Pumpkin Sourdough Bread
This pumpkin sourdough bread is a naturally leavened artisan loaf made with pumpkin puree, active sourdough starter, pumpkin spice, brown sugar, and dried cranberries. The brown sugar-spiced cranberry mixture is folded into the dough during the final stretch and fold to create sweet, spiced swirls throughout the pumpkin loaf.
Craving The Recipe Details?
What is it: A naturally leavened sourdough loaf made with pumpkin puree and swirled with pumpkin spice, brown sugar, and dried cranberry ribbons. Baked to perfection in a dutch oven with a crisp crust and tender crumb.
Why you’ll love it: Fall flavor plus sourdough tang in every slice. Delicately sweet, spiced and savory all at once, with an adaptable make-ahead schedule to fit in your day. There’s no commercial yeast, baking powder, baking soda here – your sourdough starter does all the lifting.
How to make it: Combine active starter, water, and pumpkin puree with bread flour into a shaggy dough. Fold in salt. Add a brown sugar-cranberry-pumpkin pie spice swirl during the stretch and folds. Bulk ferment, shape, proof, and bake till golden.
It’s fall, the leaves are changing, people are pulling plaid out of the back of their closets. Starbucks line ups are getting longer, and everything.is.pumpkin.
I’m not above admitting that I can get behind a good pumpkin spice craze.
But I like my pumpkin with a side of carbs!
This pumpkin sourdough bread is dedicated to plaid!
Jump to:
Bake It With Me!
Key Ingredients
Sourdough Starter: use a fed and active 100% hydration starter. The sourdough starter should be very bubbly and risen at least twice its size since feeding.
Pumpkin Puree: can’t have pumpkin spice sourdough bread without the pumpkin! This recipe works using canned pumpkin puree and homemade pumpkin puree. If your homemade puree is particularly watery, either drain off a little liquid or reduce the water by 15-20g.
Bread Flour: Bread flour has a higher protein content than an all purpose flour. This higher protein content helps bring structure to support the soft crumb.
Dried Cranberries: I like to use sweetened dried cranberries for this recipe. They add a little sweetness to go along with the tart tang. Choose fresh dried cranberries that are still plump, fragrant, and delicious for the best results.
Pro Tip: Do not use pumpkin pie filling. Pure pumpkin is simply cooked and blended pumpkin while pumpkin pie filling is already seasoned, sweetened and thickened.
How To Make Pumpkin Sourdough Bread
Start The Dough:
- Step 1: Combine 100g active starter with 240g water and 200g pumpkin puree, stirring until smooth and mostly combined.
- Step 2: Add in 500g bread flour, mixing until all the flour is incorporated.
- Step 3: Use a danish dough whisk, spatula, or spoon mix until a shaggy dough forms.
- Step 4: Knead the dough with your hands until all the dry bits are incorporated. Cover and set aside to rest for 30 minutes.
Stretch And Fold:
- Step 5: Prior to the first set of stretch and folds, spread the dough in the mixing bowl by poking it down like you're making sourdough focaccia, then sprinkle 10g salt over the surface of the dough.
- Step 6: Using damp hands, grab the dough and gently pull it until the flap is long enough to fold over itself, then fold the flap, rotate the bowl 90 degrees, and repeat 3 more times, this is considered a set of stretch and folds. Recover the bowl, and set it aside for 30 minutes, then repeat the stretch and fold process once more.
- Step 7: Whisk together 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup dried cranberries and 1 1/2 tablespoons of pumpkin pie spice in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the dough.
- Step 8: Complete one last set of stretch and folds to incorporate the added mixture.
Note: Less folding in the sugar mixture will result in pronounced ribbons and swirls as pictured above, more folding in will result in a more homogenized dough mixture.
Bulk Ferment:
- Step 9: Cover the dough and set it aside to bulk ferment for 10-12 hours, or until it nearly doubles in size.
- Step 10: The bulk ferment is complete when the dough is domed in the bowl, and bubbles are visible beneath the surface.
Pro Tip: Watch the dough, not the clock – every baking environment is different and the timing may be different too.
Shape + Proof:
- Step 11: Uncover the dough and transfer to a lightly floured work surface or countertop.
- Step 12: Drag the dough along the work surface using your pinkies under the dough ball to create tension. Continue pulling until a nice round boule forms.
- Step 13: Transfer the boule, seam side down, on a piece of parchment paper. Using the parchment paper as a sling, place into a bowl or pot slightly smaller than your dutch oven to proof for another 60-120 minutes.
October 2024 Update: When I wrote and photographed this article, I did not have a banneton, so I used a pot as a proofing basket – If you’ve got a banneton feel free to use it, I do whenever I make this bread these days!
Bake:
- Step 14: While the dough is finishing the final rise, place a cast iron dutch oven into the cold oven and preheat together at 450°F. Once the oven is heated, score your loaf as desired.
- Step 15: Using the parchment paper as a sling, lift it from the proofing bowl and carefully lower into the pre-heated dutch oven. Cover and return to oven. Bake the pumpkin sourdough at 450°F covered for 30 minutes.
- Step 16: Remove the lid and continue to bake until the crust has darkened to a golden brown, another 15-20 minutes. For the most reliable doneness check, test your loaf with a thermometer; the center of the loaf should read 205-210f.
- Step 17: Remove the sourdough from the dutch oven and cool on a wire mesh cooling rack until room temperature (at least 2 hours) before slicing.
Seeing Liquid After The Bulk Ferment Or Proof?
Don’t panic! The brown sugar in the filling can melt and pull moisture from the dough, so you may see a little syrup collecting around your loaf. This is one of those times where sourdough baking feels alarming, but have no fear, your dough isn’t misbehaving.
If this happens: use a gentle hand when handling your boule, leave as much of the liquid behind, and continue baking as per the recipe.
To prevent this next time: take care during the shaping stage to avoid tearing the dough. This won’t prevent the sugar from becoming syrupy, but can help to keep the filling inside the loaf.
Expert Tips
- New to sourdough? Start here! Need a starter? My easy sourdough starter can be ready in as little as 24 hours, so you can get to sourdough baking without the long wait.
- Make it fit your schedule. This recipe is written with a room temperature bulk ferment, but you can easily proof your sourdough in the fridge if your day gets away from you. Sourdough is pretty flexible when you know how to work with it.
- Steal my shower cap trick. Skip the fancy dough covers, I grabbed a polka dotted shower cap at the drugstore, and now I use it a few times a week to cover my sourdough. It fits over bowls and bannetons, keeps the dough from drying out, and you can wash and reuse it!
- Out of pumpkin pie spice? You can easily make your own with 1 tablespoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, and 1/4 teaspoon all spice. You’ve probably got everything you need already!
Why This Recipe Works
Pumpkin puree adds moisture, tenderness, and flavor without overpowering the sourdough. Pumpkin puree gives this loaf its beautiful color, subtle flavor, and tender texture. It also contributes moisture, so the amount of water in the recipe was carefully balanced through testing to maintain proper dough hydration.
The flavored inclusions are added late to create distinct swirls. Adding the brown sugar mixture during the final stretch and fold creates ribbons and swirls of brown sugar and spice in each slice instead of making the entire dough spiced.
My kitchen is a different environment than yours. Because sourdough moves at the pace of your starter and kitchen, use the dough’s rise, bubbles, and overall appearance as your guide during bulk fermentation and proofing, rather than relying on the clock.
Tart cranberries balance the sweet-spiced filling. Dried cranberries add a bright, tangy contrast to the brown sugar and pumpkin spice, keeping the swirls from tasting one dimensional. Their chewy texture also adds contrast to the soft crumb of this bread.
Pumpkin Spice Sourdough Bread FAQs
Yes. If you’re planning to cold retard your pumpkin sourdough bread, shorten the room temperature bulk fermentation until the dough has increased in size by about 50%. Then shape the dough, place it in a covered banneton and proof at room temperature for 60 minutes before transferring to the fridge for 24-36 hours.
Yes. If you don’t want to add cranberries to your pumpkin spice swirl, simply omit them – the rest of the recipe (water, flour, pumpkin puree, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and brown sugar) stays exactly the same.
The brown sugar filling can melt during fermentation and draw moisture from the dough, leaving some liquid around the dough. This can happen with sweet sourdough inclusions, and doesn’t mean the loaf is ruined. Handle the dough gently when shaping and continue with the recipe.
Oven temperatures, rack positions, and dutch oven thicknesses can vary, causing the bottom of your loaf to burn or brown. If the bottom of your loaf is browning too quickly, placing a baking sheet on the rack below your dutch oven can help diffuse the heat more evenly around it, while moving the rack that your dutch oven sits on higher can help buffer the direct heat.
Pumpkin sourdough bread is lightly sweet, but is not a dessert bread. This artisan loaf has a tender, lightly pumpkin flavored crumb, with a crisp crust. The brown sugar, pumpkin spice, and dried cranberries add a subtle sweetness and warm spice flavor without making it a sweet bread.
Short term sourdough bread storage: Your boule can be kept cut side down on a cutting board for up to 12 hours before the crust becomes too crisp. I recommend transferring it to a bread bag once cooled. Your loaf will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Long term Storage: Your sourdough loaf can also be frozen. To freeze sourdough bread, cool the loaf to room temperature, then tightly wrap in plastic wrap, slide it into a bread bag, seal it up and stick it in the freezer for 1-2 months. To use after freezing, remove the loaf from the freezer, unwrap and allow to come to room temperature (1 -2 hours) before slicing and enjoying.
Baker’s Schedule
Here’s an example of my schedule for baking this irresistible pumpkin spice sourdough bread!
Day 1
- 12 pm: Feed my starter room temperature or cooler water. Set aside in a cooler place to activate.
- 7 pm: Mix up the dough for pumpkin sourdough bread.
- 8:30 pm: The stretching and folding process is complete, the sugar, cranberries, and pumpkin pie spice have been incorporated. Cover and set aside to bulk ferment for 10-12 hours.
Day 2
- 8 am: Turn the dough onto a floured surface, form into a boule and place seam side down on a piece of parchment paper. Place the boule into a bowl similar in size to your dutch oven. Cover and rise for 60-120 minutes.
- 9:30 am: Set my favorite small dutch oven into the cold oven and preheat both together at 450°F.
- 10 am: Uncover and carefully score the surface of your boule. Then remove the dutch oven from the oven, and using the parchment paper as a sling, lower the boule into the dutch oven. Recover then bake as per the recipe.
More Sourdough Recipes To Love
If you tried this Pumpkin Sourdough Bread recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
📖 Printable Recipe
Pumpkin Sourdough Bread
Ingredients
- 100 g active sourdough starter
- 200 g pumpkin puree
- 240 g room temperature water
- 500 g bread flour
- 10 g coarse kosher salt
- 1/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar
- 1/3 cup chopped dried cranberries
- 1 1/2 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
Make The Dough:
- Mix 100g active starter with 240g water and 200g pumpkin puree, stirring until smooth and mostly combined.
- Add in 500g bread flour, mixing until all the flour is incorporated. Use a danish dough whisk, spatula, or spoon mix until a shaggy dough forms.
- Knead the dough with your hands until all the dry bits are incorporated. Cover and set aside to rest for 30 minutes.
Stretch And Fold:
- Prior to the first set of stretch and folds, spread the dough in the mixing bowl by poking it down like you're making sourdough focaccia, then sprinkle 10g salt over the surface of the dough.
- Using damp hands, grab the dough and gently pull it until the flap is long enough to fold over itself, then fold the flap, rotate the bowl 90 degrees, and repeat 3 more times, this is considered a set of stretch and folds. Re-cover the bowl, and set it aside for 30 minutes
- Perform another set of stretch and folds followed by a 30 minute rest.
- Before the last stretch and fold, whisk together 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup dried cranberries and 1 1/2 tablespoons of pumpkin pie spice in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the dough.
- Complete one last set of stretch and folds to incorporate the added mixture.Note: Less folding in the sugar mixture will result in pronounced ribbons and swirls as pictured above, more folding in will result in a more homogenized dough mixture.
Bulk Ferment:
- Cover the dough and set it aside to bulk ferment for 10-12 hours, or until it nearly doubles in size. The bulk ferment is complete when the dough is domed in the bowl, and bubbles are visible beneath the surface.
Shape And Proof:
- Uncover the dough and transfer to a lightly floured work surface or countertop.
- Drag the dough along the work surface using your pinkies under the dough ball to create tension. Continue pulling until a nice round boule forms.
- Transfer the boule, seam side down, on a piece of parchment paper. Using the parchment paper as a sling, place into a bowl or pot slightly smaller than your dutch oven to proof for another 60-120 minutes.October 2024 Update: When I wrote and photographed this article, I did not have a banneton, so I used a pot as a proofing basket - If you've got a banneton feel free to use it, I do whenever I make this bread these days!
Bake:
- While the dough is finishing the final rise, place a cast iron dutch oven into the cold oven and preheat together at 450°F. Once the oven is heated, score your loaf as desired.
- Using the parchment paper as a sling, lift it from the proofing bowl and carefully lower into the pre-heated dutch oven.
- Bake the pumpkin sourdough at 450°F covered for 30 minutes.
- Remove the lid and continue to bake until the crust has darkened to a golden brown, another 15-20 minutes. For the most reliable doneness check, test your loaf with a thermometer; the center of the loaf should read 205-210°F.
- Remove the sourdough from the dutch oven and cool on a wire mesh cooling rack until room temperature (at least 2 hours) before slicing.
Video
Notes
Expert Tips
- New to sourdough? Start here! Need a starter? My easy sourdough starter can be ready in as little as 24 hours, so you can get to sourdough baking without the long wait.
- Make it fit your schedule. This recipe is written with a room temperature bulk ferment, but you can easily proof your sourdough in the fridge if your day gets away from you. Sourdough is pretty flexible when you know how to work with it.
- Steal my shower cap trick. Skip the fancy dough covers, I grabbed a polka dotted shower cap at the drugstore, and now I use it a few times a week to cover my sourdough. It fits over bowls and bannetons, keeps the dough from drying out, and you can wash and reuse it!
- Out of pumpkin pie spice? You can easily make your own with 1 tablespoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, and 1/4 teaspoon all spice. You’ve probably got everything you need already!
Hi Ally,
I am loving the process of new ways to use sourdough starter! Normally, my breads were just glorified bricks, but sourdough makes an amazing crumb EVERY TIME!
I am going to make this pumpkin sourdough but wonder if I can use frozen cranberries, and if so, what adjustments would you recommend? (I am thinking less water, but want to ask before trying!)
Thank you,
Morgan
Hey Morgan,
Sorry for the delay, I won’t lie, I was on a beach in the Caribbean. LOL. But I’m home in frosty Alberta now and my head is back in the game.
You could try frozen cranberries, I haven’t done so yet, but it would probably be delicious. It may add a little extra moisture though, which could make the crumb a bit gummy.
Hi Ally,
Love this sourdough pumpkin bread recipe. Each time I make, it tastes delicious. My family loves it as well.
Any suggestions on substituting pumpkin purée with any other type of purée?
Many thanks for the recipe.
Hey Neena! So glad you love this recipe, it is a favorite here too! I have not experimented with other purees, but I am dabbling with an apple cider recipe – can’t wait to share that one once I’ve got it sorted!
Hi! I’ve made this wonderful bread several times now. I added 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips with great success!! My only issue is with the bottom scorching. My easy solution was to put a circular baking rack on the bottom of my Dutch oven. No more scorching!!!!!
Thank you!!!!!
Sharon
I love the idea of adding chocolate chips! Thanks for sharing!
When the bottom scorches on your loaf, where do you have the rack positioned in your oven? If it’s near the bottom, you can try to move it up, but if you have no room, lots of people put a cookie sheet in the rack underneath to help create more indirect heat on the dutch oven – just in case you want to try a different method.
I made this today and it’s delicious with a little honey butter! The crust got a little dark but is still soft and the inside is just slightly chewy. I will definitely be making this frequently this fall and winter!
Oh. My GOODNESS!!! I made this today. The scent is absolutely the definition of Fall!!! The flavor is absolutely amazing!!! Used low sugar cranberries so maybe I don’t feel as guilty eating it!!! This will be perfect with Thanksgiving dinner. Way to go!!!!
Sharon
AHH! That’s awesome! I am so happy to hear you enjoyed it 🙂
Just found this, and this is now my new sour dough bread! Crusty on the outside, soft and tender on the inside. I made this to serve with dinner when my parents were over. I made some cinnamon honey compound butter to dress it. YUM! I have a little left over, and thinking it might make some fabulous french toast!
Oh my gosh, both of those sounds like divine ways to serve your pumpkin sourdough! Thank you for sharing 🙂
This was so delicious and the perfect texture. I made it yesterday with dried cherries and I’m just making it again.. gonna try chocolate chips this time. Thanks!
Oh I love that idea, Noelle! Glad to hear you love the recipe!
Hi there! The recipe mentions that the recipe calls for a room temp bulk fermentation, but can be done in the fridge too. I’m wondering at what stage would I pop it in the fridge… immediately after last stretch and folds? After it has bulk fermented on the counter and has pre shaped? Thanks in advance!
Hey Katie, sorry for the late reply! You’ll want to place it in the fridge after the shaping, as cold dough is more difficult to shape. So I would shape it, place it in a banneton or proofing bowl, cover with a plastic bag and toss in the fridge!
@Ally, so just one more clarification for my novice brain! If cold fermenting after shaping – do you still bulk ferment for 10-12 hours before shaping? Or do you skip the bulk ferment and go straight to shaping, then into the fridge? Thanks!!
Hey Katie, no worries at all!
If you’re wanting to cold ferment the dough, you’ll want to shorten the 8-10 hour rise time because the dough holds onto heat during the cooling process in the fridge and going a full 10 hours on the counter and then into the fridge will likely cause overproofing. I’d probably go closer to 6 hours rest before shaping and then toss in the fridge for up to 24 hours!
Hopefully that helps!
In the pumpkin sd bread recipe — looks delicious by the way- in the sample baking schedule you put :
Day 2
8AM : Turn the dough…
9:30 PM: Set my favorite…
I know you mean 9:30 AM. Just a quick fix.
I can’t wait to try this recipe. I’ve done Grant’s if Grant Bakes. It’s yummy!
Beth
Oh man, good catch Beth! I will change it right now!
Love to hear what you think of the recipe once you’ve made it <3
Hey there! I was super excited to try out this recipe, but I’m very confused on where I went wrong😅 I followed your instructions to a T, but after just 6 hours of proofing, my dough was way over proofed and when I lifted it out of the bowl, there was a ton of liquid inside! I’m still going to attempt to bake it, but it seems all wrong from the many loaves I’ve made in the past. Any ideas what could have gone wrong?
Hey Wren, sometimes when using sugar as a ribboning ingredient in soudough, it either melts or pulls out a little moisture, just like when you’re making cinnamon buns and the liquid pools at the bottom. That is not a problem, you can just leave it there and carry on.
The over proofing is surprising, do you have an extra warm kitchen or very vigorous starter?
Hi Ally. I am making this right now and have finished the bulk ferment. When I turned it out of the bowl there was quite a lot of liquid. Is this normal?
I did an aggressive pre-shape and am letting it rest now before a final shape and then plan on a long cold proof.
I’m hoping some of the wet will evaporate during this rest. If not, I’m afraid the shaping won’t hold together.
Hi Lisa, sometimes when you have a sugar ribbon in bread it melts and creates its own liquid. It should be fine – especially if you’re cold proofing. It might just need a gentle hand when scoring and transferring. Let me know how it turns out!
I would love to make this, but I don’t know how to convert the measurements to cups
Hi Sheryl! This recipe is delicious and totally worth weighing for!
For most of my sourdough recipes, unless they are discard recipes, I like to use weighted measurements to ensure consistent results. While measuring with cups is easy, it’s definitely not as precise as weight. I found that once I got used to the scale it was just as quick for me to measure out my recipes as it was to use cups and spoons. I highly recommend giving it a try!
@Sheryl, I don’t convert my measurements to cups. I find it more accurate to get a kitchen scale and just weigh everything out. Depending on how you scoop flour, you could have less than a cup, more than a cup, or exactly a cup. Kitchen scale set to grams is the way to go. And much less stressful.
@Sheryl, I use a kitchen scale set to grams. I find it more accurate than cups because cups vary depending on how you scoop them out. Same with everything else. If you don’t have one, you will never regret an investment in a kitchen scale.
I followed all ingredients except I used 350g ap flour and 150g whole wheat flour (added just a few more grams of water). Sprinkled some topping at each stretch and fold. I followed a different schedule that I use for a plain sourdough loaf that includes a cold ferment overnight. I don’t have a Dutch oven, so after a few hours out of the fridge, I flip onto a parchment lined cookie sheet then bake at 425 for about 45-50 minutes. Turned out great! Already made 3 loaves in 3 days!
Sounds delish! I do love a cold ferment in the fridge – I actually wrote an entire post on it! Proofing Sourdough In The Fridge
Thanks for the recipe! 475 turned out to be a little too hot — my bread is a little burnt on the edges. I’m still really excited to cut into it and taste it! I think I might try it again on 450.
Oh no! I’m sorry to hear it got a little too dark! Please let me know how it is otherwise <3
@Ally, it is otherwise AWESOME! I have baked this bread twice more since the first try. 450 seems to be just right. Variations in ovens or something, I guess! Everyone I’ve shared with has absolutely loved it and I feel like a saint for sharing it instead of keeping it all for myself! Thanks for a great recipe!
@Amy, Oh my gosh, you’ve made my day! Thank you so much for letting me know <3 . I am going to put a secondary thermometer in my oven today and just double check the temps. My oven is getting older so it's not out of the realm of possibility that mine is out!
Do you review your recipe for needed corrections? You mention 240 gm of water in the ingredients, but don’t describe incorporating it into the dough.
Hi Marilyn, I certainly do, however, I am human, and sometimes, you can review your own work 10 times and still miss an error. I’ll fix it now, thanks for pointing it out!
I will be using this recipe from now on, absolutely delicious. I made my own pumpkin pie spice, I like a little more cinnamon. Even though it has brown sugar, I wouldn’t even consider it a sweet bread. It was just a slight sweetness, and perfect. I like a softer crust so I cooked lid on 40 minutes, lid off 10 minutes.