SC - bread experiment

[Decker, Terry D.]

"Salt-rising" is something of a misnomer.  While no leaven is added to the
bread, the dough is allowed to sit for a number of hours, usually 5 to 8,
which allows a brief spontaneous leaven.  The salt improves the taste of the
bread and evens the rising process to produce a better crumb.

The reasons salt is added to bread dough are:

To improve the taste and flavor of the bread.  Salt brightens the combined
flavor of the other ingredients.

While salt reduces the action of the yeast, it effectively eliminates the
action of wild yeasts and bacteria in a short rise and curtails their effect
in a long rise.  In a sourdough, the starter is the primary leaven and is
introduced in large enough quantity that the salt has minimal effect.

Salt has a strengthening effect on gluten.  The strengthened gluten holds
water and carbon dioxide more effectively and expands without tearing.  This
produces finer grain and better texture.  

Salt lessens the destruction of the sugar in the dough, promoting a deeper
crust color.


Wihlfahrt's A Treatise on Baking and David's English Bread and Yeast Cookery
are good references for why various ingredients are used in breads.

Bear 


> I thought salt was a leavening agent.  How could it be unleavened bread if
> it
> had salt?
> 
> 
> Mordonna
> 
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