Bulk fermentation
- 2–4 h (typically 3 h)
Mixing: Machine mixed to a slightly enriched dough
Kneading: Moderate kneading
Shaping: Stretched with an extra length of dough at the edge braided or twisted before baking
Expected crumb: Open, bread-like, especially at the braided edge
Tolerance: The enriched dough and thick edge make this a fairly forgiving style to shape
Common failure modes
- Pale, underbrowned braided crust if not brushed with butter or egg wash before baking
Flour choices
Gives the dough enough strength to be stretched thin in the centre while the braided edge holds its shape.
Construction and bake
- Stretch dough with extra edge length
- Braid or twist the edge
- Apply toppings
- Brush edge with butter or egg wash
- Bake
- Serve with a side of honey
Traditional method: Deck or domestic oven, moderate-high heat
Common modern adaptations
- Achievable at home with basic braiding technique
Techniques
Produces the thin centre and braided/twisted stuffed edge that defines this novelty regional style.
Flavour and texture
A rich, bread-like crust edge best enjoyed with honey, contrasted with generously topped, savoury filling
Serving
Served whole, with a side of honey specifically for the crust
Cut into wedges · Shared, ordered by the whole pie
Ingredients
Ingredient intelligence
Sauce
A standard base for this hearty, large-format pizza, playing a supporting role to its signature braided, honey-paired crust.
Cheese
A standard, generous melting cheese suited to this hearty, large-format pizza's heavier topping load.
Toppings
A hearty, savoury topping suited to this generously-topped, large-format style.
A common vegetable addition alongside sausage in this hearty style.
Construction order
Derived from this style’s own structural ingredient data — see the construction order & topping load guide for why order varies by style.
- Sauce: Cooked tomato sauce
- Melting cheese: Low-moisture mozzarella
- Primary topping: Italian sausage, Bell pepper
Domestic adaptation
Achievable at home with basic braiding or twisting technique for the edge
Common mistakes
- Forgetting to brush the braided edge, leaving it pale rather than golden
Flavour balance and what to serve with it
Based on cooked tomato sauce and low-moisture mozzarella with Colorado mountain pie’s crust and bake.
Rich, salty and savoury.
The full profile
Taste
- Salt
- Moderate
- From Cooked tomato sauce, Low-moisture mozzarella
- Sweetness
- Moderate
- From Cooked tomato sauce
- Acidity
- Moderate
- From Cooked tomato sauce
- Savoury depth (umami)
- Moderate
- From Cooked tomato sauce, Low-moisture mozzarella
Aroma
- Aromatic intensity
- Moderate
- From Cooked tomato sauce, Low-moisture mozzarella
- Freshness (green, herbal or bright lift)
- Low
- From Cooked tomato sauce
Mouthfeel
- Richness (fat)
- Moderate
- From Low-moisture mozzarella, Cooked tomato sauce
- Creaminess
- Low
- From Low-moisture mozzarella
What it does to the pizza
- Water it releases
- Moderate
- From Cooked tomato sauce, Low-moisture mozzarella
- Fat it renders
- Moderate
- From Low-moisture mozzarella
Little or none: bitterness, chilli heat, pungency, smoke, crunch or crispness.
What makes it work
- Acidity against richness. Cooked tomato sauce cuts through the richness of Low-moisture mozzarella.
The reasoning behind each of these, with its limits and sources: how PizzaHQ judges balance.
Traditional or common choices, often alternatives to each other, not counted above: Italian sausage, Bell pepper.
What to serve with it
Drinks, by what they do
- Refresh between rich bites: sparkling water with lemon or lime; unsweetened iced or hot tea; a crisp pale lager or pilsner; a dry cider; a dry sparkling wine.
Why these work, and what the evidence does and does not show: drinks with pizza.
Pairing works the same way without alcohol: every suggestion includes a non-alcoholic option, and nothing here is a reason to drink.
Sides
- A green salad with a sharp dressing — Acidity and freshness give relief from a rich pizza.
- A bitter-leaf salad (rocket, chicory, radicchio) — Bitter leaves contrast with fat.
- Raw crunchy vegetables or a vinegar slaw — Crunch the pizza does not have.
Probably skip: cured meat and cheese (more of what the pizza already has plenty of.)
Sources and evidence
Show sources and evidence
- PMQ Pizza Magazine (trade press) — PMQ Pizza Magazine