This delicious pumpkin and vanilla sourdough bread is made with simple ingredients and without using a scale. When finished it becomes a slightly sweet treat or side to any meal. Follow the recipe listed below!
Pumpkin sourdough. It seems to be what is taking over the internet of sourdough this fall/holiday season. Like my simple sourdough bread recipe, I decided I would just get crafty with the flavors until I eventually got one that I liked. I had some awesome ladies taste test for me, and I have been selling these loaves locally faster than I can make them. I have loved learning how to make my bread indeed look like a pumpkin, but I will say it is just as delicious when you make it with a simple, or advanced score as well. Read on to find out how!
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Ingredients:
Active Sourdough starter- this is undeniably the most important step when making sourdough bread. You will want a very active and mature starter. You can do this by making one yourself by following a simple recipe, ask a friend for some, or order a starter online. With any of them, make sure your starter is doubling in size within 12 hours before starting to bake with it. A mature starter should float in water. That is a quick and easy test to make sure your starter is ready.
Flour- also a crucial step in the process is a good flour. I tend to use Kirkland organic all purpose flour, or King Arthur bread flour. However, there are SO many flours to try from. My suggestion is to make sure that it is a high protein flour (at or above 11%). This will make for a light and fluffy loaf!
Salt- while any salt will work, I tend to use a mineral salt to make the bread more nourishing. My favorite salt is Redmond Real Salt.
Water- any water will work! I like to use warm water so that my dough starts at a slightly warmer temperature while fermenting.
Olive oil- while you could use any olive oil, I tend to go for Extra Virgin Olive Oil to make sure there are no seed oils mixed in. You could also use avocado or coconut oil as well!
Sugar- any will work, I like to use organic unrefined. I find it at Costco!
Pumpkin Puree- From homemade to store bought, I have tested them all they all work great!
Cinnamon- for a slightly spicy flavor
Vanilla- I am a vanilla queen. I use it in just about anything sweet I make. My favorite it the real stuff from Mexico!
Supplies:
Whisk– This is my favorite!
Lame– Here is the one I have. A sharp knife will also work for basic scores
Mixing bowl- Any will work
Banneton Basket– here is the one I have. You can also use a bowl lined with a tea towel
Dutch Oven– Here is one similar to the one I have
Parchment paper- any will work, I prefer unbleached.
Food grade cotton string- to make that cute pumpkin shape!
Instructions:
*Before starting pumpkin and vanilla sourdough bread, make sure to feed your starter 4-12 hours before to ensure you have the best starter for your bread.
Begin by adding your warm water and active sourdough starter to a bowl. Using your whisk, mix the starter in the bowl until it is incorporated and nice and bubbly.
Then, add your salt and olive oil. Some people will do this later in their recipes, but I have found it is one less thing I have to remember and still works! Make sure they are fully mixed in before adding your flour.
After salt and olive oil are combined, add in pumpkin puree, sugar and cinnamon. Mix until incorporated well.
Slowly add flour. I usually add flour cup by cup mixing completely each time. That last cup will make the dough look rather shaggy and clumpy. As long as the flour is completely mixed in, that is okay. It will look more like bread dough after the few stretch and folds.
After 30 minutes, begin to stretch and fold the bread. You will do this by grabbing a side of the bread and pulling it up as far as it will go without tearing. (Pictures and more information can be found on my Simple Sourdough Bread recipe.)
Place tea towel back on bowl and allow to sit for another 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, stretch and fold one last time.
Place tea towel back over bowl and put in a warm place for 8-12 hours. You will want to watch to see when your dough has doubled in size. This is important because under-proofed and over-proofed bread can lead to a not so pretty loaf (but still edible).
When the dough has doubled in size it is time to start shaping your dough. You can follow any technique that works for you. See my Simple Sourdough Bread recipe for some pictures and a step by step guide for my technique when it comes to shaping dough.
I recommend placing the shaped dough into a proofing basket or a basket lined with a tea towel, into the fridge for a few hours (up to 24hrs). Make sure to cover with saran wrap, beeswax wraps, or into a plastic bag to ensure your dough does not dry out. This will help when designing your pumpkin loaf!
When ready to bake, turn oven on to 500 and place dutch oven with lid on inside. You will also want to cut your food grade cotton string into four pieces (12 inches a piece) and soak them in olive oil (this is essential so you don’t end up with fuzzies in your bread!
After oven has preheated, take dough out of the fridge. On a piece of parchment paper lay out two strings equally across the paper making an x (See picture below).
Add the other 2 strings across the paper. You should end up with 8 similar in size triangles made by the string.
Next, you will take your sourdough loaf out of the fridge and place it in the middle of your strings and parchment paper.
You will then begin grabbing strings and tying them together on the top. (Each string gets tied to itself).
When all strings have been tied, cut off excess string pieces that are on top. You will then use your lame or knife to make scores in each section of the pumpkin shape. Although you don’t need to do this, I find that it helps with your pumpkin expanding equally. (see picture below)
Take Dutch oven out of oven and place the bread on the parchment paper into the dutch oven and place lid back on.
Return dutch oven to the oven and turn oven down to 450. Cook for 25 minutes.
After 25 minutes, take dutch oven out and take lid off and put the dutch oven (without lid) back into the oven for a remaining 20 minutes or until baked to your desired color.
When done, pull pumpkin bread out of dutch oven and allow to sit on a cooling rack for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes carefully cut strings and pull away from bread. Place a cinnamon stick in the middle for a stem and enjoy!
Tips:
Make sure to oil your strings! This is the biggest mistake I made the first few times I made pumpkin loaves. It makes your bread have lots of little fuzzies on it.
If you use a gas oven, put an empty cookie sheet on the bottom rack. I do this in my oven to ensure the bottom of my bread does not burn while baking.
Try to serve bread warm with some butter, or honey! It makes the flavor even better.
Make to to use a damp tea towel when doing the bulk ferment
Nourishment for the Soul
This week I am continuing to read through Psalms. Like I mentioned in my Simple Sourdough Bread recipe, these are such a great way to show gratitude toward the Lord for all he has done if your life.
Psalm 10:17 “You, Lord, hear the desires of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,”
What a sweet reminder that God is always listening to our cries even when we don’t remember or we may think he is not. He hears every cry, and encourages us through every step of the way.
Thanks so much for visiting my blog! I am praying that this pumpkin bread will nourish your family.
Pin for Later
Pumpkin and Vanilla Sourdough Bread
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup warm water
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (or oil of choice)
- 3 cups all purpose or bread flour
- 1/3 cup of Sugar
- 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla
- 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine warm water and sourdough starter. Stir until bubbles begin to form.
- Add salt and oil and continue stirring until evenly mixed. Then add pumpkin puree, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. mix until fully combined
- Add flour slowly stirring to combine. Once all flour is in bowl, knead with hands until it appears all flour is incorporated. The dough may look a little shaggy and clumpy, that is okay!
- Cover bowl with damp tea towel and let sit for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, stretch and fold the dough by pulling a corner up and placing that dough into the middle of the dough. Work all the way around the dough making sure to stretch and fold as you go. You should stretch and fold dough about 4 times. Cover bowl and let sit for 30 minutes.
- Stretch and fold dough one more time. After this stretch and fold your dough should look more smooth and more like bread dough.
- Cover with damp tea towel and let sit in a warm place for 8-12 hours or until dough has doubled in size.
- Once dough has doubled in size, place on lightly floured surface and shape and fold. See Simple Sourdough Bread recipe for pictures of this process.
- Place dough in a banneton or in a bowl lined with a tea towel, cover with saran, and place in fridge for a few hours, up to 24hrs.
- When ready to bake, turn oven on to 500 and place dutch oven with lid on inside. You will also want to cut your food grade cotton string into four pieces (12 inches a piece) and soak them in olive oil (this is essential so you don't end up with fuzzies in your bread!
- After oven has preheated, take dough out of the fridge. On a piece of parchment paper lay out all four strings equally across the paper (See picture above). You should end up with 8 similar in size triangles made by the string.
- Next, you will take you loaf and place it in the middle of your strings and parchment paper.
- You will then begin grabbing opposite strings and tying them together on the top.
- When all strings have been tied, cut off excess string pieces that are on top. You will then use your lame or knife to make scores in each section of the pumpkin. Although you don't need to do this, I find that it helps with your pumpkin expanding. (see picture above).
- Turn oven down to 450 degrees and bake bread for 20 minutes with dutch oven lid on. Take lid off, return dutch oven to oven and continue cooking for an additional 20 minutes. Loaf should be browned to your liking.
- Set loaf on a wire cooling rack to cool for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, cut strings and gently pull off. Place a cinnamon stick in the middle for a stem and enjoy!
Notes
Make sure to cover sourdough with a damp teal towel while fermenting to ensure bread does not dry out and develop a crust.
While stretching and folding, make sure to rotate the bowl. Ideally you will want about 4 stretch and folds as you work around the bowl.
Baking bread on parchment will help ensure your loaf of bread does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
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