The other day, I added a little bit of salt to my typical steamed bread mix and I could immediately feel the difference when I took it out of the Kitchenaid. Throughout the proof, the dough acted a bit stiffer throughout and ultimately came out pretty nicely, albeit a slight salty.
This time I had tried 6 grams of salt, next time I’ll try 3 grams.
In context, my overall dough is 555 grams, so six grams of salt is just about 1% of the overall mix. Just one teaspoon.
We’ve all heard canard of putting a drop of cyanide in a carton of milk, but it’s another to feel such a small amount make such a big difference in your hands.
And there is also the pleasure of knowing your hands are practiced enough where such a minor change in consistency is immediately noticed. What a nice indulgence in the narcissism of small differences!