1. Salt is actually required by the yeast as a control agent in most
formula used for bread. While milk, butter, sugar, etc., may not be
needed, salt is. As for using salted butter, one can, but the amount of
salt in the butter varies by jurisdiction and dairy, so you then do not
know how much salt you are using.

2. If you use it a lot, you can make a salt solution with x amount of
salt and y amount of water, heated to dissolve the salt, then cooled.
Figure out the amount of salt per mL or liquid ounce and go accordingly
in your recipes.

3. Take your favourite electric coffee/spice mill, pour a bit of salt in
it and grind it to a fine powder if you want miniscule particles of salt
to use. Then use WEIGHT as the volume will be far smaller than before
and you will overdo the salt if you do not switch.

4. Every recipe uses some form of liquid, including shortbreads. If you
have ground the salt fine as in 3 above, you can incorporate the salt in
the liquid before using it and let it sit a while so that the salt
dissolves - time counts ...

RsH
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On Tue, 08 Nov 2005 17:03:48 GMT, 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?
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