salt in yeast breads

[hazardnc]

My father-in-law is currently on a practically salt-free diet due to a recent stroke. I would like to bake some bread, and have a recipe for Tuscan bread I can make, but I began to wonder, does salt serve a purpose in bread, other than as a flavor enhancer?

[andiesenji]

Yes. It does have a function. There has been discussion in previous topics. I will see if I can find the reference.

Check here - scroll down to "salt".

Edited October 7, 2006 by andiesenji (log)

[alanamoana]

salt is used to help retard the yeast action and of course to add flavor. traditionally, italian breads from certain regions don't have salt included in them because the bread is used to sop up very flavorful (salty) sauces. so, you don't have to put salt in the bread, but you'll notice color differences in your finished loaves and of course they'll be extremely bland. i would try to find an authentic italian recipe that doesn't have salt in it so you have something to compare other breads to.

also, see hathor's current foodblog in general food topics. she actually mentions how the bread in her adopted italian hometown has no salt in it.

[David802]

One of the first days I was baking at work I forgot salt in one of the doughs...

The dough was like mercury, and never really balled up. when it baked it came out like a flat brick and there was no oven spring at all..

thats just me though

[gbbaker]

Salt also helps the gluten development(make stretchy).

[srhcb]

Once I forgot to add the salt to my English Muffin Bread Recipe.

The bread did indeed taste sort of flat , but after being toasted it took on a completely different and quite nice flavor. It might have been coincidental, but that batch also had a real crunchy crust.

SB (the "S" stands for serendipitous)

[cognitivefun]

Tuscan bread has no salt. so it is possible to make bread without salt. It will rise faster than with salt and it can over rise easily.

[beccaboo]

I've made Tuscan bread and it came out fine except that it had no salt, which you could get used to.

Salt does retard the rising and affect the gluten development, but you just have to pay attention to your dough, kneading it a little longer and keeping a close eye on it while it rises.

When I do the autolyse thing, where you mix the flour and water and let it sit for a while before adding the yeast and salt, the effect of the salt is really apparent--you've got a big bowl of mush, and when you add the salt it immediately snaps into shape and becomes dough.

[hazardnc]

This is all very interesting. For years, I have used Morton's Lite Salt, which is 50% salt and 50% potassium chloride. I always use it in my baking and in my limited experience, I have not noticed a huge difference in the bread. But, I am not a bread expert by any means.

Rather than omitting salt, I wonder if I could reduce the amount and still have a fairly good product? The poor man is missing his bread. Store-bought versions of sandwich bread are loaded with sodium, with the exception of Ezekiel bread. But that bread is dry and barely palatable.

Does anyone have a decent pullman bread or other sandwich bread recipe that they use that calls for only a tsp of salt?

[jackal10]

Just make your normal bread and leave out the salt. The bread will rise a bit more, but that is OK.

It will, of course, taste different. Breads that have a lot of intrinsic flavour, like sourdough or wholemeal change less.

[Ann_T]

I bake bread two or three times a week but I'm probably the worst person to answer this question because I actually add more salt than what is normally called for in bread because I think it really does contribute to the flavour. And I find that a lot of breads are very bland because they are missing enough salt. But that said, I think that you could just reduce the salt and still make your FIL happy and healthy. And maybe you could do it in stages so that he gradually gets use to the less salt flavour.

When I was little my grandfather was on a salt restricted diet and my grandmother would order a special bread from a bakery that was salt free. I use to butter it and sprinkle salt on it. I actually liked that bread.

Ann

Edited October 8, 2006 by Ann_T (log)

[andiesenji]

The internist in my office referred me to this site for low salt and salt-free questions and answers, asked by real people and answered in a way that anyone can understand.

And the author has written a cookbook that is one of the best on the market. The doc in our office recommends it and one of the other doctors, a semi-retired internist who is on a low salt diet, uses it.

There are several resources listed on the site, including a list of source links for ingredients, and he discusses bread at length and answers all of the questions people have about the bread recipes in the book as well as general baking questions at length.

That being said, there is a way to get the flavor into bread without using salt.

There are several salt substitutes but the only one that has the taste closest to real salt, without the unpleasant aftertaste and which can be used in baking is Also-Salt which is carried at the local health food store and also in some markets.

Or you can order it on-line.

[cajungirl]

Seems to me that I've read that salt also helps to preserve the freshness of the bread in addition to enhancing flavor.