Beginners Tips: Take it With A Grain Salt

Sourdough baking still baffles me sometimes. For something so traditional, that has stood the test of thousands of years of human existence. Sourdough bread and breads are almost unreasonably sensitive to changes in variables. The relentlessly unforgiving nature of sourdough baking, besides the maintenance is the prime reason why so many people give up on Sourdough baking entirely. Most people will stop after simply making an edible loaf. However once you learn how to be consistent with weights, measures, and temperature control life begins to get easier. Even then the only things left are variables outside of your control, such as weather, ambient temperature, water changes, etc. Although even weather changes can be controlled with a proofing box. 

Lets Talk About Salt

Salt is vital to making good sourdough bread. Obviously for flavor, but beyond that it helps control and slow down the fermentation process. Without salt or too little salt, not only would you make bland bread, but your dough will rise too quickly and you won’t get any of the health benefits from the fermented dough. Salt obviously is great at killing bacteria which is why it helps balance and control the fermentation process. It slows down everything, by indeed killing some of the starter that you inoculated the dough with, but eventually the yeast and bacteria in the starter asserts itself and multiplies at a rate where the salt level can’t control it any more and it all begins to rise and air proliferates your dough. This creates the fluffy yet tender texture, with the tangy sourdough taste that many of us desire. 

Too Much Salt

Too much salt will obviously give your bread an undesirable taste. Whats worse is that you will drastically slow down the fermentation process. So much so that you run the risk of under-proofing your dough. Under-proofed doughs tends to have a bit of a spring, but have a very dense texture and giant air holes. 

Too Little Salt

Not enough salt and you run the risk of over-proofing your dough. Without salt your dough will rise very quickly. So fast that your dough will literally run out of gas. The gluten will break down and if you mange to shape the now liquid mass of dough it will be something akin to a frisbee, and have the same structural properties and taste of the aforementioned frisbee. 

Just a Pinch

When I say too much or too little I am not talking 30 - 40g swings of salt. I am talking about a 5-10g difference. If you’re off but so much as what amounts to a half of teaspoon of salt which is 5g you could have issues. To be clear at that level you will be able to make corrections on the fly and you will notice. Your dough will rise either a bit slower or faster than you're used to. However as long as you are tracking your dough by volume you will be fine. But if you have been wondering why sometimes your dough rises faster or slower and all of your other variables are consistent, then maybe its your salt. Always measure by weight. Many recipes call for cups and tablespoons. This is 100% wrong. You HAVE to use a food scale especially if you’re a beginner. If you have experience you can certainly eye it. But if you’re just learning how to bake sourdough bread, a scale is vital. 

NO IODIZED SALT

Kosher salt is like a laser guided precision missile. Its mission is very specific and the rest of the dough will survive, but all the kosher salt did was slow down the fermentation process. Iodized salt is like a nuclear bomb. Nothing will survive. Salt kills bacteria pretty well but some will survive. Iodine however will kill everything. There is a reason they use it when you get surgery, its job is to kill all the bacteria. If you use iodized salt, your dough will not rise.

Along with the healthy gut benefits of fermented bread. Sourdough bread is much much easier to digest and is one of those things that is actually healthy for you and tastes really good. If you use an ancient grain such as spelt, whole grains like whole wheat and rye, or a mixture of all three you are really creating something that tastes wonderful and is great for you too. Real sourdough bread is flour, water, and salt. The starter is just a mixture of water and flour that is acting as a substrate for wild yeast. So yes GREAT tasting and healthy bread is made from only three ingredients. What you put on top of the bread however, is what will hurt your calorie count for that day.