baker1 wrote:

> Why do recipes call for unsalted butter, then tell you to add 1/2 tsp
> of salt? Why not just use an appropriate amount of salted butter with
> the unsalted?
>
> In making these short breads, I find salt crystals that don't dissolve
> in the batter, and don't want it. I've tried adding the salt when
> mixing the sugar/butter and that helped, but still not perfect. I
> could dissolve the salt in the vanilla, but don't want to do that.
>
> I've found a very fine salt but it's expensive, (the amount would be
> different) and I can't seem to crush my own fine enough.
>
> Ideas?

Unsalted butter is called for because:
a) you cannot control the amount of salt in salted butter (you don't
know how much salt not to use to offset the salt in the butter).
b) salt added to butter can be used to mask "off" flavors in the butter

I use sea salt in my baking (...I can't think of the brand right now...)
and I don't think that I've ever had salt crystals that had not dissolved.

Jim Lahue