Sourdough Pumpkin Shaped Bread

This fun, pumpkin-shaped, sourdough bread is sweet and spiced. It’s great for fall holidays and get-togethers. Not only is it whimsical, but it's also delicious.

Course Sourdough

Cuisine American

Keyword baking, pumpkin shaped sourdough bread, pumpkin sourdough bread, sourdough

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 40

Additional Time 1

Total Time 1 1

Servings

Calories 159kcal

Author Lisa

Ingredients

475 grams all-purpose flour
100 grams active sourdough starter
200 grams water
100 grams pumpkin puree
10 grams salt
10 grams sugar
1 teaspoon pumpkin spice

Instructions

Place bowl on kitchen scale and tare. Add ingredients and combine until it comes together. Don’t knead the bread, you just want it to come together.
Cover and allow to autolyse for 30 minutes.
Perform 4-6 stretch and folds in the first two hours about 20-30 minutes apart. This is when you take the dough in the bowl and grab the edge firmly. Pull up, stretch the dough upwards and then push the dough into the center. Turn the bowl about a quarter turn and do this process again. Repeat two more times.
Cover with a tight lid or plastic wrap and bulk ferment for 3-8 hours.
Shape into a ball and add to a banneton. Place in a plastic bag (I normally use a grocery bag) and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, preheat a cast iron dutch oven to 500 degrees.
Cut 4 strings about 20” in length.
Arrange them in a criss cross pattern on top of a piece of parchment paper.
Place the cold bread dough top side down on the strings.
Tie each string around the bread dough, so that you have 8 even sections.
Reduce the oven heat to 450 and bake for 20 minutes with the lid on and 20 minutes with the lid off.
Allow to cool completely before serving.

Notes

Use food-grade cotton string for shaping. Twine is not a good option. Ask me how I know.
Make sure the sourdough starter is super active and bubbly before starting this recipe. Sourdough is what rises this bread since it doesn’t contain commercial yeast.
Add some extra fancy detail to the pumpkin shape by scoring the sections.
To make a stem, add a small cinnamon stick or even a stick from the yard. Another layer of whimsy.

Nutrition