Colorado-style pizza

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.

History
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.

Description
Colorado-style pizza is made with a thick, braided whole-wheat crust that has been sweetened by adding honey to the dough. It is topped with a sweet tomato sauce and heavy amounts of whole milk Mozzarella cheese and other optional toppings. The braided crust makes the pizza more stable and prevents the thick toppings from becoming messy. It has some similarities to Chicago-style pizza, but is sweeter and has a shorter cooking time.

Colorado pies are small in diameter being typically about eight inches. It is traditionally served by the pound due to the weight of each slice's toppings. Typical restaurants offer pies in sizes between one and five pounds. Honey is commonly used as a side for dipping the pizza crust in as a "built in dessert".