Sourdough Pumpkin Bread
Sourdough pumpkin bread is a great discard recipe that is full of seasonal fall flavor! This delicious quick bread is subtly sweet and spicy with just a hint of a sourdough tang.
Nothing says welcome fall like all the pumpkin recipes! Pumpkin bread is one of my favorite treats for breakfast (or afternoon snack!), and this sourdough version is high up on the list of my favorites. With just the perfect combination of sweet and savory, plenty of great spice and just a subtle sourdough flavor, this bread needs to make an appearance in your kitchen asap!
Other sourdough discard recipes:
This pumpkin bread is a quick bread, meaning it gets its leavening from baking powder and baking soda. Here, the sourdough discard just helps to enhance the flavor and texture of the bread.
How to make this quick bread
This bread could not be easier to make! For the full set of directions, make sure you scroll down to the recipe card below.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and spray a 9×5 loaf pan with baking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, sourdough starter, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla extract.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice (affiliate link) mix, salt, baking powder, baking soda.
- Gently fold the flour mixture and the chopped walnuts into the pumpkin mixture. Fold until just barely combined. Overmixing will cause tough bread.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and evenly spread out. Sprinkle some chopped walnuts on top, if desired.
- Bake for 45 minutes, and then tent the top with foil.
- Bake for an additional 15-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If you have an internal probe thermometer, the center needs to be 190 F to be done.
**Recipe Note: Make sure you use a pure pumpkin puree and not a can of pumpkin filling. Pumpkin filling has extra ingredients like sugar and spices already added to it, and it will not work in this recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Variations
You can easily change up this recipe to make it feel fresh! Try:
- Adding 1 cup of chocolate chips.
- Turning the bread into muffins (bake for 15-20 minutes in a muffin tin)
- Turn these into gifts by using 4 mini loaf pans instead of a 9×5 loaf pan.
- Turn this into more of a cake by spreading the top with a cream cheese frosting.
How to store
Allow the pumpkin bread to cool completely, then cover and store on the counter for 1-2 days. You can also store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
This bread also freezes well.
What kind of sourdough do I need for this recipe?
This recipe uses a 100% hydration sourdough starter. That means sourdough that has been fed equal ratios of flour to water.
Read up on Feeding sourdough starter for more information.
This recipe uses sourdough discard. “Discard” is the unfortunate term that we gave to the portion of the sourdough starter that we remove when we are feeding our starters. We only do this so we don’t quickly become overrun with too much starter!
But just because it is called “discard” doesn’t mean we have to throw it away! There are so many great uses for it – Check out my easy sourdough discard recipes!
The older your discard (the longer it’s been since it’s been fed), the more pronounced and tangy the discard will be. If your discard is rather fresh (meaning it’s been fed recently), the sourdough flavor will be milder.
New to sourdough? Read my Ultimate Guide to Sourdough for Beginners to answer all the questions you have!
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Want to save this for later? PIN THIS TO YOUR SOURDOUGH BOARD on Pinterest!
Need even more sourdough inspiration? Check out Sourdough Dessert Recipes and quick sourdough recipes you can make under an hour!
Sourdough Pumpkin Bread Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup sourdough starter 100% hydration
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Spray a 9×5 loaf pan with baking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, sourdough starter, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla extract.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice mix, salt, baking powder, baking soda.
- Gently fold the flour mixture and the chopped walnuts into the pumpkin mixture. Fold until just barely combined. Overmixing will cause tough bread.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and evenly spread out.
- Sprinkle some chopped walnuts on top, if desired.
- Bake for 45 minutes, and then tent the top with foil.
- Bake for an additional 15-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If you have an internal probe thermometer, the center needs to be 190 F to be done.
- Cool on a wire rack, in the pan, until cool.
- Carefully remove from the pan and enjoy!
Notes
You can easily change up this recipe to make it feel fresh! Try:
Adding 1 cup of chocolate chips.
Turning the bread into muffins (bake for 15-20 minutes in a muffin tin)
Turn these into gifts by using 4 mini loaf pans instead of a 9×5 loaf pan.
Turn this into more of a cake by spreading the top with a cream cheese frosting.
How to store
Allow the pumpkin bread to cool completely, then cover and store on the counter for 1-2 days. You can also store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
This bread also freezes well.
Yum! It looks absolutely scrumptious!
Can you use egg substitute instead of real eggs?
Hey Helene, I have not tried using an egg substitute with this recipe, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. If you try it, let me know how it goes!