Sweet Sourdough Pumpkin Bread With Cinnamon and Pecans

Sourdough Pumpkin Bread

If you’ve baked sourdough boules before, this sourdough pumpkin bread recipe will be easy. I adapted my sourdough boule recipe to incorporate pumpkin, cinnamon, pecans, and brown sugar. You can use freshly roasted pumpkin in this recipe or pumpkin puree from a can; both options work well. I chose to roast a fresh pumpkin, and I prefer it over a canned pumpkin.

This is not a sourdough discard recipe, and you need an active, bubbly sourdough starter.

Sweet Cinnamon Sourdough Pumpkin Bread

The trick to making this bread is when to add the sweet filling. You won’t add the sweet cinnamon brown sugar mix until the first stretch and fold.

This is important because sourdough starter yeasts ferment sugars. If you add the sugar mixture too early, you can easily over-proof your dough, and the flavor won’t be as sweet but sourer.

You also want the gluten to develop just a bit before you add in some pecans.

To add fillings to sourdough, you need wet your counter and gently stretch the dough out without breaking the dough. Then, you will carefully spread half the filling over the dough before you roll it up into the dough and fold the sides over each other for the stretch and fold.

Then you will knead the dough again. It will get sticky and some ingredients may tear through the dough, but that’s okay.

Here is a great video from my favorite baker on youtube, Bake with Jack, to help you learn how to incorporate fillings; it’s not as difficult as it seems. CLICK HERE.

Pumpkin Sourdough Bread with Cinnamon and Pecans

To be transparent, this blog was once a pumpkin bread that was more like quick banana bread, but I decided to update it and go with a full-on sourdough recipe.

When you make this recipe you should start the dough by 9 am, so it’s either baking or in the fridge at a decent hour.

Things You May Need for Pumpkin Sourdough Bread

Kitchenaid Dual Platform Scale

Teakwood Stirring Spatula for Sourdough

Handmade Mixing Bowls

Handcrafted Sourdough Proofing Baskets

French Sourdough Starter

cotton cheese cloth

Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro

Bread Lame

More Sourdough Recipes to Try

• Simple Sourdough Carrot Cake Banana Bread
• The Best Maple Pecan and Cinnamon Sourdough Bread Recipe

Sourdough

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Sweet Sourdough Pumpkin Bread with Cinnamon and Pecans

Sweet sourdough pumpkin bread is the most delicious pumpkin bread you will ever have. My pumpkin sourdough bread is a simple sourdough loaf recipe with roasted pumpkin, brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans incorporated.

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• Prep: 10 minutes
• Cook: 1 hour
• Total Time: 9 hours 10 minutes

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Ingredients

• 100 g Sourdough Starter (fed and bubbly)
• 200 g roasted pumpkin*
• 500 g White Bread Flour
• 180 g warm Water
• 30 g maple syrup
• 10 g Salt
• A pinch of turmeric for color
• A pinch of cinnamon
• 50 grams roasted pumpkin* (filling)
• 100 grams brown sugar (filling)
• 1 tsp cinnamon (filling)
• 15 grams flour (filling)
• Pinch nutmeg (filling)
• 60 grams crushed pecans (filling)

Instructions

1. It’s best to start the sourdough process before 9 am so you have enough time. Depending on the temperature in your home, you may need to adjust the rest and rise times. If it is warmer in your home, the dough will ferment faster. If it is colder, it will ferment slower. There is also sugar in this bread, so it may rise much faster. Monitor the dough closely to avoid over proofing.
   
2. In a large bowl, combine the starter, pumpkin, flour, water, maple syrup, turmeric, and cinnamon. (everything except the filling ingredients) 
3. Knead the ingredients together until a uniform dough ball forms. 
4. Let the dough rest for 45 minutes. 
5. Wet your hands, and spray the dough with your water bottle. Sprinkle the salt over the dough, then knead it into the dough. Let rest for 30 more minutes. 
6. Using a spray bottle filled with water, mist your clean countertop. Wet your hands and wet the top of the dough ball with the spray bottle. Turn the dough out onto the wet counter surface. Scrape out the bowl and rinse the inside of the bowl really well. Leave the bowl wet. 
7. Stretch and fold the dough. Stretch the top of the dough over the bottom, side over side, and bottom over top. Place the dough back in the bowl with the seam side down. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes. 
8. While the dough rests, mix the filling ingredients.
9. Stretch and Fold 1 + adding the sweet pumpkin pecan filling: Using a spray bottle filled with water, mist your clean countertop again. Wet your hands and wet the top of the dough ball with the spray bottle. Turn the dough out onto the wet counter surface.  Scrape out the bowl and rinse the inside of the bowl really well. Leave the bowl wet. 
10. Stretch out the dough into a rectangle, but be gentle and do not break or tear it. Spread the mixed filling over the dough.
11. Fold the ingredients into the dough by folding the top of the dough over the bottom, side over side, and bottom over top. Then you will knead the dough again, knead it until it is mostly smooth and the pecans are evenly distributed through the dough. It will get sticky and some pecans may tear through the dough, that’s okay. Use a bench scraper to keep scooping the dough together. (Please watch the video linked in the blog post if you need more guidance).
12. Repeat another stretch and fold then place the dough back in the bowl with the seam side down. Let the dough rest for 1 to 2 hours.
13. Stretch and Fold 2: Using a spray bottle filled with water, mist your clean countertop again. Wet your hands and wet the top of the dough ball with the spray bottle. Turn the dough out onto the wet counter surface. Scrape out the bowl and rinse the inside of the bowl really well. Leave the bowl wet. 
14. Stretch and fold the dough. Stretch the top of the dough over the bottom, side over side, and bottom over top. Place the dough back in the bowl with the seam side down. Let the dough rest for 2 hours.
15. Stretch and Fold 3: Using a spray bottle filled with water, mist your clean countertop again. Wet your hands and wet the top of the dough ball with the spray bottle. Turn the dough out onto the wet counter surface. Scrape out the bowl and rinse the inside of the bowl really well. Leave the bowl wet. 
16. Stretch and fold the dough. Stretch the top of the dough over the bottom, side over side, and bottom over top. Place the dough back in the bowl with the seam side down. Let the dough rest for 1 to 2 hours.
17. Clean and dry the counter surface you’re working on. Sprinkle some flour on the surface of your counter and coat your hands in a bit of flour. Gently flip the dough out onto the floured surface so that it is seam side up. 
18. Pre-shape: Gently stretch out the dough, and fold it again. Fold side over side and top over bottom. Then flip the dough over so that the seam side is down on the counter. Tuck under any parts of the dough you need to form a nice circular shape.  Leave the dough on the counter,  sprinkle some flour on the top of the dough, and cover with a tea towel. 
19. Let the dough rest for 1 hour. 
20. Sprinkle a little more flour on the top of your pre-shaped dough and on the counter around the dough. With your hands coated in flour, flip the dough over so that the seam side is up again. 
21. Gently stretch out the dough, and fold it again. Fold side over side and top over bottom. Then flip the dough over so that the seam side is down on the counter. Tuck under any parts of the dough you need to form a nice circular loaf shape. This is the final shaping so take your time with it. 
22. Coat a proofing basket with flour. Be generous, as you do not want it to stick.  You can also use a bowl lined with a towel and a generous amount of flour. 
23. Flour your hands and swiftly pick up and flip your dough into the basket. Smooth side down, seam side up. 
24. Cover and place in the fridge overnight for 8-12 hours. 
25. After 8-12 hours in the fridge, preheat your dutch oven with the lid, in your oven at 450° F. (see notes on temperature)
26. Once your oven is preheated, carefully remove your dutch oven and place the lid to the side. *Don’t forget that the pot and the lid are both very hot!*
27. Cut a large square of parchment paper and place it on the counter. Turn your dough out onto the paper so that the seam side is down and touching the parchment paper. 
28. Score the dough using a very sharp knife or a scoring tool. 
29. Picking up all four corners of the parchment paper, move your dough into the dutch oven. 
30. Place the lid on the dutch oven and bake at 450 F for 35 minutes. 
31. After baking covered, remove the lid and bake for another 20-30 minutes at 450 F. 
32. Remove your finished loaf from the dutch oven and allow it to cool for at least 1 hour.

Notes

• This dough contains sugar, so watch your dough closely to avoid overproofing it.
• You can use roasted pumpkin or strained pumpkin puree
• To strain the pumpkin puree: Open a 15-ounce can of pumpkin puree. Place a colander in a large bowl and line the colander with a few layers of cheesecloth or butter muslin. Dump the puree in the lined colander and allow the pumpkin juice to separate from the pulp, collecting the juice in the bowl. Use the pulp in this recipe.
• To roast a fresh pumpkin: Cut and clean a pumpkin, rub the inside with some oil, place it open-side down on a sheet pan, and roast at 425° F for about 20 minutes. Once completely cool, you can scoop the pumpkin out of the skin and use it in this recipe.
• The time you need to wait in between stretch and folds depends on the temperature in your house. If your house is above 75° F, you may be able to reduce the amount of time between stretch and folds to one hour. 
• You can also speed up the time in between stretch and folds by using a bread proofer or heating pad near the dough. Just stretch and fold when the dough has risen a bit and relaxes out into the bottom of the bowl, and make sure you do at least three stretches and folds. Monitor the dough to make sure you do not over-proof. 
• when flouring your proofing basket, it helps to use coarse flour such as rye, masa, or rice flour.
• Depending on your oven, you can bake at a lower temperature. Some ovens run hotter than others. 
• When baking with the dutch oven lid off, check every few minutes. Some ovens run hotter than others, so check to see when the loaf is golden brown.
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Kaitlynn Fenley Author, Educator, Food Microbiologist

Kaitlynn is a food microbiologist and fermentation expert teaching people how to ferment foods and drinks at home.

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