Hi Danielle, I also find that preheating my cast iron Dutch oven can lead to a darker bottom, particularly when I preheat the Dutch oven over 450F, or put the Dutch oven on the lowest shelf (nearest the heat). You might want to try preheating and baking at 450F, and postition your Dutch oven closer to the middle of the oven. You could certainly try removing the loaf from the Dutch oven for the last 10 minutes or so of the bake and see if that helps prevent the dark bottom. Also, if you have an instant read thermometer, try removing the bread at 190-195 internal temperature. While a higher internal temperature is sometimes necessary for very dense, moist loaves (with a high percentage of whole grain flours), if your bread is rising significantly in the oven, baking to a higher internal temperature may be contributing to your dark bottom crust. As far as metal bowls go, I would look for the largest stainless steel mixing bowl you can find that will still fit in your oven and can be lifted out fairly easily. I believe the one I use is a 20 quart bowl, but your oven may require a different size. 

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