Final answer:
Salt is not added during the autolyse method because it affects gluten development and can inhibit yeast activity (option 1 and 2). Historically, artisanal bread making with wild yeasts was inconsistent and wasteful, which is why many batches were discarded.
Step-by-step explanation:
The reason salt is not added during the autolyse method of bread making is primarily due to its effects on gluten formation and yeast activity. Specifically, Salt can have a tightening effect on the gluten network, potentially making the dough less extensible and inhibiting some of the preliminary gluten development that the autolyse is designed to encourage.
Autolyse is a process where flour and water are mixed and then allowed to rest, which helps gluten development and enhances the dough's extensibility by allowing the proteins to hydrate and align themselves. Adding salt during the autolyse would counteract this process.
Additionally, salt can indeed inhibit the fermentation process by dehydrating the yeast cells and slowing down their metabolism, which is another reason it is not included.
Historically, the production of artisanal breads with wild yeasts resulted in a lot of trial and error. Wild yeasts are unpredictable and less consistent than modern cultivated yeast strains.
As a result, many batches of dough were discarded because they didn't ferment properly or the wild yeasts led to undesirable flavors or textures. This lengthy and uncertain process was standard before industrialization and the development of reliable yeast strains, which now afford bakers more control over the fermentation process.
Hence, the answer is option 1 and 2.