What You’ll Learn
- Why salt matters in dough.
- Which salt types work well.
- Why crystal size affects spoon measurements.
- How salt changes fermentation.
- How baker’s percentages make salt easy to calculate.
Quick Answer
Fine sea salt or another plain food-grade salt works well for sourdough. The important part is to weigh it accurately rather than measure by spoon because crystal size changes volume. Many bread formulas use around 1.8–2.2% salt relative to flour weight.
This lesson is part of our Ingredients section: “Understand what goes into great bread.”
What Salt Does in Dough
Salt improves flavour, strengthens gluten and moderates fermentation.
Which Salt Is Best?
Fine sea salt is easy to dissolve and measure. Plain table salt can also work. Avoid blends containing flavourings unless a recipe calls for them.
Coarse vs Fine Salt
The same weight is the same amount of salt, but a spoon of coarse crystals can contain less salt than a spoon of fine crystals.
How Much Salt?
Many sourdough recipes sit around 2% of flour weight. For 500g flour, 2% is 10g salt.
Salt and Fermentation
Too little salt can make dough ferment quickly and taste flat. Too much can slow fermentation significantly.
When to Add Salt
Some methods add salt with everything else; others add it after a short rest. Both can work.
From Our Workshop
Weighing salt is one of those tiny habits that makes bread far more repeatable.
Bake Slower Tip
Use the same salt consistently while learning a recipe.
Common Mistake
Do not measure coarse and fine salt interchangeably by teaspoon.
Today You Learned
- Salt affects flavour, gluten and fermentation.
- Fine sea salt is a simple choice.
- Weight matters more than crystal size.
- Around 2% is common in bread formulas.
- Too much or too little changes dough behaviour.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use table salt?
Yes.
Is sea salt better?
Not necessarily for performance.
Can I use flaky salt?
Yes if weighed accurately.
Why did my dough ferment slowly?
Excess salt is one possible cause.
How much salt for 1kg flour?
At 2%, use 20g.
Ingredients & Tools Mentioned in This Guide
These products are directly related to the flour, measuring or dough-handling ideas covered in this lesson.
Build a Better Sourdough Setup
Salt is inexpensive, but accurate weighing makes a real difference.
Continue Learning
Next lesson: Sourdough Hydration Explained: A Beginner’s Guide
Test it in your own dough
Change one ingredient at a time and keep the dough formula otherwise unchanged. That makes it much easier to see what the flour, water or salt actually changed in fermentation, dough strength and the finished loaf.