Some recipes will require you to add a pinch of salt to your preparation. While it may seem very surprising at first glance to put salt in a sweet recipe, you'll understand that salt is actually very important when used in baking.
Too much salt is dangerous for your health (high blood pressure: pressure or force exerted by the blood in the arteries). The current trend is to reduce its quantity in recipes.
Where and how do we grow salt ?
Gem salt (or rock salt)comes from the evaporation of ancient seas (several million years old). It is extracted like coal and then refined for use in food.
Refined salt comes from salt manufacturing. They inject water into salt deposits to obtain brine.
Sea salt is obtained by evaporation in salt marshes. Large areas are used for this purpose, where sea water is brought in, and when it is almost completely evaporated, the operation is repeated several times to obtain a sufficient concentration for the salt to crystallize. It is then harvested and refined. Sea salt is most commonly used in food.
There are several varieties of salt :
Fine salt : which is generally used to make ordinary bread and special breads.Fine salt is always refined. Various products are added to it so that it does not become too moist: magnesium carbonate, sodium silico-aluminate, etc., the proportion of which must never exceed 2%.
Coarse salt : which simply has a higher granulation than fine salt. This salt is mainly used for cooking vegetables and marinades. For meats, it preserves the aromas. For broths, soups, it allows vegetables and starchy foods to keep their minerals and flavors.
Flower of salt: is the thin layer of white crystals that form on the surface of salt marshes. Local salts, such as the salt of the Ile de Ré, the salt of the Ile de Noirmoutier, or the salt of Guérande are popular. It is used for last minute preparations, for sandwiches and delicatessen products. It dissolves quickly. We can use it for confections (salted butterscotch), in the desserts, entremets with salted butterscotch “inserts” ... Its taste is very pronounced.
In its pure state, the salt comes in the form of small crystals smaller than 1 mm. It is composed of a natural molecule, sodium. It must be : odourless, colorless, hard, solid.
Properties
Salt acts as a flavor enhancer:
The "salting" properties of salt only work from a certain dosage. By sprinkling your preparation with a pinch of salt, the flavor of your preparation will only be enhanced, not salty. Even if the pinch of salt may seem like a detail in a pastry recipe, it is in fact the pinch of salt that will give a very tasty and greedy side to your culinary preparation as for an original recipe of a yoghurt cake.
In its chemical properties, salt has the ability to bring out the taste of the food it accompanies. When you put it in a cake batter, it will immediately taste better. This technique is particularly useful in the making of buns. Without the addition of salt, the brioche will be much blander and much less pleasant to eat.
Salt acts as a “texturizer” :
It brings tenacity to doughs and improves their plastic qualities. It gives body to the dough (thanks to him, the dough takes a good part of its elasticity and afterwards, it grows well while swelling because the carbon retained by the elasticity of the dough, which would not be the case with a non-elastic dough that would tear and would not rise).
Salt acts on the fermentation :
It slows down the fermentation the activity of the yeast cells, so it reduces the action of proteases and protects the gluten. As you know, salt destroys yeast when they are in contact. A bread that is too salty will not grow because the salt is too high. But well proportioned, the salt regulates the action of the yeast so that it does not grow too fast (and tears) and for a regular growth.
Salt acts on the conservation and the colour :
It helps in the conservation of products by fixing the humidity when the weather is dry: it is hygroscopic (it allows a superior hydration). But it accentuates the softening of the breads when the weather is humid.
During the baking process, the salt (together with the steam from the oven and the baking process) gives the bread its colouring to a large extent. It is the salt that gives the bread its blond colour (steaming removes the matt aspect and makes it shiny). How? It favours the colouring of the crust by slowing down the degradation of sugars by the yeast on the surface of the products.
How can we use salt for pastries ?
This method is particularly used in the food industry, where salt is used to enhance the flavor of certain prepared dishes.
The "salty note" can sometimes be sought in desserts, such as the famous salted butter caramel, or dark chocolate with fleur de sel …
In France, we uselly use it in caramel. Britain is known for their salted butter, and we use to put butter in caramel to have a creamy texture. That’s why it’s quite common to found salted caramel in France. It makes the caramel stand out from the crowd with a subtle flavor of salt. So if you can access to salted butter from Brittany, Normandy or Charentes, these are very good quality butters for your pastries.
Salt can also be a good add into dark gourmet chocolate. It counterbalance the bitterness of the cocoa with the subtlety of the salt.
Finally, salt is used in buns, brioches, bread ... in order to slow down the fermentation and prevent the taste of yeast from overpowering it.
As I am sure you have understood, salt is a condiment as well used in cooking as in pastry making, it allows to give taste but especially allows to balance the flavors. Don't hesitate to try new recipes to see how salt can be combined with sweet ingredients.
And tag me on Instagram at @theparisbest_baking, I would be happy to see your creations !
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