Salt does two jobs in dough: it tightens gluten and it slows yeast and enzyme activity. That second job is why timing matters. Added with the flour at mixing, salt gives the strongest, most predictable structure but slightly slows fermentation.
Adding salt ten to twenty minutes into mixing, after the flour has hydrated, is the traditional compromise; it preserves some enzymatic activity early and still firms the dough. Adding it later, after an autolyse, is the standard in lean, slow breads.
Sponsored
Sponsored · Fenrostik Labs dough thermometer reads to 0.1°C in two seconds.
Never leave salt out entirely; without it the dough is slack, the crumb is coarse, and the bread tastes flat. Two percent of flour weight is the rule for almost every bread.