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Even with its pervasiveness in cooking, the variety of salt available sweet bread on page 25 uses a fine-grain sea salt that dissolves
is often overlooked. Next time you visit the spice aisle of the
grocery store, count the salt options present—the number may
surprise you. From refined salts and mineral-rich salts to flavored
salts and salts with different textures and colors, there are endless
options for the home baker to choose from.
The most familiar option is table salt, which is mined from
underground salt deposits and then highly processed to eliminate
minerals. Additives such as the anticaking agents sodium
ferrocyanide or calcium silicate are often added to table salt in an
attempt to combat the hygroscopic nature within the package.
A public health concern raised in the 1920s also kicked off the
addition of potassium iodide to some table salts, which helped
alleviate the widespread issue of iodine-deficiency. Though most
people may not be able to detect anticaking agents, the iodine
component of iodized table salt tends to have a characteristic
bitter taste, and for baking, an additive-free form is often
recommended.
When it comes to salt as an ingredient in baking, kosher salt reigns
supreme due to its consistent purity and clean taste. This form is
the choice in most of our recipes. We are now led to an interesting
question: is kosher salt kosher? Not necessarily. There are some
salts that are kosher-certified, but kosher salt originally gained its
moniker for a common use. The salt crystal size and purity were
ideal for the Jewish religious practice of dry-brining meats, known
as koshering, but the salt itself was not manufactured under any
religious guidelines.
In the North American market, we find two major brands of kosher
salt: Morton Salt and Diamond Crystal. Morton Salt kosher salt
contains an anticaking agent and has a flat structure created by a
process during which the salt is rolled. Diamond Crystal kosher salt
curtails additives and uses a process they call “craft evaporation”
for its kosher salt, which creates unique, hollow, multifaceted salt
crystals. This hollow structure dissolves easily and can be crushed
between fingers but also reduces its weight per volume. This
concept is important to remember when following recipes, as salt
weight is dependent on variety and brand. Because 1 teaspoon of
salt can vary greatly by weight, relying on a kitchen scale for the
gram measure is recommended to achieve the appropriate amount
of salt (and the perfect flavor).
Another type of salt, sea salt, has had a resurgence in popularity
in baking throughout the years. Yet, if you were to be quite literal,
all salt comes from the sea. Salt that is mined from the land, like
table salt and kosher salt, is from a prehistoric sea—a sea that
has long come and gone, millions of years past. The process of
evaporating seawater, leaving behind salt solids and minerals, brings
us commercial sea salt. Ranging in size, color, and texture, sea salt
is versatile in nature. Jeremiah Duarte Bills’s traditional Portuguese
23 bake from scratch
readily in the dough. As for visual differences between sea salts,
a water purification process creates bright white Maldon Sea Salt
Flakes, whereas others, like sel gris (gray salt), contain minerals
that lend unique colors and flavors.
Both sea salt flakes and gray salt are in a category called “finishing
salts,” meaning they have the capacity to add visual appeal,
dynamic flavor, and texture to baked goods after they have been
prepared. They tend to have a higher cost and are used in much
smaller quantities. Consider the Parker House Rolls on page 85,
which are brushed with melted butter and garnished with flaked
sea salt, combining a soft fluffy bread with a notable salty crunch.
Other finishing-style salts include the beautiful quartz-like shades
of pink that Himalayan salt has to offer. Mined from the Khewra
Salt Mine in the Punjab region of Pakistan, the brilliant color is
a result of 84 different trace elements and minerals (especially
magnesium and iron). Another warm-hued salt, alaea sea salt is
harvested near the shores of the island of Kaua‘i in Hawaii. The
Hanapepe Salt Ponds have been used since ancient times, and
the sea salt derived there gets its brick red color from a Hawaiian
volcanic, iron-rich clay called ‘alaea, containing more than 80
different minerals.
The last finishing salt we will consider here has an alluring name:
fleur de sel. As it translates, this salt is considered the “flower of
the sea,” which some say refers to the visual structure of the salt,
whereas others believe the name refers to the aroma of violets
released as the salt dries. Like the last two salts mentioned, fleur de
sel may also carry a pinkish hue, but unlike the colors created by
minerals, a microalgae called Dunaliella salina lends the pink color.
Most fleur de sel is off-white or slightly gray, however. Though the
origin is strongly guarded in Brittany, France, you can now find its
production in Spain, Portugal, Mexico, Brazil, and Canada. Fleur
de sel retains a wet, almost sticky feel, and some say the taste is
light and superior.
Although we have reviewed several salts and their capabilities,
there are still many types and regions we have left unexplored.
With the medley of options from near and far and from the
mountains to the sea, salt is not only a base ingredient for baking
but a game changer. Whether you are looking to enhance flavor,
promote a better yeast-leavened dough, or create an eye-catching
presentation, there is an ocean of possibility with salt.
BAKE WITH SALT In this issue, don’t miss:
Smoked Salmon-Asparagus Tarts, Orange Cream Cake, page 65
page 77
Spinach Khachapuris, page 97 •
Forgotten Cookies, page 111