Pumpkin Sourdough Bread – Easy Artisan Loaf

This pumpkin sourdough bread is a naturally leavened artisan loaf made with active sourdough starter and real pumpkin purée. Pumpkin and a touch of honey give the crumb a beautiful golden colour and soft texture, while the crust stays crisp and chewy.

You can make it with canned or homemade pumpkin purée, and despite the extra moisture from the pumpkin, I’ll show you exactly how to judge the dough through bulk fermentation so you can bake a beautifully risen loaf.

This isn’t a sweet pumpkin quick bread, it’s a true sourdough loaf that’s just as good alongside dinner as it is toasted with butter the next morning.

Ingredients

• Sourdough Starter – You’ll need an active, bubbly sourdough starter that has been fed and is at or close to its peak.
• Water – The amount of water you need can vary slightly depending on the moisture content of your pumpkin purée. I’ve included more guidance on this below.
• Honey – This recipe uses just a little honey to balance out the pumpkin. It contributes to the color of the crust once baked and gives just a hint of sweetness. You can of course leave it out if you prefer, but I urge you to try it! If you can’t eat honey, maple syrup makes a good substitution.
• Pumpkin Purée – You can use store-bought canned pumpkin puree or homemade. I’ve added notes further down to help you use what you have on hand with success. The added pumpkin in this loaf creates a tender crumb wrapped up in a crispy, golden crust with a gorgeous pumpkin hue.
• Bread Flour – A strong bread flour gives this softer pumpkin dough the structure it needs. I recommend using flour with at least 12% protein.
• Salt – Adds flavour and helps strengthen the dough during fermentation.

Choosing the Best Pumpkin Purée

You can use either canned or homemade pumpkin purée in this recipe. Whichever you choose, the most important thing is the consistency: Your pumpkin purée should be thick enough to sit on a spoon rather than pour from it.

Canned pumpkin is the easiest and most consistent option because it generally contains less water than homemade purée. Just make sure you’re using plain pumpkin purée rather than pumpkin pie filling.

When I first created this recipe, I used homemade pumpkin purée because we grow pumpkins and canned pumpkin wasn’t readily available where I live. If you’re making your own, I recommend roasting the pumpkin rather than boiling or steaming it. Roasting concentrates the flavour and produces a thicker purée without introducing extra water. Once the pumpkin is soft, mash or blend it until smooth, then allow it to cool completely. If the purée seems watery, drain away the excess liquid or let it sit in a fine sieve before weighing the amount you need.

When I updated this recipe in August 2026, I retested it using canned pumpkin because it’s now more readily available. I’m happy to say that the recipe will work just as well no matter when you used canned or homemade pumpkin. But just know that homemade pumpkin purée can vary considerably in moisture content, so your dough may feel a little softer depending on the pumpkin you’ve used. If you’re unsure, hold back a small amount of the recipe water when you first mix the dough. You can always add it if the dough needs it.

How Pumpkin Changes Sourdough Hydration

Pumpkin purée contributes moisture to your dough, but it can’t be treated in the same way as water. Pumpkin contains both water and solids, and its moisture content can vary considerably depending on whether you’re using canned or homemade purée.

I’ve made this recipe so many times over the 5 years (it really is a family favorite). When I first developed this recipe in October 2020, I used 200 grams of pumpkin purée and 280 grams of water. I really liked the consistency of this dough, however, I know many people struggled with it. I’ve updated this recipe in August 2026 and in this update I retested many different water and pumpkin puree ratios. After rigorous testing, I found that 200 grams of water and 200 grams of pumpkin puree was the sweet spot. It produces a dough that’s easy to work with (even for a beginner) and a finished artisan pumpkin sourdough loaf that features a golden, blistered crust and soft, aerated crumb. When the dough has finished stretch and folds it should feel soft and elastic, and most importantly, manageable, rather than soupy or shapeless.

Your dough may feel slightly different depending on whether you use canned or homemade pumpkin purée, but this ratio gives you enough flexibility to accommodate those small variations. Don’t automatically add extra flour just because the dough feels softer than your regular sourdough. If the dough feels too stiff to stretch and fold comfortably, wet your hands slightly rather than adding more water directly to the dough.

How To Make Pumpkin Sourdough Bread

Making this artisan pumpkin sourdough bread is closely aligned with making a plain loaf, except that you’re adding both pumpkin puree and honey to the initial mix. 

Initial Mix and Rest

To fermentolyse the dough, you’ll need to mix the water, sourdough starter and honey together, before adding the pumpkin puree, flour and salt and bringing it all together into a shaggy dough.

Once the dough has rested for around an hour, you’ll need to start strengthening the dough by bringing it together into a smoother dough. Let it rest again before officially starting the stretch and folds.

Stretch and Folds

You should aim to do around 4 sets of stretch and folds. The dough should become increasingly aerated and elastic as you move through each set. 

How To Bake Sourdough Pumpkin Bread

Bake this loaf straight from the refrigerator while the dough is cold. Turn it out of the banneton, score and place it into your preheated Dutch oven. I like to bake my artisan sourdough pumpkin loaf in a cast iron bread pan for the most beautifully chewy, golden crust. Bake covered initially to trap steam, then remove the lid to allow the beautiful golden pumpkin crust to develop.

The loaf is ready when the crust is deeply golden and crisp and the bread feels light for its size. Allow it to cool completely before slicing to avoid the bread collapsing under your knife.e page.

A Flexible Pumpkin Sourdough Baking Timeline

I’ve put together this sample timeline to help you get a feel for how you could fit this artisan sourdough pumpkin loaf into your schedule. This is only an example. Your fermentation time will depend on your starter strength, dough temperature and room temperature.

TIME	PROCESS
10 pm	FRIDAY NIGHT Feed sourdough starter 1:3:3 before bed to ensure it’s at peak when you get up.
7am	SATURDAY MORNING Initial fermentolyse and dough rest.
9 am	Conduct 4 sets of stretch and folds over the next 2 hours or so (doesn’t have to be exact).
11:30 am	Cover the sourdough and allow to bulk ferment until the dough has doubled.
7 pm	Shape the dough, place into a banneton and place into the refrigerator covered to cold ferment.
9 am	SUNDAY MORNING Wake up and preheat the oven while you make coffee.
9:45 am	Bake the sourdough bread until golden brown.

Need to bake later? Once the dough is shaped and in the refrigerator, the cold proof gives you some flexibility over when you bake your loaf.

Flavor Variations

This pumpkin sourdough bread is delicious just as it is, but it also works beautifully with both sweet and savory additions. If this is your first time making the recipe, I recommend baking the base loaf without any additions first. Pumpkin purée already changes the way the dough feels and ferments, so keeping the first loaf simple will give you a much better sense of how the dough should behave.

Additions to Mix Into the Dough

• Fresh Herbs – Rosemary or thyme pair beautifully with pumpkin and keep the loaf firmly in the savory camp. I generally add the herbs during shaping, rather than while the loaf is fermenting.
• Cheese – 100-150 g of grated cheddar or Parmesan can turn this into a richer, savory loaf that is especially good alongside soup. I add the cheese during the second and third sets of stretch and folds.
• Seeds or Nuts – Up to 100 g of pepitas (pumpkin seeds), walnuts or pecans add texture and a little extra flavor. Toasting them first will give you an even nuttier result (just remember to ensure they’ve fully cooled before adding them to your loaf). I add these during the second and third sets of stretch and folds.

Toppings for Pumpkin Sourdough Bread

Toppings are an easy way to add flavour and texture without changing the dough itself. To help toppings stick, lightly mist or dampen the surface of the shaped dough before rolling or pressing it into your chosen topping, or sprinkle them into the base of your banneton before laying the shaped loaf on top.

Some of my favorite toppings for this loaf include pepitas, rolled oats, black or white sesame seeds and Everything Bagel seasoning.

What Does Sourdough Pumpkin Bread Taste Like?

This pumpkin sourdough is primarily a savory loaf, with just a touch of sweetness from the honey. The pumpkin adds softness and subtle earthy flavour rather than making the bread sweet. Unless you add pumpkin spice, cinnamon or other sweet inclusions, it works beautifully as an everyday savory sourdough. 

Serving Suggestions

Here are some of the ways we use this bread:

• Toasted and spread with cultured butter.
• Made into an amazing sourdough grilled cheese.
• Served alongside pumpkin or tomato soup.
• Topped with poached eggs and tomato chutney.
• Added to a holiday bread basket alongside sourdough dinner rolls.
• Used for leftover turkey sandwiches.
• Toasted and spread with spiced pumpkin cream cheese.

How To Store and Freeze

Like most artisan sourdough loaves, this pumpkin sourdough bread freezes beautifully! I love making a double batch so there’s always one in the freezer. Remember that you can click on 2x in the recipe card below and it will automatically double the recipe for you.

Room Temperature – Store this sourdough pumpkin loaf under a glass cloche for 24 hours if you’re using as fresh sourdough. After this, it’s best toasted or warmed in the oven.

Freezer – Freeze the loaf whole or sliced for up to 3 months. I prefer freezing it sliced so I can take out exactly what I need and toast it straight from frozen. If I’m freezing the whole loaf, I place the cooled loaf into a resealable plastic bag. If I’ve sliced the loaf, I place pieces of parchment paper between each slice first.

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