One key to making a fantastic pizza crust lies in ideal balance between a crispy exterior and a tender, chewy interior. This is achieved by by preheating your oven, with a pizza stone, to the high temperature of 475 degrees F. Preheated stone: Using a preheated pizza stone immediately crisps up the bottom of the crust, as the intense heat transfers to the dough. High temperature: Cooking the pizza crust at a high temperature ensures that the pizza cooks quickly, while keeping the crust interior soft and chewy, resulting in a professional-quality crust with well-developed flavor and texture.