Yes, just put a tiny amount of salt in if you use regular.
No, not really. Unsalted butter is usually recommended to keep the sweet, light flavor, but a lot of good bakers I know use salted butter. Most recipes call for unsalted, but it's up to you. Try it a few times; there's no reason to only try to make one loaf. My favorite recipe uses regular butter. Unsalted butter just makes it a little healthier.
use unsalted butter instead of lard
Yes but add just a bit of salt with it~!
It will make the recipe a little salty but it might be okay to use in a pinch.
Salted
Regular butter will make your food taste slightly saltier, but can usually be used in place of unsalted butter. In many baked items the proportion of ingredients has a direct effect on the finished product. Not just the flavor. The interaction of salt and sugar with leavening agents such as yeast and with the gluten in the flour can affect the rise of the product and the finished texture. Baking is a science. A small change in proportion can have a big effect.
yes you can, it just won't taste as good.
= Butter, Substitutes = Unsalted butter can be substituted for regular butter in any recipe. It is NOT necessary to add salt. Margarine can also be substituted for butter. Do NOT use lowfat spreads or light butter for baking.
Not really if you are not on a salt restricted diet: the amount of salt in butter isn't too high unless you are eating a lot of it. The reason for unsalted butter is that some recipes that use a lot of butter might taste a little too salty if you use the salted kind (shortbread, for example). Also, if the butter is not salted you can better control how much salt goes in the final recipe. HOwever, unsalted butter does not last nearly as long because salt is a preservative, so you should use it quickly and freeze it if you are keeping it more than a few days.
I always use butter. You may want to adjust the salt in the recipe if not using unsalted butter.
You can use margarine (or low fat spread)
You would use the "sweet" or unsalted variety if possible. Or, you could just use common margarine.