I make bread on a regular basis – even if I don’t always blog about it. I often find a happy groove while I bake, and kneading bread feels therapeutic. But sometimes I’m in such a Zen state while working the dough that I forget how many cups of flour I measured. On more than one occasion, I forgot the salt.
Most of my bread recipes require salt. So what happens to bread, exactly, when salt doesn’t get mixed in? Here’s a closer look at this key ingredient.
Salt plays an important role in baking. No matter if you’re making pizza dough, bread boules, or sourdough discard rolls, salt takes your bread to the next level in the following ways.
In the right concentrations, salt makes everything taste better. When used in small amounts, salt reduces bitter flavors and enhances sweet, making your dessert bread divine. In larger amounts, it reduces the sweet and enhances umami, so your savory recipes stand out.
If you forget the salt, your bread will likely taste bland unless you have other ingredients to compensate.
Without salt, your dough will rise faster than it normally would, leading to less flavor development and a weaker structure. To incorporate the salt, mix it with a few teaspoons of water. Return your dough to the mixer, tear it into three to six pieces, and drizzle the liquid on top.
If Your Bread Hasn’t Risen Yet
Did you mix your flour, water, butter, and seasonings together, only to discover you had forgotten your salt? You don’t have to start over from scratch.
In this stage of the bread baking process, dissolve your salt in a little water then pour the water over the dough. Knead the saltwater into the dough, and sprinkle some extra flour to take away any stickiness. Reshape your dough as needed.
It Contributes to Color
As mentioned earlier, yeast breaks down starch molecules in the flour to create simple sugars. From there, the yeast consumes the simple sugars and releases carbon dioxide into the dough.
When you have enough salt in the dough, you slow the yeast’s consumption of simple sugars. When you bake your dough, the leftover simple sugars bake into the crust and give your bread its warm, creamy coloration.
However, if you forgot the salt in your dough, the yeast ferments quickly and metabolizes most of the simple sugars in your bread. Your bread will look pale and white as a result.
This is How Salt Affects Bread Dough | The Effects of Salt Explained
FAQ
What happens if I forgot the salt in baking?
What happens when you bake without salt?
What happens if you don’t add salt to cake?
Do you really need salt for baking?
What happens if you don’t add salt to bread?
With less water, the yeast slows its fermentation processes. Long, slow fermentation allows the dough to reach its maximum flavor potential. If you forgot the salt, your dough will rise too quickly, and your bread will taste bland. As mentioned earlier, yeast breaks down starch molecules in the flour to create simple sugars.
How much salt is too much salt?
The World Health Organization recommends a maximum consumption of 2000mg (2g) of sodium per person per day, which is equivalent to 5g of salt (since 40% of salt is made up of sodium). More than that, it is already considered excess.
What happens if you don’t add salt to dough?
Without salt, your dough will rise faster than it normally would, leading to less flavor development and a weaker structure. To incorporate the salt, mix it with a few teaspoons of water. Return your dough to the mixer, tear it into three to six pieces, and drizzle the liquid on top.
What happens if you forget salt in bread?
When you bake your dough, the leftover simple sugars bake into the crust and give your bread its warm, creamy coloration. However, if you forgot the salt in your dough, the yeast ferments quickly and metabolizes most of the simple sugars in your bread. Your bread will look pale and white as a result.