What is the role of salt in baking? If you’ve ever wondered what salt does in baking, and if it’s really all that important. Let’s dive into a little baking 101 today! We will cover its role and table salt vs. kosher salt in baking!
Salt. So simple right? A pinch of it is usually all a recipe calls for. A little bit goes a long way. But have you ever thought more about it? Is it really that important? You betcha. So important. Skip it and you will notice a difference.
This was one topic I wrote about in my cookbook, Beginner’s Baking Bible so that all beginner bakers do NOT make a crucial mistake and mix up, or worse skip it altogether!
In fact, recently I was making this Momofuku Milk Bar Birthday Cake and used table salt in the recipe. Unfortunately the recipe called for kosher salt. So when I went to try the buttercream frosting it tasted WAY too salty! Ugh. 🤦🏻♀️
Such a simple mistake! But I’m going to guess I’m not the only one who has made this mistake. So I thought why not dive into a little fun baking science today. You ready to nerd out?
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There are different kinds of salt out there. Some recipes will have the type of salt specified, where some don’t. So it can be tricky, especially because they are not all the same. But here is a quick breakdown of the different types of salts you may encounter in baking.
Believe it or not, salt plays quite a few roles in baking.
You might be thinking, well DUH Heather….it adds flavor. Salt = saltiness. Sort of. Salt isn’t added really to add a salty flavor. By adding just a little salt, it can actually help balance all that sweetness going on in your dessert. It will actually help bring out the flavors of everything else in your recipe.
Basically leave it out and you will notice. Your dessert will be bland! So don’t skip it.
Salt will actually help strengthen your bread and pastry dough. It helps to strengthen the gluten structure in your dough and will help trap the carbon dioxide.
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Salt = dough that rises beautifully (aka doesn’t deflate in the oven!)
By adding salt, it will help to remove some of the water from yeast slowing it down. Without it, the yeast can bubble too quickly and create overproofed yeast and uneven results.
But be careful! Salt can also kill yeast, so it’s best to add not directly with the yeast. I like to proof my yeast, then add my flour. Then salt. This creates a barrier between the yeast and salt.
Salt is hygroscopic, aka it attracts water, so that means it will hold onto the moisture in your baked goods. So with more moisture being retained in your baked goods means they will stay moist and fresh longer.
If you have read my blog before you will note that I say to ALWAYS use unsalted butter. Different brands will use varying amounts of salt in their salted butter. So instead of using salted butter I recommend using unsalted butter + salt.
This way you can always control the taste and get consistent results in your recipes.
Salt will help to denature and loosen up the proteins in eggs. If you add a little salt to an egg wash it will help thin it out making it easier to brush onto your pastries before baking.
Source: https://gardencourte.com
Categories: Recipe
This post was last modified on 20/10/2023 09:04
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