# Why do most flour based recipes call for a "pinch of salt"?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-flour-based-recipes-call-for-a-pinch-of-salt/510651
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [September 18, 2009, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-flour-based-recipes-call-for-a-pinch-of-salt/510651 "2009-09-18T23:11:21Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Bisected8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bisected8)
#### Post date: [September 18, 2009, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-flour-based-recipes-call-for-a-pinch-of-salt/510651/1 "2009-09-18T23:11:21Z")
The title says it all really. Cakes, bread and pastry often call for a tiny amount of salt; What’s it for?
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### Author:  [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)
#### Post date: [September 18, 2009, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-flour-based-recipes-call-for-a-pinch-of-salt/510651/2 "2009-09-18T23:37:53Z")
Unsalted bread tastes really flat. But I omit salt in all sweet recipes and no one has ever complained.
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### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [September 18, 2009, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-flour-based-recipes-call-for-a-pinch-of-salt/510651/3 "2009-09-18T23:59:45Z")
It’s not a matter of flavor – I make bread and pastry without salt and it tastes delicious.
It’s used to limit the rising. A touch of salt keeps the yeast under control; otherwise it can rise too much. But you can do without it if you want to risk the yeast rising out of the pan.
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### Author:  [@Never\_Say\_Dice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Never_Say_Dice)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2009, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-flour-based-recipes-call-for-a-pinch-of-salt/510651/4 "2009-09-19T00:03:57Z")
There are books about the chemistry of cooking, for those college courses in food science.
I can’t answer this question, but salt makes a lot of changes, like the temperature things boil and freeze, whether pasta sticks and egg shells crack when boiled, if I recall.
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### Author:  [@Claire\_Beauchamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claire_Beauchamp)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2009, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-flour-based-recipes-call-for-a-pinch-of-salt/510651/5 "2009-09-19T00:25:27Z")
Salt in yeast breads serves two purposes, as mentioned above: flavor and controlling the yeast and strengthening the gluten.
In other baked goods, it’s there for flavor. Yes, I know there are people who bake without it and like the end result, but MOST people prefer even sweet baked goods that contain salt. It should not be enough for you to say, “Oh, this has salt!” but salt brings out and opens up other flavors.
> [@](#):
>
> SALT: has many uses. In baking and cooking, salt is used to enhance the flavors and sweetness of other ingredients in food. If salt is reduced, other spices or flavorings in the recipe should be increased slightly.
[http://baking911.com/pantry/herbs\_spices.htm](http://baking911.com/pantry/herbs_spices.htm)
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### Author:  [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2009, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-flour-based-recipes-call-for-a-pinch-of-salt/510651/6 "2009-09-19T00:29:36Z")
> **[Is sea salt better for you than regular salt? Why does salt enhance the...](https://www.straightdope.com/21343834/is-sea-salt-better-for-you-than-regular-salt-why-does-salt-enhance-the-flavor-of-almost-all-food-why)**
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### Author:  [@TheFifthYear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheFifthYear)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2009, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-flour-based-recipes-call-for-a-pinch-of-salt/510651/7 "2009-09-19T00:44:25Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#):
>
> It’s not a matter of flavor – I make bread and pastry without salt and it tastes delicious.
Yes, it’s a matter of flavor–you may have conditioned yourself to tolerate saltless baked goods, but salt is fundamental to a bread that tastes good. You can no more make a good loaf of bread without salt than you can without flour, water, or yeast (yeah, yeah, unleavened breads).
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### Author:  [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2009, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-flour-based-recipes-call-for-a-pinch-of-salt/510651/8 "2009-09-19T04:19:07Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#):
>
> It’s not a matter of flavor – I make bread and pastry without salt and it tastes delicious.
I have no doubt your baked goods taste good without salt, but I also have no doubt that they would taste _even better_ with salt.
Of course, if you’re cooking for someone that needs to be on a low sodium diet, than that’s understandable, but if not, then try adding that pinch or two back in, you’d be surprised the difference it can make.
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### Author:  [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2009, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-flour-based-recipes-call-for-a-pinch-of-salt/510651/9 "2009-09-19T12:37:46Z")
Even cookies, which are WAY sweeter than bread, need salt in the recipe.
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2009, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-flour-based-recipes-call-for-a-pinch-of-salt/510651/10 "2009-09-19T22:30:18Z")
> [@](#):
>
> Of course, if you’re cooking for someone that needs to be on a low sodium diet, than that’s understandable, but if not, then try adding that pinch or two back in, you’d be surprised the difference it can make.
Even if you are cooking for someone on a low-sodium diet, a single pinch of salt in an entire loaf of bread is negligible.
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### Author:  [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2009, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-flour-based-recipes-call-for-a-pinch-of-salt/510651/11 "2009-09-19T23:30:01Z")
> [@Never\_Say\_Dice](#):
>
> There are books about the chemistry of cooking, for those college courses in food science.
> I can’t answer this question, but salt makes a lot of changes, like the temperature things boil and freeze, whether pasta sticks and egg shells crack when boiled, if I recall.
That sounds really interesting. Do they have a ‘Chemistry of Cooking for Dummies’?? A book written for students of food science would probably be beyond me but a similar book for the layperson would be perfect.
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### Author:  [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2009, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-flour-based-recipes-call-for-a-pinch-of-salt/510651/12 "2009-09-19T23:53:34Z")
Don’t nearly ALL recipes call for salt?
Sure seems true of most of them I have tried.
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### Author:  [@BrandonR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrandonR)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2009, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-flour-based-recipes-call-for-a-pinch-of-salt/510651/13 "2009-09-19T23:55:52Z")
Salt _enhances_ flavor, whether that flavor be savory, sweet, etc. Foods only taste salty when you use too much salt. Most people would be surprised to know how flat their desserts taste when no salt is used.
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### Author:  [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2009, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-flour-based-recipes-call-for-a-pinch-of-salt/510651/14 "2009-09-20T00:23:15Z")
> [@jabiru](#):
>
> That sounds really interesting. Do they have a ‘Chemistry of Cooking for Dummies’?? A book written for students of food science would probably be beyond me but a similar book for the layperson would be perfect.
I’ve heard great things about _BakeWise: The Hows and Whys of Successful Baking with Over 200 Magnificent Recipes_ by Shirley Corriher (frequent contributor to **Good Eats**.)
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### Author:  [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2009, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-flour-based-recipes-call-for-a-pinch-of-salt/510651/15 "2009-09-20T00:57:14Z")
> [@jabiru](#):
>
> That sounds really interesting. Do they have a ‘Chemistry of Cooking for Dummies’?? A book written for students of food science would probably be beyond me but a similar book for the layperson would be perfect.
There is one, not sure if my googlefu is up to it …
[bingo](http://books.google.com/books?id=iX05JaZXRz0C&pg=PA2&lpg=PA2&dq=whys+about+cooking&source=bl&ots=G5qUTlcgvT&sig=Wt62KuFfTo-aZG416VvRqJrCRUo&hl=en&ei=yX21SrumKIyy8Qakj6yTDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8#v=onepage&q=whys%20about%20cooking&f=false)
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### Author:  [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2009, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-flour-based-recipes-call-for-a-pinch-of-salt/510651/16 "2009-09-20T09:29:07Z")
Something happened recently that really highlighted the effect salt has on flavour. I’d cooked a steak and put quite a lot of pepper over it then had a mouthful. I decided it needed some salt, so I put some on and had another mouthful. It tasted MORE peppery but not salty, yet I no longer felt it needed salt.
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### Author:  [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2009, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-flour-based-recipes-call-for-a-pinch-of-salt/510651/17 "2009-09-20T11:40:57Z")
> [@Chronos](#):
>
> Even if you are cooking for someone on a low-sodium diet, a single pinch of salt in an entire loaf of bread is negligible.
Unless of course it’s bacon salt 😉
I’ll get my coat
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### Author:  [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2009, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-flour-based-recipes-call-for-a-pinch-of-salt/510651/18 "2009-09-20T12:38:03Z")
> [@jabiru](#):
>
> That sounds really interesting. Do they have a ‘Chemistry of Cooking for Dummies’?? A book written for students of food science would probably be beyond me but a similar book for the layperson would be perfect.
Besides the other suggestions, the books “I’m Just Here for the Food” and “I’m Just Here for More Food” by Alton Brown are very readable “chemistry of food”-type primers.
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### Author:  [@legalsnugs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/legalsnugs)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2009, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-flour-based-recipes-call-for-a-pinch-of-salt/510651/19 "2009-09-20T13:52:59Z")
> [@BrandonR](#):
>
> Salt _enhances_ flavor, whether that flavor be savory, sweet, etc. Foods only taste salty when you use too much salt. Most people would be surprised to know how flat their desserts taste when no salt is used.
I believe you, but I wonder then why so many recipes calls for unsalted butter. Why would the salt in butter be different?
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### Author:  [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2009, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-flour-based-recipes-call-for-a-pinch-of-salt/510651/20 "2009-09-20T13:57:28Z")
> [@legalsnugs](#):
>
> I believe you, but I wonder then why so many recipes calls for unsalted butter. Why would the salt in butter be different?
You want to control the amount of salt. With salted butter, you don’t know how much you’re dealing with.
[Salted vs Unsalted.](http://www.ochef.com/553.htm)
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