If you want to find out what salt does for your loaf, try and leave it out and take a bite…
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A while ago we took a closer look at the percentage of salt we put into our bread. If you are a big bread eater, chances are high you get a lot of your daily salt intake via your sandwiches.
The UK recently came out with a new standard for the amount of salt in bread baking. So we tested this new standard to find out what the effect would be for our own bread baking and want to share the result with you…
First, some things you need to know about salt and bread baking:
What does salt do?
- Salt acts as a natural antioxidant in the dough and not only adds taste but especially helps bring out the flavors and aromas present in the flour and other ingredients.
- Next to its role in boosting the flavor of your bread, salt plays a role in tightening the gluten structure and adding strength to your dough. It helps the loaf to hold on to the carbon dioxide gas that is formed during fermentation, supporting good volume.
- Salt slows down fermentation and enzyme activity in dough. The salt crystals draw water away form their environment (salt is ‘hygroscopic’). When salt and yeast compete for water, salt wins and the yeast is slowed down.
- Because of its moisture maintaining properties, salt can prevent bread from getting stale but it can also (this is especially true in humid environments) absorb moisture from the air and leave you with soft crusts and soggy bread.
How much salt is considered normal in bread baking?
In bread baking the percentage of salt added that is considered normal, ranges from 1.8% to 2.2% of the total amount of flour, depending on the recipe and personal preference. Low salt contents can lead to bland loaves, anything over the 2.2% norm will likely be considered too salty. The UK recently came out with a new standard of 1 gram of salt per 100 grams of the final baked bread or about 1.5 to 1.6% of the total amount of flour. So instead of a percentage of salt to flour, they give the amount of salt per 100 gram of the actual finished product / bread.
Should I be afraid of salt touching my yeast?
Short answer: NO! Usually you add salt and yeast to your flour and immediately start mixing. It is totally unnecessary to put salt on one side and yeast on the other and seconds later start mixing them together anyway. You do not want to add salt on top of fresh yeast and leave it for minutes because then the salt will indeed kill the yeast.
What type of salt should I use for bread baking?
All salt is good, as long as the salt crystals are fine enough and dissolve easily. A lot can be said for different types of salt, some contain additives, some have other minerals next to the sodium chloride (NaCl) considered beneficial for you (like Celtic sea salt which is also lower in sodium). You can make up your own mind as far as the health benefits go, taste wise it will not make a big difference to your loaf. Due to the relatively small quantity of salt it would be really hard to detect subtle differences in flavor.
Our own findings with the new salt content standard
So, we looked at our own baking and did a test with this new UK standard of 1 gram salt per 100 grams baked loaf. For example, for a standard pain rustique (750 g dough, weighing about 680 g after baking) this would mean lowering the added salt from 8 g to 6.8 g or from 1.17 g to 1 g per 100 g bread.
Examples of bakers percentages for a loaf of pain rustique:
2.2% of total flour would mean almost 10 g of salt added to the recipe
2% – about 9 g of salt
1.8% – just over 8 g of salt
1.5% – about 6.8 g of salt (the new UK standard)
We tested and tasted the bread with new, lower salt content several times, together with some bread friends. Result: We all had a very hard time noticing any difference. There is a line below which it would become noticeable of course, but this new standard is no problem for us. We have to add that using high quality (organic) flour also makes a big difference in taste and perception of saltiness. Also see our flour experiments. To enhance flavor, salt has to have something to work with, and it will have a hard time bringing out any flavor when the flour you work with is overly processed and bland to begin with!
We now use it in most recipes for our daily bread, except when making dough for things like pizza and focaccia and other flatbreads. For these special breads our personal preference is to make this dough a bit saltier.
Let us know your thoughts on salt!
FAQs
Most bakers recommend a scoring depth of about 1/2 inch or 1 centimeter. Beginning bakers tend to not score deeply enough. I recommend scoring deeper than you think you need to, then if proves to be too deep, back it off slightly the next time.
Should you score white bread? ›
By scoring your loaf, you create weak points that allow your bread to expand more easily. If you don't score your loaf, it will still expand, but in a jagged pattern.
How to practice scoring bread? ›
A way to learn how to score sourdough bread is to practice the movements that go into making the actual scores without using dough. If you only bake once a week, it makes it easier to practice often. One way to do it is to imagine having the bread in front of you and performing the cuts with the lame in your hand.
Can you score bread too much? ›
Steam will always find the weakest point in the dough in order to escape. In addition, if you score your dough too deeply, there ends up being too much dough for the steam to be able to lift. Think of the score like a shelf that you're creating, not just an incision that you're making.
Should I score Overproofed bread? ›
If your dough is only slightly overproofed, careful scoring may be enough to prevent the bread from collapsing in the oven. “If your dough has overproofed, then you want to be very delicate and just very slightly caress open the dough,” she advises.
Why do bakers put flour on top of bread? ›
How to top bread dough with flour. You can dust the top of rolls or loaves (white or whole wheat) with white flour for a more rustic or “peasant” style appearance. Using flour is also a wonderful way to keep your bread (especially buns and rolls) vegan but still decorate the top.
Can you put dough in the freezer before scoring? ›
Freeze before you score.
When scoring a pattern that will take time to complete, freeze the dough for 30min before scoring. This will prevent the dough from 'deflating' before you bake it.
How do you score bread without dragging it? ›
A bread knife or a good serrated knife can also work well if you have one on hand. A serrated knife, unlike scissors, is ideal for this long cuts. Just hold the long blade against the dough in a quick motion, press the knife down, and then pull the knife towards you to slice into the surface.
Why slash the top of bread before baking? ›
Scoring is the process of cutting a slash in the surface of bread dough before baking. Bread dough rapidly expands when it is first placed in the oven (an effect known as “oven spring”), and scoring controls this expansion. Bakers score their loaves to prevent them from cracking—and to give the dough a helpful boost.
What to put on top of bread before baking? ›
There are so many seeds and grains that work well as bread toppers. A few more of my favorites include raw sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, amaranth, millet, and even flaked barley. With the above techniques, and perhaps some of these toppings as new inspiration, experiment and have fun!
A serrated knife is an excellent tool for scoring bread, as long as you are careful not to cut too deeply. Longer bread knives usually work best for this technique. Steak knives, even though they are serrated, are usually too short to be used for scoring bread.
Do you score bread before or after rising? ›
Scoring is generally done after the bread's finally rise and just before the loaves go in the oven. These intentional splits give the bread more room for their final rise in the oven without splitting the carefully closed seams. Slashing can also be done for purely decorative reasons.
Why does my bread deflate when I score it? ›
If you have over fermented your dough, or it's over proofed in the fridge, it's best not to score it before placing it in the oven. What is this? When you score over proofed dough, it will deflate like a balloon. Not scoring it will allow the dough to retain the gas bubbles that have formed.
What is a lame in baking? ›
A lame is used to score (also called slashing or docking) bread just before the bread is placed in the oven. Often the blade's cutting edge will be slightly concave-shaped, which allows users to cut flaps (called shag) considerably thinner than would be possible with a traditional straight razor.
What happens if you don't prove bread? ›
If you don't let the dough rise twice when baking bread, your bread may turn out dense and heavy. Rising the dough twice helps create air pockets inside the bread, making it light and fluffy. So, it's important to let the dough rise twice for better texture and taste in your bread.
Do you need to score sandwich bread? ›
IS SCORING BREAD NECESSARY? Not all bread requires scoring, but the technique typically serves both aesthetic and practical purposes. Scoring helps bread expand more evenly in the oven by relieving resistance and helping to prevent erratic cracks in the crust, but some instances call for skipping this step.
Do you need to score bread rolls? ›
If the recipe says “score the top,” then you should score the top. However, scoring the top is never actually necessary. It allows breads with thick hard crusts to rise more in the oven — that's all. Well, and it can provide an appealing appearance.
What happens if you don't cut your bread? ›
Scoring/ slashing your loaf allows your loaf to burst at the cut when it expands in the oven with oven spring. If you don't score your loaf it will burst at the weakest point and you might end up with a little ball of dough erupting from the side of your loaf.
