Sourdough Pumpkin Bread

A fall favorite, this homemade sourdough pumpkin bread is a sweet and quick bread full of pumpkin spice, pumpkin puree and tangy sourdough starter. Everyone will love this recipe.

Not to be confused with this bread I shared the other day, this sweet, quick style bread is so good as breakfast, a snack or dessert.

It’s just like that classic pumpkin bread you love, but with a sourdough twist. Pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice give this bread the most wonderful flavors. Sweetness from the sugars mixed with the tangy sourdough is the perfect combination.

With the crunch of leaves below my feet in the cool mornings as I head out to do our morning chores, I know fall is here.

We’ve already been to the pumpkin patch, and now I’m in the fall mood. Everything pumpkin.

Which may be apparent with some recent recipes… ahem… pumpkin muffins, pumpkin bread, pumpkin smoothie… And that’s only been the last few weeks.

Not only does this recipe taste amazing, but it also makes your house smell amazing. Fall is in the air and in the oven.

Why you will love this recipe:

Simple: No complicated steps. This bread is super easy to whip up on a crisp, cool day.

Delicious: It tastes like fall in a bread. Sweet, slightly tangy, and balanced with spices of cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg.

Perfect make ahead breakfast: Breakfast can sometimes be a struggle. Serving the same thing over and over get’s pretty redundant. So sometimes I like to spice (see what I did there) it up and add something fun and exciting. Make it the day before, and you have a super simple breakfast the next day.

Tips:

• If the pumpkin bread starts to turn too brown and isn’t baked all the way through, you can cover it with foil.
• Don’t over-mix the batter or you will end up with a tough bread.
• If you don’t have pumpkin spice mix, you can either create your own with cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground clove, or you can just substitute with cinnamon.
• This recipe can be made into a quick bread and baked right away, or it can be long-fermented for more health benefits.
• Sourdough discard or active sourdough starter can be used for this recipe. If you are making the quick version and want a tangier flavor, use sourdough discard.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.

Ingredients:

Butter – Unsalted. This allows you to control the amount of salt added.

Dark brown sugar and sugar – The dark brown sugar adds a deeper flavor with the addition of the molasses.

Pumpkin puree – Canned or homemade pumpkin puree (which is pretty easy to make). Just make sure not to use pumpkin pie filling. This has extra added ingredients like sugar.

Eggs – Fresh eggs at room temperature work best. You could even use freeze dried eggs.

Sourdough starter discard – This is sourdough starter that hasn’t been fed.

Vanilla extract – I love making homemade vanilla extract. It is super simple and much cheaper to make it yourself.

All-purpose flour – Nothing fancy, just regular ol’ all-purpose flour.

Baking soda and baking powder  – This gives the bread rise. Because this is more of a quick type of bread, it is not relying on the sourdough to give it rise.

Salt – This brings out all the flavors and the sweetness of the bread.

Pumpkin spice – This yummy blend combines clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg. It just goes together with pumpkin.

Tools you may need:

Stand mixer

Measuring cups and spoons

Loaf pan

Parchment paper

How To Make Sourdough Pumpkin Bread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Lightly grease a 9×5 loaf pan with butter or line with parchment paper.

In a stand mixer or bowl, mix melted butter and brown sugar for five minutes until light and fluffy. 

Combine dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin spice, and salt) well in a medium bowl. I like to do this while the butter and brown sugar are mixing together.

Add eggs, vanilla, pumpkin puree, and sourdough starter to the brown sugar and butter. Mix until well combined.

Fold in dry ingredients a bit at a time (about 1/3 of the flour mixture) until just incorporated. Be careful not to over-mix. 

Pour into a greased pan.

Bake for 50-60 minutes. Test bread at 50 minutes with a toothpick or cake tester. If it comes out clean, it is done. If there is still some batter on the toothpick, place it back into the oven to finish baking.

Allow to cool in the pan for one hour.

How To Make Long Fermented Sourdough Pumpkin Bread

Combine flour, salt, and pumpkin spice in a medium bowl.

In a stand mixer or bowl, mix melted butter and brown sugar for five minutes until light and fluffy. 

Add in eggs, vanilla, pumpkin puree, and sourdough starter. 

Fold in dry ingredients a bit at a time until just incorporated. Be careful not to over-mix. 

Cover and allow to ferment at room temperature for 6-8 hours. After that time is up, place in the fridge for longer fermentation if desired.

The next day, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Stir in baking soda and baking powder, being careful not to over-mix. You want to add this right before baking, because otherwise the leaveners will be activated too early and your bread will not rise properly.

Find More Pumpkin Recipes:

• Pumpkin Pie From Scratch
• Sourdough Pumpkin Scones
• Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
• Creamy Pumpkin Pasta Sauce Recipe
• Pumpkin Chili Recipe With Ground Beef

If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone