Appearance
Colorado Style Pizza Dough
Colorado Mountain Pie style: thin rolled center, thick bread-like rim, and a honey-dipping crust. Use the KitchenRatio Calculator to scale any batch size.
StyleRolled-thin center with a thick mountain-pie rim built for honey.
YieldExample batch covers roughly 3 medium pizzas depending on dough weight.
Best ForRolled pizzas, generous toppings, and home ovens with steel or stone.
Testing Status
This formula is still being tested and refined, especially hydration.
Background
This version is adapted for home baking without commercial pizza equipment. The goal is the Colorado mountain-pie profile: a firm dough that rolls thin in the center while keeping a large rim for honey dipping.
Honey is used instead of sugar in this dough, reflecting the traditional mountain-pie style where the crust is often finished with honey.
Baker's % (Testing Range)
- Flour - 100%
- Water - 52-54% (53% strong starting point)
- Honey - 5%
- Salt - 2%
- Oil - 2%
- Instant dry yeast - 0.6%
- Diastatic malt powder (optional) - 0.3%
INFO
Bread flour works well. For a chewier crust, try a blend of 70% bread flour + 30% high-gluten flour.
INFO
This dough runs lower hydration than many pizza styles. That helps it roll thin in the center while supporting a thick outer rim.
Ingredients (Example Batch)
- Flour - 550g (100%)
- Water - 292g (53%)
- Honey - 27.5g (5%)
- Salt - 11g (2%)
- Olive oil - 11g (2%)
- Instant dry yeast - 3.3g (0.6%)
- Diastatic malt powder (optional) - 1.65g (0.3%)
Need a scale? KitchenAid Digital Scale.
Equipment
- Mixing bowl or stand mixer
- Rolling pin
- Baking steel or pizza stone (recommended)
- Oven that can run 475-500F
Procedure
1. Mixing
- Combine flour, yeast, and optional diastatic malt.
- Mix water and honey together first so the honey disperses evenly.
- Add honey-water and oil to the dry mix.
- Mix until a rough dough forms.
- Add salt and knead until smooth and elastic:
- 8-10 minutes by hand
- 5-6 minutes in a mixer
- Dough should feel firmer than typical pizza dough, but smooth.
2. Fermentation
- Cover dough and rest 20-30 minutes.
- Divide and ball.
- Place dough balls in lightly oiled containers.
- Refrigerate 24-48 hours for best flavor.
- Before shaping, warm at room temperature 45-60 minutes.
3. Dough Ball Reference
| Pizza size | Dough weight |
|---|---|
| 10-11 inch | ~10 oz |
| 12 inch | ~12-13 oz |
| 14 inch | ~16 oz |
4. Shaping (Mountain Pie Style)
- Lightly flour the work surface.
- Flatten dough with hands.
- Roll with a pin so the center is thin, about 1/8 inch.
- Leave a 1.5-2 inch uncovered border around the edge.
- Toppings go on the center only.
5. Form the Rim
- Roll the outer edge inward to form a thick rim.
- Optional: braid/rope the rim if desired.
- This thick rim is intentional and becomes the signature honey-dipping crust.
6. Topping
- Sauce and toppings stay in the center.
- Leave rim uncovered.
- This style can handle generous toppings, but avoid flooding the center.
7. Bake
- Preheat oven to 475-500F with steel/stone if available.
- Bake until rim is golden and cheese is bubbling, usually 10-14 minutes.
8. Serve (Traditional)
- Slice normally.
- Eat the slice first, then finish the crust with honey (drizzled or dipped).
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