Salt

As a Tuscan baker may tell you, salt isn’t an essential ingredient in bread making, but frankly a loaf made without it will be a bit bland to most people’s taste.

Salt also:

• Strengthens the gluten network, helping the structure of your loaf.
• Aids the browning process – bread with very low levels of salt may appear paler than loaves made otherwise identically, while high levels may cause loaves to have a reddish, “foxy” bloom to the crust.
• Acts as a natural preservative, delaying the onset of mould growth.
• Slows fermentation, though using salt as the “brakes” in home baking is never necessary: lower temperature and lower levels of yeast will help you keep your dough under control.