There’s just something about fall that makes me want to bake bread. The air gets cooler, the kitchen feels a little cozier, and suddenly I’m looking for excuses to use pumpkin in just about everything. This sourdough loaf was one of those happy kitchen experiments that started off a little questionable — my first one turned out like a brick! — but after a few tweaks, it became one of my favorite breads of the season.
It’s got everything I love in an autumn bake: a warm hint of pumpkin spice, the nuttiness of toasted walnuts, and that perfect sourdough tang. It’s a little rustic, a little sweet, and completely irresistible fresh out of the oven.
Ingredients
½ cup active, bubbly sourdough starter
½ cup water
½ cup canned pumpkin (or fresh cooked pumpkin, just make sure it’s not watery)
3½ cups flour
1½ teaspoons salt
½ cup chopped walnuts (or pecans)
Optional: dried cranberries or leftover streusel topping, I put cranberries in my first love so I did not have any for the second one. But I had some leftover streusel that I used on some cookies and it's so good inside the sourdough.
Pumpkin spice, for sprinkling between folds
Instructions
1. Mix the base. Stir together your sourdough starter and water until smooth.
2. Add the pumpkin. Mix in the pumpkin puree until combined.
3. Add dry ingredients. Add flour and salt, stirring until a shaggy dough forms.
4. Add the good stuff. Fold in chopped nuts — walnuts or pecans — and any extras like cranberries or streusel topping if you have them.
5. Rest and fold. Let the dough rest uncovered for 20 minutes, then do a couple of stretch and folds. Cover and let it rise overnight at room temperature.
6. Shape the dough. In the morning, flatten it gently into a rectangle. Sprinkle pumpkin spice, fold one side over, sprinkle more, fold again, and repeat from the other direction. This layers that warm spice throughout. Shape into a round mound.
7. Preheat the oven. Heat your oven to 450°F and place your baking pan or Dutch oven inside for 30–45 minutes to preheat.
8. Bake. Score the top, place the dough into the hot pan, cover, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the cover, reduce oven to 425°F, and bake another 15–20 minutes until golden and crisp.
Let it cool before slicing (if you can wait!). The crust is beautifully crisp, the inside is soft and flavorful, and the scent of pumpkin spice fills the whole kitchen.
This loaf is especially good toasted with a little butter or cream cheese — or just eaten warm, straight from the cutting board. It’s the kind of bread that makes you slow down, take a deep breath, and enjoy every cozy bite.
