How Would Salt Affect Yeast?
Yeast added to other ingredients during the bread-making process, ferments, producing a gas that causes the bread to rise. Besides rising the dough, fermentation enhances gluten development, improves the texture and flavor of the finished product, and extends the shelf-life of the finished loaf of bread. Salt, a key factor in bread-making, will either boost or seriously disturb the yeast's action in the fermentation process.
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Yeast, Salt, and Fementation
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Merriam-Webster defines yeast as containing an active unicellular fungus that blossoms in the presence of sugars (i.e. honey, molasses, starch), salt, water, and warmth. Salt, or sodium chloride (NaCL), seasons and preserves foods, and is a key ingredient in yeast fermentation. Fermentation produces an effervescent chemical reaction, or a chemical breakdown of a substance (e.g. flour, sugar, honey or molasses) which generates a gas. Fermentation requires the presence of both yeast and salt
Goals of Fermentation
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Fermentation accomplishes five main goals in bread-making. First, it enhances dough handling by hydrating and softening the gluten proteins. Second, the developed gluten increases the bread's ability to retain the gas created by the fermentation and proofing (dough rising) process. Thirdly, it develops soft, resilient bread texture. Fourth, proper fermentation produces a pleasing flavor. Finally, fermentation produces a longer shelf-life for the bread.
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Salt and Fermentation Control
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Yeast activation begins the moment it comes into contact with water, flour and other bread-making ingredients. Consistent fermentation and control of the fermentation process are key to a perfect finished product. The factors that control fermentation include: fermentation time, dough temperature, correct ingredients (includes type and maturity of the yeast), dough pH, and correct amount of water, sugar, salt, yeast and mold-inhibitor (a bi-product of the fermentation process).
Effect of Salt on Yeast
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Salt at levels of 1 percent of the volume of bread slows yeast activity. The most desirable salt levels range from1.75 to 2.25 percent. Obtaining good results with higher salt levels requires increased amounts of yeast. Balancing the salt and yeast keeps the fermentation process in check and produces a good bread texture. Salt also tightens the gluten structure, helping the dough hold in the fermentation-induced carbon dioxide. Salt enhances the flavor of the bread and contributes to crust browning by allowing sugars in the flour to develop slowly over a longer bake time.
Too Much Salt
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Too much salt retards yeast fermentation, and may even kill the yeast, though yeast is less perishable than it used to be. Yeast is now more reliable, reducing the likelihood of excess salt killing it. Excess salt will also make bread unpleasantly salty and retard the rising process, reducing the dough volume and making the finished product dense and heavy.
Too Little Salt
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Too little or no salt causes the dough to rise too quickly, creating a loaf of bread with large, irregular holes. In this case, the lack of salt allows the yeast to go wild during fermentation. The lack of salt also produces bread with flat taste and no volume since the dough's gluten structure won't tighten up. Too little salt can also result in a colorless, dull crust because the yeast uses up the sugars too quickly.
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