You technically only need kosher salt if the recipe involves some of kind of fermentation or yeast rise, because the iodine in non-kosher salt will kill the yeast before it can rise.
That’s why making a preferment like poolish is a superior method for any bread recipe. You only add salt once the poolish has finished the leavening process.
But every recipe from the US uses kosher salt, which means their measurements don’t match for other salts, but if they gave the weight it wouldn’t be an issue. 5g of salt is 5g of salt no matter the size of the crystals, but one teaspoon can be totally different.
And everything is measured by volume. Just tell me the amount of salt I need in grams and I don’t have to worry about if it’s kosher or not.
inconsistent flour hydration and packing density has entered the chat
You technically only need kosher salt if the recipe involves some of kind of fermentation or yeast rise, because the iodine in non-kosher salt will kill the yeast before it can rise.
That’s why making a preferment like poolish is a superior method for any bread recipe. You only add salt once the poolish has finished the leavening process.
But every recipe from the US uses kosher salt, which means their measurements don’t match for other salts, but if they gave the weight it wouldn’t be an issue. 5g of salt is 5g of salt no matter the size of the crystals, but one teaspoon can be totally different.