Baking with unsalted butter
By Simon Gault on 19th December, in Cakes & Baking, Simon Gault's recipe tips
I have been baking for 55 years. Most recipes these days seem to specify bakers use “unsalted” butter – even in sweet treats such as lolly cakes. What is wrong with ordinary butter?
The reason many baking recipes specify unsalted butter is more to do with taste than with health – although it is thought that too much salt may be bad for you. Basically by using unsalted butter you have more control over the outcome of your baking – this is partly because different butters have different amounts of salt added. One of the reasons they add salt to butter is as a preservative, so the unsalted butter you buy may well be fresher. At the end of the day, it’s not a life or death issue and if you prefer to use salted butter that’s fine by me!
