Salt

Salt retards the yeast and helps control the fermentation process. It also adds a flavor that most of us expect in even the simplest of breads. Some people claim that they can taste a big difference in their bread depending on the type of salt they use. The famed Poilane bakery in Paris, for example, uses only coarse gray sea salt from Normandy.

Other bakers can’t tell a bit of difference. But one aspect in which different salts do objectively differ is their density. For this reason, many bakers weigh their salt because weights are always the same, no matter what kind of salt one uses.

Iif you’re measuring by volume, however, you’ll want to pay attention to the following:

Table salt or finely ground sea salt: This is the standard for almost all recipes. You can follow the instructions as they are written.

Sea salt: You’ll want to increase the volumetric measure by about 50%.

Kosher salt: Double the listed volumetric measure.

Typically, salt is measured at 2 percent of the flour weight, except for rye breads, which are typically at 1.8 percent. The salt proportion may go down a half percent or more if salty ingredients such as olives are incorporated, and may go up 0.3 or 0.5 percent if cooked grains, nuts or seeds are added.