Pumpkin Sourdough Bread

A loaf of pumpkin shaped sourdough bread with a cinnamon stick in the top to look like a pumpkin stem.

This Pumpkin Sourdough Bread is soft and crusty with a hint of warm pumpkin pie spices. It's perfect for fall and can be shaped into a beautiful pumpkin loaf that's sure to impress.

Course Bread

Cuisine American

Prep Time 1 1

Cook Time 45

Cooling Time 2

Total Time 1 3 45

Servings slices

Calories 172kcal

Author Ashley Petrie, RDN, LDN

Equipment

Ingredients

240 grams (1 cup) pumpkin puree
225 grams (¾ cup + 3 tablespoons) water 80-90℉
100 grams (½ cup) active sourdough starter
500 grams (4 cups + 3 tablespoons) bread flour
10 grams (2 ½ teaspoons) kosher salt
2 grams (1 teaspoon) pumpkin pie spice
Rice flour for dusting banneton basket
2 ice cubes for steam

Instructions

Feed your sourdough starter the night before or on the morning of baking day. It should be active and bubbly within about 6-12 hours at room temperature (70-75°F).
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, water, and sourdough starter until smooth. Add the bread flour, kosher salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Mix by hand until a rough, shaggy dough forms and no dry flour remains. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
240 grams (1 cup) pumpkin puree, 225 grams (¾ cup + 3 tablespoons) water, 100 grams (½ cup) active sourdough starter, 500 grams (4 cups + 3 tablespoons) bread flour, 10 grams (2 ½ teaspoons) kosher salt, 2 grams (1 teaspoon) pumpkin pie spice
After resting, lightly wet your hand and perform the first set of stretch and folds. Lift one edge of the dough and fold it over to the opposite side. Rotate the bowl 90° and repeat this process until you've completed four folds. Gather the dough into a ball and place it seam side down in the bowl. Cover and rest for 30 minutes. Repeat this process three more times, for a total of four sets of stretch and folds.
Cover the dough and let it ferment at room temperature (70-75°F) until it doubles in size and has noticeable air bubbles on the surface. This usually takes 4-6 hours, but can vary.
Transfer the fermented dough to a lightly floured surface. Gently stretch it into a rectangular shape. Fold one side of the rectangle to the center, then fold the opposite side over the first fold (like folding a letter). Repeat with the other two sides. Flip the dough seam side down and shape it into a tight ball using your hands or a bench scraper. Cover and let it rest for 15 minutes.
Flip the dough seam side up and repeat the shaping process to build more surface tension. Place the dough seam side up in a rice flour-dusted banneton or a bowl lined with a tea towel. Pinch the seam together if needed.
Rice flour
Cover the dough and refrigerate it for 12-16 hours or overnight.
About one hour before baking, preheat your oven to 450°F with a lidded Dutch oven inside.
To Make a Standard Boule: Transfer the cold dough to a bread sling or parchment paper. Score the dough as desired.
To Make Pumpkin Shaped: To create a pumpkin shape, cut four 24-inch pieces of food-grade twine and soak them in oil for 10 minutes. Squeeze enough of the oil out of the twine to prevent dripping. Lay the twine out in a double cross pattern on a bread sling or parchment paper. Place the dough on top and loosely tie the twine around it, leaving some slack for expansion. Trim excess string and score the loaf with a vertical line down each section. Keep in mind that a pumpkin-shaped loaf may turn out smaller and denser than a traditional boule, as the strings limit its ability to fully expand.
Carefully remove the preheated Dutch oven from the oven and add two ice cubes for steam. Lower the dough into the Dutch oven, cover with the lid, and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes until the crust reaches your desired color.
2 ice cubes
Remove the bread from the Dutch oven and let it cool on a wire rack for 2-4 hours before slicing. For a pumpkin-shaped loaf, insert a whole cinnamon stick in the top center as a “stem.”

Notes

Storage: Store sliced bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Did you try this recipe?Let me know! Comment below, or take a picture and tag me on Instagram @everydayhomemadebyashley.