How to Make a 10-Foot Pizza for National Cheese Pizza Day

1 minute read
Ten-Foot Pizza Pie at Houston
A 10-foot pizza going into the oven.Joseph Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
By Eliza Berman

National Cheese Pizza Day is upon us—not to be confused with National Pizza Day (July 10) or National Pizza Party Day (third Friday in May), similarly important days of worship for lovers of the cheesy staple. With 40% of Americans eating pizza at least once a week, we hardly need a holiday to remind us to pick up a slice. But since it’s here, why not celebrate by making the largest pizza you can muster the ingredients for?

That’s what these Houstonites did back in the mid-1950s, and although the occasion they were celebrating is lost to history, their feat is forever preserved by these step-by-step photos shot for, but never published in, LIFE Magazine. Though their accomplishment has been overshadowed by more modern triumphs of pizza-making glory—like this 122-inch pie made in 1990—a ten-footer is nothing to scoff at, neither then nor today.

Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter @lizabethronk.

Ten-Foot Pizza Pie at Houston
A 10-foot pizza going into the oven.Joseph Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Ten-Foot Pizza Pie at Houston
The pans must be well-greased prior to baking.Joseph Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Ten-Foot Pizza Pie at Houston
Ingredients should be laid out for easy access.Joseph Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Ten-Foot Pizza Pie at Houston
Dough must be stretched to cover the entire pan.Joseph Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Ten-Foot Pizza Pie at Houston
Fusing multiple large pizzas together is less messy than creating one seamless pie.Joseph Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Ten-Foot Pizza Pie at Houston
The pizzas, fully cooked, are ready to be fused together.Joseph Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Ten-Foot Pizza Pie at Houston
How to make a 10-foot pizza pie, Houston, Texas - 1950s.Joseph Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Ten-Foot Pizza Pie at Houston
How to make a 10-foot pizza pie, Houston, Texas - 1950s.Joseph Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Ten-Foot Pizza Pie at Houston
A sizable crowd is required to consume a 10-foot pizza.Joseph Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

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Write to Eliza Berman at eliza.berman@time.com