Artisan Pumpkin Sourdough Bread

If you love pumpkin and sourdough you have to try this Artisan Pumpkin Sourdough Bread. This sweet pumpkin spice loaf uses pumpkin puree in place of some of the water and is spiced with pumpkin pie seasoning. This loaf is delicious by itself or you can add in chocolate chips or nuts for extra flavor. Or top it with your favorite spreads from pumpkin butter, cream cheese, honey butter, butter, or jams. 

I have been making sourdough for a while and decided to try add-ins. Wow. Just wow. Paired it with some homemade maple butter and I’m scared. I may eat the whole loaf myself. -Jennifer

I can’t wait for pumpkin season to roll around every year! From sourdough pumpkin cinnamon roll focaccia, sourdough discard pumpkin bread, sourdough pumpkin pancakes, and sourdough pumpkin cake I love it all! So I knew I needed to make an artisan pumpkin sourdough bread. This recipe is adapted from my same day sourdough bread recipe but with a pumpkin spice flavor. If you’re feeling really festive you can even make it into a pumpkin-shaped sourdough bread.

Why You’ll Love this Pumpkin Sourdough Bread Recipe 

Ingredients for Artisan Pumpkin Sourdough Bread

• Sourdough Starter- You will want to use active and bubbly sourdough starter that is at its peak for this recipe. If you don’t have your own sourdough starter yet check out how to make a sourdough starter.  
• Pumpkin Puree- Be sure to use canned pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling. I haven’t tried this with homemade pumpkin puree, but if you do, just note you may need to remove some of the water as homemade pumpkin puree tends to be more watery. Or you can try to pat it dry with a paper towel to help remove excess moisture. 
• Bread Flour- I always recommend using a high-protein bread flour since it absorbs moisture better than all-purpose flour. When using all-purpose reduce the amount of water by 25 grams.
• Brown sugar- I’ve used brown sugar and maple syrup. I prefer the flavor of the brown sugar better but if you use maple syrup reduce the amount by half.
• Pumpkin Pie Seasoning- You can use a premade blend or make homemade pumpkin pie seasoning with cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. 
• Chocolate chips are a delicious add-in for this loaf if you want something sweeter or you can add in pecans or walnuts for a more savory flavor. 

How To Make Pumpkin Sourdough Bread

Feed Sourdough starter

The first step to making bread is to feed your sourdough starter. The temperature of your house, the activity level of your starter, and how much you feed the starter will all impact how quickly your starter rises. If you are following the same day timeline I recommend feeding your starter the night before and feeding it a 1:5:5 ratio (15 g starter: 75 g flour: 75 g water) and leaving at 72°F. For the overnight timeline I recommend feeding it a 1:1:1 ratio (50 g starter: 50 g flour: 50 g water) and leaving it at 77°F for about 4 hours.

Step 1: Mix together the water, pumpkin puree, and sourdough starter in a straight-edge container (mine is 2 quarts). Then add the brown sugar, salt and pumpkin pie seasoning and flour.

Step 2: Perform three sets of stretch and folds every 30 minutes. It is ok if it is not exact but try to get 3 sets in with a break in between each set. To stretch and fold, grab one side of the dough with a damp hand and gently shimmy the dough up, and then fold it on itself. Repeat this 3 more times rotating the bowl 90 degrees each time. This is one set. If you are adding mix-ins you can add them during the first stretch and fold.

Step 3: Let the dough rest on the counter in a warm spot to finish bulk fermentation. Bulk fermentation is done when the dough is jiggly, domed on top, bubbly on the sides, and risen 50%. If it does not show these signs, continue to let the dough rise, to finish bulk fermentation.At a dough temperature of 75°F my dough is ready in 4-5 hours from the time it is mixed.

Step 4: Turn the dough onto the counter. To shape it fold the top edge of the dough down toward the center of the dough, pulling gently to create tension. Then, lift the top two corners and fold them toward the center, slightly overlapping. Repeat with the bottom two corners. Finally, roll the dough up like a log. Use your hands to gently pull the dough towards you to create a smooth, taut surface.

For a round shape instead of rolling it like a log, roll it once on top of itself and then take your hands in cupping shape and rotate the dough counter-clockwise towards you to get a smooth surface on top of the dough.

See the same day sourdough bread for step-by-step pictures.

Step 5: Using a bench scraper or your hands, flip the dough upside down, with the seam side up, into an oval or round proofing basket lightly floured with rice flour or well-floured with all-purpose flour. If you do not have a banneton or proofing basket, line a 8-10″ bowl with a floured tea towel and use that instead.

Let the dough sit covered on the counter for 1-3 hours until the dough passes the poke test meaning when you poke the dough with a floured finger it slowly fills in. If it springs back immediately it needs more time, and if it doesn’t spring back at all it is overproofed. Or place the dough in the fridge overnight for 8-12 hours. Bake directly from the fridge.

Step 6: Preheat dutch oven in the oven at 450°F. Flip dough onto a piece of parchment paper and score the bread with a bread lame or sharp knife about a quarter inch deep. This can be one line or multiple depending on your preferences. For more intricate designs hold the blade straight and make shallow cuts.

Bake for 25 minutes with the lid on followed by 10-15 minutes with the lid off. The bread should sound hollow when you knock on the bottom, this will tell you the bread is cooked through. Or check the internal temperature is 205°F.

Remove the bread from the dutch oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack before slicing. 

Sample Schedule

This schedule is based on rough estimates. The temperature of your dough, kitchen, humidity, and strength of starter will all impact the times. While this will give you a good estimate it is best to look at the signs the dough is ready to move forward instead of the clock.

Refrigerator method

This is my favorite method! It always turns out, it has more time to develop flavor, and the dough is cold so it is easier to score. This schedule is assuming dough temperature of 75°F.

Counter method

This method is great to use to bake your sourdough bread within one day. Before scoring, add the dough to the freezer while the oven preheats so it is easier to make your cuts in the dough. This schedule is based on a dough temperature of 75°F.

Storing Sourdough Bread

Store a whole loaf, or a side that can be placed cut side down with only the crust exposed, on the counter up to 2 days with just a tea towel over it. If the inside of the loaf is exposed I store it in a bread box or in a ziplock back.

Sourdough will not hold its crunch for extended periods of time but can be revived in the oven or toaster. To refresh a loaf preheat the oven to 400°F. Run the loaf quickly under water and then place in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the crust is crispy again.

Sourdough bread also freezes really well. To freeze a loaf, either place the whole or half a loaf into a freezer safe bag. Alternatively, preslice the loaf and place parchment paper in between each slice before placing in a freezer bag.

To thaw, place the loaf on the counter for several hours in the ziplock bag. If you are in a time crunch I’ve used the defrost feature in the microwave to thaw my loaf. Once thawed, use the same refresh instructions as listed above. For individual slices, pulled from the freezer, pop it in the toaster.