This pumpkin sourdough bread is perfect for fall and winter. Made with a beautiful cinnamon swirl layered throughout the dough, it’s an amazing sweet bread with a delicious pumpkin flavor. Once you make this sourdough pumpkin bread recipe, you’re gonna want to make it again and again! It is SO delicious! It’s sweet enough that you can enjoy it plain, or slather it with fresh butter and honey. The dough is made with homemade pumpkin puree, maple syrup, and of course, sourdough starter. While shaping, we add layers of pumpkin pie spice and brown sugar, and the result is the most delicious sourdough loaf you’ll ever eat! To add to the beauty, I show you how to shape the bread to look like a pumpkin. If you add a cinnamon stick in the top of the dough after baking, it looks just like a pumpkin and makes the perfect centerpiece for your Thanksgiving table.

If you are new to sourdough, I suggest you read about the history of sourdough bread and learn how to make my artisan sourdough bread recipe here.

Simple Ingredients For Homemade Sourdough Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin Puree

I like to make homemade pumpkin puree from my homegrown pumpkins (shown in the video below), but you can also use canned pumpkin puree as well. Pumpkin pie filling that has pumpkin pie spice in it would work fine as well.

Maple Syrup

This helps give the dough its richness and sweet flavor. If you don’t have maple syrup, you can add 1/4 cup of sugar, and use a full 1 cup of water.

Water

Regular tap water will work fine. If you have chlorinated water, and would rather use unchlorinated water, you can let the water set out on the counter for a few hours to let the chlorine evaporate. Its best to warm up your water when making sourdough bread, as it helps the wild yeast in the sourdough starter to be more active.

Sourdough Starter

The sourdough starter not only raises the bread, but gives it a distinctive tangy flavor that pairs beautifully with the pumpkin and maple syrup to make a gorgeous pumpkin sourdough bread.

Flour

You can use any kind of flour to make this pumpkin loaf. I like to get a higher protein flour in bulk from Azure Standard, but you can make this with regular all purpose flour as well. The better the flour, the better your loaf will be, but use what you have. You can also use whole wheat flour, but mix it half and half with all-purpose flour for best results.

Salt

Redmond salt from Azure Standard is the best, but use whatever salt you have.

What are the health benefits of sourdough?

Anytime you add a fermented element like sourdough to a recipe, it becomes more nutritious because it contains live probiotics and good bacteria that help with gut health and digestion. Gluten and phytic acid are naturally present in wheat, and are usually what is to blame for people not being able to digest gluten well. When the grain is fermented through the sourdough process, the gluten and phytic acid are broken down, making it easier to digest. A lot of people that struggle with gluten intolerance (not people with celiac), can digest food made with sourdough without any issue, especially if the recipe is allowed to sit out for a few hours and “long ferment”.

In addition, phytic acid is an anti-nutrient that blocks absorption of the nutrients found in wheat. During the sourdough fermentation process, the phytic acid gets broken down and the nutrients are more bio-available to the body. This is why baking with sourdough is so important for our health.

Understanding The Basic Process For Making Pumpkin Sourdough Bread

I think it’s helpful to gain an understanding of the basic process for making sourdough bread because the process is very similar for this pumpkin loaf. There are a lot of well meaning folks that like to make sourdough baking super scientific and difficult to understand, but I want you to know that it’s actually a very simple process. While this may seem like a lot of steps, once you understand each one you will realize they are actually very easy to follow. The hands on time for making this loaf of bread is less than 15 minutes total, and there is no kneading required. Most of the time the bread dough will just be sitting on your counter doing it’s thing, and you can be getting a lot of other things accomplished.

Feed Your Starter

A few hours before you want to mix up a loaf of bread, you’ll want to feed your sourdough starter. I like to keep mine in the refrigerator when I’m not baking a lot, so I usually just pull it out of the refrigerator, put a little bit in a jar and feed it with some flour and water. Then let it set out on the counter for a few hours. I like to feed my starter at night in preparation for baking the next day.

Combine Ingredients

Mix the pumpkin purée, maple syrup and the now active sourdough starter together. Add flour and mix gently to form a shaggy dough. After a few minutes add in the salt.

Create Structure In Your Dough

Then you’ll begin a series of stretch and folds, coil folds and/or laminations every 15-30 minutes until the dough is smooth, glossy and holds it shape well. This is much easier than kneading dough, and is explained in detail in the video below. I do not get super technical about doing it every 15 minutes. I just do a stretch and fold etc whenever I think about it. If I’m super busy I will set a timer for myself, because otherwise I might forget the bread altogether. Sometimes I only get two folds done because of time, but I try to do at least 3-4. You really can’t do to many, just do them until the dough is holding it’s own shape well.

Bulk Ferment

Then we let it set on the counter for a couple of hours to bulk ferment which allows the sourdough starter to fully take over all the flour and water and start to raise the bread. This is where the health benefits of sourdough bread come from, because all of the phytic acid in the flour is broken down during the fermentation process making this bread much easier for your body to digest.

Shape the bread

Here is where it gets fun for this pumpkin sourdough bread, because this is where we’re gonna add the cinnamon swirl. So you’re gonna carefully spread the dough out in a flat rectangle and then sprinkle it with pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon and brown sugar. Then fold the dough in from the left and the right. Place another layer of pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon and sugar along the narrow rectangle, and then roll up the dough, keeping the cinnamon and sugar on the inside. Gently put tension on the dough by pushing it away from you and bringing it towards you.

pumpkin sourdough bread with cinnamon swirl

How To Make The Loaf In The Shape Of A Pumpkin (Optional)

Lay out four 24” lengths of string in a circle grid. If the string is pretty soft, you can roll the string in flour to help it not to stick to your loaf. Place the loaf upside down right in the middle of the strings. Pull the strings gently around the loaf and tie each of them together on the top. These are what will create the indentations on the loaf that make it look like a pumpkin.

Cold Ferment

Let the dough rest by placing it upside down in a banneton or a cloth covered bowl in the refrigerator for 2-12 hours. This slows down the fermentation process and develops flavor in the bread. The longer you leave the dough in the refrigerator, the more sour it will become. Before refrigeration, loaves were just baked as soon as they were shaped if it was during the summer. And if it was during the winter they might have left it to cold ferment overnight depending on how cold it was.

Bake The Bread

Pre-heat the oven and if using a dutch oven preheat it as well. Pull the bread dough out of the refrigerator, brush with flour, place on parchment paper, score and bake.

putting pumpkin sourdough bread in the oven

That’s it! This artisan sourdough bread can easily be made during the margins of your day. The process can change a bit depending on if it’s winter or summer and the temperature of your home. My favorite part about making sourdough bread is how flexible it is. If I get called away after only a couple stretch and folds, my bread will sit on the counter and be ready for me to continue with it whenever I come back. Also, if you get interrupted and won’t be back for awhile, you can always put your dough in the refrigerator at any point during the process and come back to it later. That is definitely not something you can with regular yeast bread as easily.

Keys To Success

Thick active sourdough starter

If you have a weak or runny sourdough starter, you’re gonna have flat and sloppy dough. It’s really important to start with a strong and active starter. Learn how to make a healthy sourdough starter without using a scale here. When you’re preparing to make bread especially, be sure to mix your starter thickly – with more flour than water. You want your starter to have a thick pancake like consistency.

Create Good Internal Structure In Your Dough

Work with your dough every few minutes until it has good structure and holds it shape (see video below).

Don’t Overferment

Don’t overferment your dough. Try not to forget the dough sitting on the counter for more than 2-3 hours during the bulk fermentation time. The timing of this is very different depending on the temperature of your home. In the summer, two hours is the most I want to leave my dough on the counter. Sometimes if my house is really cool in the winter I can get away with leaving it set in a cool place overnight to bulk ferment. Overall though, it’s better to heir on the side of less when it comes to bulk fermentation. If you overferment your dough it won’t hold it’s shape and will be a sloppy mess. If you get interrupted before the bulk ferment is done and need to leave, just put it in the refrigerator. You can always shape it after it’s been in the refrigerator. Once again, it’s very flexible, but try not to let it sit out on the counter until it ferments into a sloppy ball or it won’t raise much in the oven.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is Sourdough Starter?

Sourdough starter is a fermented mix of flour and water that has captured the wild yeast that is in your environment. It uses this yeast to raise your bread so you don’t have to purchase store bought yeast in order to make bread.

Can I Make Artisan Sourdough With Discard?

Yes, you can. It will take longer to create good internal structure in the dough and it may not rise as well, but you can still make this recipe with discard. If you are new to sourdough, I would highly recommend making it with active sourdough starter instead of discard, but if you forget to feed your starter and still need to make bread, it will still work.

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Is Sourdough Bread Healthy?

Yes, sourdough bread is healthier than yeast bread because of the phytic acid that is broken down during the fermentation process. A lot of people that are gluten intolerant can eat long-fermented sourdough bread without any digestion issues. Sourdough bread also has a lower glycemic index than regular yeast bread and when eaten with a meal it actually lowers the glycemic level of the entire meal. This is really important for people that are diabetic. More information on the glycemic level of sourdough bread here.

What Is The Best Flour For Making Sourdough Bread?

The best flour to use is a bread flour with a protein content of at least 11-14%. My favorite flour for bread baking is from Azure Standard. However, you can make this pumpkin sourdough bread with whatever flour you have on hand. I’ve made many loaves with bleached all purpose flour and they turn out just fine. If you plan to use whole wheat flour or whole grain flour, it’s best to use half whole grain and half all purpose or bread flour.

How Do You Know When Your Sourdough Starter Is Ready To Use?

You’ll want to bake bread with a sourdough starter that has been recently fed and has at least doubled, if not tripled in size. When you feed your sourdough starter you want it to be the consistency of a thick pancake batter. This is what will give you a really strong starter. Once it’s at it’s peak, you can also do the float test by taking a spoonful of the starter and place it in water. If it floats, it is ready to bake with.

How Long Will Sourdough Bread Keep?

Sourdough bread keeps a lot longer than regular yeast bread because of the fermentation process it goes through while being made. If you keep it wrapped in a beeswax wrap or in a plastic bag, it will keep on your counter for up to two weeks.

Can You Freeze Sourdough Bread?

Yes, you can freeze sourdough bread. Just wrap it in plastic wrap or place it into a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, set it out on the counter until it comes to room temperature. Can be reheated in 350 degree oven for 15 minutes for a fresh chewy sourdough texture.

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Supplies You May Need

Bread Lame Scoring Tool or Razor Blade

Banneton proofing basket (you can also use a towel lined bowl – see video below)

Parchment paper

Cast Iron Dutch Oven (optional)

Kitchen Twine

How To Make Artisan Sourdough Bread

Feed Starter

Feed starter 4-12 hours before mixing up your dough

Mix Ingredients

In a large bowl, add pumpkin, maple syrup, water, active sourdough starter, and flour. Mix until it comes together into a shaggy dough. Leave it for 15-30 minutes to “autolyse”. This just means you’re giving the flour a chance to absorb the water and the starter.

Add the salt and “mix” into the dough with a circular motion similar to how a mixer would mix the dough (see video below). Let sit for another 15-30 minutes.