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Salt and yeast
Let's take a look at an old baker's legend: You may have already read that somewhere in a recipe that uses baker's yeast(bread, pastries, leavened doughs in general) it is often specified "Don't put salt in contact with the yeast, you'll kill it (the yeast)"!
Well, that's a belief, and there are many in the kitchen, pastry shop or bakery, but is it true?
Well, that's a belief, and there are many in the kitchen, pastry shop or bakery, but is it true?
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Last modified on: March 15th 2019
Keywords for this post:YeastSaltBakingContactLegendSalt and yeast
Let's look at the participants:
- On the one hand, yeast, tiny fungi "Saccharomyces cerevisiae", living beings indeed that will attack the starch of the flour (I simplify) and produce CO2, this is fermentation.
- On the other hand, the salt
Do they react if you put them in contact? Yes, a little: the salt and its hygroscopic side "pumps" the water contained in the yeast and thus softens it a little.
And then the salt will kill the mushrooms? No, not at all, even a little softened, it will keep most of its fermentation power.
In good bakery or pastry training courses, the myth is broken by mixing salt + yeast in a small bowl and letting it rest for a good hour, and you can then see that you get a kind of salty yeast, a little softened, but yeast nonetheless.
All this to tell you that no, the contact of yeast with salt is not dangerous for the yeast, don't be afraid of this, it's just a legend.
However, nothing prevents you from doing what bakers do when you pour your ingredients before kneading: they always manage to avoid putting sugar, salt and yeast in contact with each other, but this is especially in case, at the last moment, you detect a weighing error and try to correct it in a hurry!
To sum up: salt and yeast can be put together in a recipe, it won't prevent your future dough from rising.
- On the one hand, yeast, tiny fungi "Saccharomyces cerevisiae", living beings indeed that will attack the starch of the flour (I simplify) and produce CO2, this is fermentation.
- On the other hand, the salt
Do they react if you put them in contact? Yes, a little: the salt and its hygroscopic side "pumps" the water contained in the yeast and thus softens it a little.
And then the salt will kill the mushrooms? No, not at all, even a little softened, it will keep most of its fermentation power.
In good bakery or pastry training courses, the myth is broken by mixing salt + yeast in a small bowl and letting it rest for a good hour, and you can then see that you get a kind of salty yeast, a little softened, but yeast nonetheless.
 |  |  |
| Yeast alone | Yeast with salt | Yeast with salt, 1 hour later |
All this to tell you that no, the contact of yeast with salt is not dangerous for the yeast, don't be afraid of this, it's just a legend.
However, nothing prevents you from doing what bakers do when you pour your ingredients before kneading: they always manage to avoid putting sugar, salt and yeast in contact with each other, but this is especially in case, at the last moment, you detect a weighing error and try to correct it in a hurry!
To sum up: salt and yeast can be put together in a recipe, it won't prevent your future dough from rising.
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