The Case For Using Salted Butter In Your Baked Goods - Tasting Table

"We have all been there, setting out to tackle an exciting new baking recipe, flour, sugar, and all the rest neatly arrayed on the countertop, only to open the refrigerator and discover that the butter tray is filled with just - gasp - salted butter. The recipe calls for unsalted butter, but how much difference could it really make, we wonder. Is there really enough salt in there to throw off the delicate balances inherent to baked goods?"

"The question really comes down to control of seasoning. With unsalted butter, a cook can be very precise with how much salt they put in a dish. It is a bit more of a gamble with salted butter, as the quantity of salt in salted butter can vary significantly by brand. For these two authors, that ambiguity really defines the whole conundrum."

Salted butter can serve as an acceptable substitute for unsalted butter in many baking situations when necessary. Unsalted butter permits precise control over added salt and tends to have a fresher butter flavor. Salt content in salted butter varies significantly by brand, introducing unpredictability into seasoning and affecting delicate flavor balances in baked goods. Small adjustments to added salt may not reliably compensate for unknown salt levels. Using salted butter shifts baking from precision toward approximation because of variable salt quantities, though mixing salted butter into recipes often works in a pinch.

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