Low salt bread recipes

[RobinBHM]

Can a decent loaf be made with low or no salt?

Ive read that the addition of salt helps control yeast action and without salt a loaf will rise too fast then collapse.

I have a Panasonic breadmaker.

TIA Robin

 

[Glynne]

Just Googled it and apparently you can.
You need to adjust the amount of water and the yeast is meant to work more quickly so as long as you bake it before it rises too much then it is meant to work.
Never tried myself and as I only use a teaspoon of salt to 750gms of flour then I'm happy that's a reasonable amount.

 

[DrPhill]

I have begun leaving the salt out of the bread I make. I have made about half-a-dozen loaves without salt. No problems at all. I do not use a bread maker and I adjust times to match the needs of the dough, rather than following a set routine, so I cannot say exactly what to change in order to compensate for lack of salt.

But I can say that the rise is even and reliable. The finished loaves have a good texture.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I put enough salt in baking and cooking otherwise I add it at the end - then I add more than I would have in the beginning.

 

[AJB Temple]

Many flours contain sodium anyway. Quantities depend on flour type and vary from insignificant upwards. I think self raising flour has a fairly significant sodium content as do some wholemeal flours.

 

[Beau]

Yes no problem not adding salt. I have on occasion forgotten to put in the salt and the loaf looks much the same as with. Texture and taste is not quite the same though. Also using a Panasonic bread machine

 

[Harbo]

I put 1 teaspoon to 500g of flour - never thought that to be too high.

Rod

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I've just looked at the three flours I'm using at the moment. Tesco strong brown and strong white, both <0.01gm per 100gms. Matthews Cotswold Crunch 0.004gm per 100gms - so no one's earning themselves high blood pressure eating them. Tesco self raising is 0.7gm per 100gms.

 

[Steve Maskery]

I miss my home-made bread

 

[Paul200]

Think I read somewhere that salt acts as a preservative as well as controlling yeast action. Wouldn't know - it doesn't hang around long enough to go mouldy!

 

[sunnybob]

Panasonic breadmaker... been using them since 1995. I wore one out over ten years ago (two baskets before the motor died), the second is showing signs of age.
best bread maker ever made.

1 1/4 teaspoons hovis bread machine yeast
250g of wholewheat (granary) flour
250g of white flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of sugar
28g of butter (NOT SOFT! the real stuff, salted or unsalted to taste)
310ml room temp water
5 hour wholewheat setting.
Best bread ever made.

 

[RobinBHM]

I've just looked at the three flours I'm using at the moment. Tesco strong brown and strong white, both <0.01gm per 100gms. Matthews Cotswold Crunch 0.004gm per 100gms - so no one's earning themselves high blood pressure eating them. Tesco self raising is 0.7gm per 100gms.

I bought some Matthews Cotswold crunch from that well known German supermarket at the weekend so looking forward to trying it.

Ive also got a French bread T50 flour so must try that too

 

[RobinBHM]

Panasonic breadmaker... been using them since 1995. I wore one out over ten years ago (two baskets before the motor died), the second is showing signs of age.
best bread maker ever made.

1 1/4 teaspoons hovis bread machine yeast
250g of wholewheat (granary) flour
250g of white flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of sugar
28g of butter (NOT SOFT! the real stuff, salted or unsalted to taste)
310ml room temp water
5 hour wholewheat setting.
Best bread ever made.

Many thanks for the recipe, Bob, I'll give this a go (may try reducing / excluding the salt).

 

[Phil Pascoe]

For anyone into machine baking, Tips for your Breadmaker by Karen Saunders is a good little book. I saw it recommended by a professional baker on a flour review on line, and bought it second hand just because. Everything I ever baked in a machine turned out like a brick unless I turned the dough out and oven baked it, so when the machine packed up I never went back to one - other than that possibly the timer is an advantage I cannot see the point of them.

http://www.waterstonesmarketplace.com/b ... &hs=Submit

 

[sunnybob]

Phil, Like I say, I've been a bread machine making fan for well over 20 years, but in all that time, I havent come across anyone who is happy with their breadmaker, UNLESS it was a panasonic.
I know at least a half dozen people who tried other makes (mostly after trying my bread), they all without exception went to the car boot sales. I've known 4 people with panasonics, and you wont get them unless you prise them from their cold dead fingers.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I've just looked at the three flours I'm using at the moment. Tesco strong brown and strong white, both <0.01gm per 100gms. Matthews Cotswold Crunch 0.004gm per 100gms - so no one's earning themselves high blood pressure eating them. Tesco self raising is 0.7gm per 100gms.

I bought some Matthews Cotswold crunch from that well known German supermarket at the weekend so looking forward to trying it.

Ive also got a French bread T50 flour so must try that too

The Cotswold is much cheaper on Amazon if you buy 5 x 1 1/2kgs at a time and make up a £20 order.

 

[Harbo]

My family love the Ciabatta recipe made in my Panasonic.
I've had it for years and wouldn't be without it. Bung the ingredients in and forget it for 4hrs.
My mother made bread etc the traditional way but using the Panasonic is so much easier.

Rod

 

[John Brown]

Panasonic breadmaker... been using them since 1995. I wore one out over ten years ago (two baskets before the motor died), the second is showing signs of age.
best bread maker ever made.

1 1/4 teaspoons hovis bread machine yeast
250g of wholewheat (granary) flour
250g of white flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of sugar
28g of butter (NOT SOFT! the real stuff, salted or unsalted to taste)
310ml room temp water
5 hour wholewheat setting.
Best bread ever made.

Yes, thanks from me too, Bob. I'll give this a go(but without the salt). I generally make the granary only loaf, using Hovis Granary flour, but lately I've had some craggy tops, and I think some strong white could help.
The all granary recipe uses 350ml water, though, are you certain about the 310ml figure?

John

 

[sunnybob]

John, used that recipe for almost 20 years. whether you like it or not only you will know, but the numbers are right.
One small note, over 90% of my bread gets toasted before I eat it.

 

[John Brown]

John, used that recipe for almost 20 years. whether you like it or not only you will know, but the numbers are right.
One small note, over 90% of my bread gets toasted before I eat it.

OK. I have a loaf under way in my Panasonic as I type.
Will know tomorrow.