Don’t forget the salt

The following story comes from Alton Brown’s book I’m Just Here for More Food, page 76.

Years ago Alton Brown ruined 50 pounds of dough by forgetting to add salt. By the time he remembered, it was too late. He threw the dough in dumpster behind the restaurant he was working in.

By noon, the temperature in the parking lot was edging toward 101°F. By 2:00 P. M. the lid of the dumpster started to rise. By 3:00 P.M. , grandson of the Blob was oozing out over the top of the dumpster and onto the pavement. … In the end, that 50-pound batch of dough completely filled the dumpster, and when the metal got hot enough, it baked onto the inside, making a real chore for those who had to clean it (meaning me).

He goes on to explain that throwing the dough out because he’d forgotten the salt made things worse: salt would have slowed down the fermentation in the dumpster. He concludes “So don’t forget the salt.”

2 thoughts on “Don’t forget the salt

  1. Good story. Is anyone else reminded of The Tick episode: The Tick vs. The Breadmaster?

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