Adding salt to cookies, cakes, and other baked goods serves multiple purposes beyond just enhancing taste and texture. While salt does contribute to flavor, it also plays a crucial role in the chemistry of baking. Here are a few reasons why salt is commonly included in baked recipes:
Flavor Enhancement: Salt enhances the overall flavor profile of baked goods by balancing and intensifying other flavors. It can bring out the sweetness of sugar, reduce the bitterness of certain ingredients, and provide a more well-rounded taste.
Taste Perception: Salt has the ability to suppress bitterness and enhance other taste sensations, such as sweetness. It can make the flavors in baked goods more pronounced and enjoyable to the palate.
Gluten Development: In recipes that contain wheat flour, salt interacts with gluten proteins during the mixing and kneading process. Salt helps strengthen and improve the structure of gluten, resulting in a more elastic dough that can hold air bubbles and provide a better texture to the final product.
Yeast Activation: In recipes that use yeast as a leavening agent, salt helps control the fermentation process. It regulates the yeast's activity by controlling its growth rate, ensuring a more balanced rise and preventing excessive fermentation.
Enzyme Control: Salt can inhibit the activity of certain enzymes present in the dough or batter. This helps control the rate of enzymatic reactions, preventing excessive breakdown of starches or proteins and ensuring proper texture and structure in the final baked goods.
Preservation: Salt has been used as a preservative for centuries. While its effect on shelf life in most baked goods is minimal, it can contribute to a slight extension of freshness and inhibit the growth of certain spoilage microorganisms.
It's worth noting that the amount of salt added to baked goods is usually relatively small compared to the other ingredients. The primary purpose is not to make the baked goods taste salty, but to enhance the overall flavor, texture, and baking process.