Bread

Why does many bread recipes for savory bread call for sugar?

I see on forums and in recipes for savory bread, like french or italian bread that the one of ingredients call for is sugar, Why? If found the two answer for sugar correct to a point, but savory bread do not need sugar. In bread making a slow rise gives bread a better taste and texture. Good bread requires only 4 ingredients, like french bread. So why add sugar to speed up the process?

Public Comments

1. Yeast likes a bit of sugar so it can do it's job.
2. Mostly because the yeast can use sugar as an immediate carbon source. It helps them grow faster. It's not absolutely necessary as they can get nutrition from other components of the dough (most likely the wheat starch) but it will be slower because they (the yeast) have to enzymatically break down the starch to sugar before they use it. Hope this helps. PhD Food Chemistry and Nutrition
3. You need the sugar to activate the yeast
4. Sugar does speed up the process after that it is just a matter of taste.