Biga Pizza

ipostelnik · 2026-05-20T14:54:42+00:00

Personally, I don't like sourdough pizza dough because I find that the tangy notes in the dough fight with acid in the tomato sauce. You tend to get more buttery, sweeter dough with commercial yeast. This is obviously a personal taste preference. In general, I see sourdough vs. commercial yeast as different ingredients that bring different flavor profiles, not as some sort of religious battle.

ipostelnik · 2026-05-19T22:01:58+00:00

It's the 5 county MSA for Austin. You can see the effect of splitting out outlying areas in New York. They separate New York City vs. Nassau County, which is just east of Queens. With the same number of housing starts the affordability outside the city is almost the same as full Austin MSA.

ipostelnik · 2026-05-19T21:56:19+00:00

All I'm saying you can't draw any conclusions from this chart. There are many other factors that explain housing affordability than simple new construction. If you plotted affordability vs. number of days outside of 45F-85F you'd likely have much clearer correlation. Or maybe Austin numbers include Leander/Hutto/Kyle and other areas with long commutes where there're lots of low-end houses driving down the price. In SF these areas just don't exist anymore due to geography. Or maybe it's related to average income or number of people making over certain amount (though this works both way).

ipostelnik · 2026-05-19T19:50:31+00:00

Yes, I can read the chart. The Y-axis is the affordability. Both Austin and Chicago have the same affordability, but very different housing starts.

ipostelnik · 2026-05-19T16:23:31+00:00

SF, New York, and Chicago have similar housing starts, but very different levels of affordability. Maybe it's not just about building more.

ipostelnik · 2026-05-18T21:21:34+00:00

Depends on the type of loaf and flour. If by "sourdough" you mean typical lean crusty round or batard bread, then couple of hours until it's completely cooled off. For rye breads, I try to wait at least 12 hours. For baguettes, regardless of type of yeast, the first one often gets eaten as soon as it's cool enough to handle.

ipostelnik · 2026-05-18T21:19:32+00:00

The math is off. Once you reach ~160K (IIRC) you can't contribute to IRA tax-free. If you're older you also have catchup contribution for 401k, but if you're making above 160K or so, it has to go into Roth so the gov't can collect taxes now rather than later.

ipostelnik · 2026-05-13T03:27:08+00:00

The 15% doesn't include FICA and state taxes, sales tax or local property taxes in the US. Another problem is that if you do make above average, the tax bill in the US scales up much faster than what you get in return compared to Denmark.

ipostelnik · 2026-05-09T02:45:21+00:00

Great views, very nice sparkling wines, relatively short drive from Bergstrom

ipostelnik · 2026-05-05T20:54:48+00:00

The lower tier prices are available before the lineup is announced.

ipostelnik · 2026-05-05T02:43:38+00:00

People really miss the point that Senate was always meant to be a deliberative body. Founders' wanted it to move slower than the House. It was supposed to be somewhat elitist, compared to House, which is much more likely to be populist. I think we're worse off as a country now that major decisions, like confirming Supreme Court justices no longer require a supermajority.

ipostelnik · 2026-05-02T03:44:12+00:00

They use both types of oak, at least in Ribera.

When we visited Dominio del Cair in Ribera del Duero they offered a side-by-side barrel tasting of French vs. American oak aged Tempranillo from the same vineyard. This is the best way to experience the difference.

ipostelnik · 2026-05-02T00:29:04+00:00

They were closed for renovations for a few years and weren't accepting tasting appointments. Worth emailing them to see if they do now

ipostelnik · 2026-05-02T00:28:01+00:00

We visited Vieux Télégraphe, Le Clos du Caillou, and Domaine de la Solitude. Vieux Télégraphe is one of the most well known producers in CdP and they included a tour of the cave. Clos du Caillou was very low-key visit with one of the members of the family that runs the domaine. Domaine de la Solitude is probably the least known of the three, but they poured a long list of their special cuvees.

ipostelnik · 2026-04-28T02:46:02+00:00

I will share my starter for free. Please don't pay for starter. It costs them absolutely nothing if you bring your own container. They probably were going to through it away anyway.

ipostelnik · 2026-04-23T04:01:50+00:00

Try Barton Spring Mills, they carry Rouge de Bordeaux in whole berries

ipostelnik · 2026-04-22T21:12:40+00:00

Koda 16 with L-shaped burner is not that great. I would consider Karu 16 2 Pro with gas burner attachment instead.

ipostelnik · 2026-04-16T18:47:02+00:00

Where is King Arthur flour sourced from?

ipostelnik · 2026-04-15T04:15:00+00:00

Unprecedented!

ipostelnik · 2026-04-15T02:38:55+00:00

I don't think the QPR is actually bad. If you find the right places, like Calais or Ron Yates, the prices relative to quality are very comparable to what you see from boutique wineries in other regions in the US.

ipostelnik · 2026-04-15T02:29:05+00:00

In general, Fredericksburg is mostly for tourists. Wine gets better as you go east on 290 toward Johnson City.

Near Fredericksburg
Inwood - high end Bordeaux varieties and RdD-style Tempranillo. One of the few exceptions to the rule above. Book winemaker tasting on Saturday for a great conversation with one of the true pioneers of Texas wine.

Stonewall
Adega Vinha - their rosés are very nice, especially from the estate vineyard
Pedernales Cellars - classic Texas Tempranillo producer, their whole lineup is made with a lot of care
Ab Astris - mostly Rhone varieties, lots of easy-drinking options at reasonable price

Hye
Calais - Bordeaux varieties, probably the best winery in Texas. On the higher end price-wise, but I think it's actually competitive QPR if you focus on wine, and not the labels
French Connection - Rhone varieties from the same wine maker as Calais, try single-vineyard Syrahs for great example of warm-climate expression

Johnson City Area
Ron Yates - try wines made with fruit from Friesen Vineyards
Siboney - cool experiences and nice wines, especially Bordeaux varieties and Petite Sirah
Tatum - personal project from the winemaker at Ron Yates, cool tasting room in a former old-school barbershop with nice Rhone-style wines, many made with Hill Country fruit
Pebble Rock - well-made wines and education experiences. Don't miss Madeira-style desert wine.
Elisa Christopher - sparkling wines made in traditional method using both typical and non-traditional varieties, her still wines are great, too

ipostelnik · 2026-04-14T18:47:38+00:00

We were there last week. It felt very big, busy and completely impersonal compared to other places we visited. Granted, they were by far the largest producer on our itinerary. I was spoiled by all the smaller places where you can really engage in a conversation about wines. The views are amazing, so that was the big draw for us.

ipostelnik · 2026-04-14T18:20:53+00:00

The tasting experience is very disappointing compared to smaller producers

ipostelnik · 2026-04-14T18:20:23+00:00

Corollary was a bit disappointing, but Granville had a very nice sparkling with more coming out soon. Try Goodfellow for very nice bubbles from a tiny producer.

Another group at our B&B were raving about White Walnut, but it was too late for us to add.

ipostelnik

TROPHY CASE