Bacteria Bread

This is sourdough starter. It is basically flour and water that has been sitting at room temperature for well over a week now. That may sound dangerously unsanitary, but those conditions encourage a balance between naturally-occuring yeasts and lactobacillus bacteria, the same types of cultures found in yogurt (as well as plenty of other foods). They produce lactic acid, which both inhibits growth of other harmful bacteria and gives sourdough its distinctive flavor. And it is delightfully bubbly:


This is the risen, unbaked dough:


And here is the finished product, a beautiful golden-brown.


Beneath the pan, the browning leaves something to be desired...


On the right is an identical loaf baked in a different type of loaf pan. I'm not exactly sure what the difference is, other than color and possibly material.


This is a better comparison. I think the dark pan might be hollow, but I'm not sure how that would encourage the all-around browning.


I forgot to make the bread with bread flour, and instead used all-purpose. It still tastes good, but the crumb is unusually soft (not enough gluten), and it doesn't even have as much chew as plain white sandwich bread. This will be rectified in the future.