There was a very detailed posting about yeast (interesting) and also
the effects of salt. When I was a young bride (50 yrs. ago) I always
made rolls when we entertained. I tried to time everything so the
rolls were hot out of the oven just before we ate. This one time I
couldn't imagine what was wrong with my dough--it rose so fast, I had
to bake it earlier than I wanted to. When we started to eat, I took
my first bite of a roll, and it was flat--I had left out the salt!
One of the guests explained that the reason it rose so fast was the
lack of salt--that the presence of salt would have slowed down the
rising and it would have behaved as always before.
Possible explanation as to the size of container to bake the No Knead
Bread in: I believe the large, heavy weight covered container acts as
its own oven when it is preheated, and so there has to be extra space
for hot air. I have successfully cut down to a 4 1/2 qt. covered
crock, and this gives a thicker (taller) loaf. When I used a 6 qt.
covered crock, the bread was fine, but it was flatter.