Sourdough Pumpkin Milk Bread

Soft, fluffy, and slightly sweet with that signature pumpkin spice flavor and a gorgeous orange color from the pumpkin puree, this sourdough pumpkin milk bread is a hard one to skip.

Servings : slices

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Prep Time : 8

Cook Time : 27

Total Time : 8 27

Equipment

Kitchen scale
Thermometer
Stand Mixer
Saucepan
Spatulas
Bowl scraper
1-pound loaf pan (8.5” x 4.5”)
Silicone mat
Vinyl gloves

Ingredients

Pumpkin sourdough starter

10 grams active sourdough starter
50 grams pumpkin puree
5 grams brown sugar
50 grams all-purpose flour 11.7% protein

Bread dough

50 grams half & half
55 grams brown sugar
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
57 grams unsalted butter sliced into thin pats
180 grams pumpkin puree
280 grams all-purpose flour 11.7% protein
6 grams kosher salt
All of the pumpkin starter
Neutral oil for dough handling
Extra half & half milk or egg wash

Instructions

Make pumpkin starter (night before) - Mix all the ingredients for your pumpkin starter together before bed time and it should be ready for you in the morning. This starter is stiffer than a typical 100% hydration starter but should still more than double in size, with bubbles distributed evenly throughout.
10 grams active sourdough starter, 50 grams pumpkin puree, 5 grams brown sugar, 50 grams all-purpose flour
Prepare the liquid (8 am) - Heat the half & half with brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the milk is simmering and the sugar has fully dissolved. Turn off the heat, add the sliced butter to the hot milk mixture, and stir until completely melted. Add to a stand mixer bowl and stir in the pumpkin puree. It should be cool enough to start autolyse, otherwise let it cool further.
50 grams half & half, 55 grams brown sugar, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, 57 grams unsalted butter, 180 grams pumpkin puree
“Autolyse” (8:15 am) - Make sure your liquid mixture is between 80 - 90°F (27 - 32°C), whisk together flour and salt in a separate bowl and add to the cooled liquid mixture. Use a spatula to mix until all the liquid is absorbed. Cover and let rest for 15 - 20 minutes.
280 grams all-purpose flour, 6 grams kosher salt
Knead the dough (8:35 am) - Add all of the pumpkin starter to the “autolysed” dough. Knead with the dough hook on speed 2 for 20 minutes. This dough will be tacky and slack but should mostly pull away from the sides of the bowl. DO NOT add more flour.
All of the pumpkin starter
Continue bulk fermentation (9 am) - Oil your hands, a bowl scraper, and your clean countertop. Scrape the dough out and shape it into a ball on the oiled surface. Lightly oil the mixing bowl, then return the dough to the bowl. Cover and place in a warm spot. You will perform 2 - 3 sets of stretch and fold at 45-minute intervals. Set a timer for 45 minutes.
Neutral oil for dough handling
Stretch and fold #1 (9:45 am) - With oiled hands, lift the dough from the center. It will stretch as you lift it up and out of the bowl. If it’s too sticky, use your bowl scraper to help release it. Stretch the dough into a long strip and fold in thirds like you’re folding a letter. Turn it 90 degrees, stretch it out into a long strip again and fold in thirds. Place it seam-side down back into the mixing bowl, cover, and set the timer for another 45 minutes.
Stretch and fold #2 (10:30 am) - Repeat the same process. At minimum, complete 2 sets if short on time.
Stretch and fold #3 (11:15 am) - Repeat one final set. The dough should feel stronger and more elastic. It should also have risen and feel puffy. Cover and let it finish bulk fermentation at room temp for another 45 mins.
Divide (12 pm) - Using your bowl scraper, scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 3 portions, approximately 240 grams each. Roll each into a smooth ball. Cover and let rest for about 10-15 minutes.
Shape (12:15 pm) - Take each dough ball, smooth side down, flatten with your hand or roll into a rectangle, fold into thirds like a letter. Flatten again and allow it to stretch lengthwise, but keep the width slightly narrower than your loaf pan. Roll up into a log and place into the loaf pan.
Proof (12:30 pm) - Proof your dough in a warm spot for 3 - 5 hours. I typically use a 15-quart storage bin as my proofing box. You can also proof your dough in the oven with the light turned on and place a pan of hot water at the bottom of the oven to add humidity. The dough is ready when it is very puffy, has risen well above the rim of the loaf pan, and a gentle press leaves an indentation that slowly springs back (but not immediately).
Preheat the oven (3 pm) - Toward the end of proofing, preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C) for at least 30 minutes. If proofing in the oven, remove the dough before preheating.
Bake (3:30 pm) - Brush the top of the loaf and any exposed sides with extra milk, half & half or egg wash. Bake at 400°F (205°C) for 7 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350°F (180°C) and bake for another 20 minutes. The top should be golden brown and the internal temperature should reach 190 - 200°F.
Extra half & half
Cool - Let your bread cool in the pan on a wire rack until just warm to the touch before removing it from the pan. Cool completely before slicing.

Notes

This dough is less enriched so it rises faster, take care not to overproof it.
Rising time and proofing time are highly dependent on temperature. So make sure you watch your dough and not the clock, use my timeline as a general gauge but pay attention to visual cues to ensure you don’t under or over proof your bread.
I prefer using oil to prevent dough from sticking to my hand instead of extra flour to avoid adding too much flour to the dough risking a drier loaf.
If you have to use extra flour during rolling, use very sparingly.
The timeline is a suggestion, feel free to modify it to fit your schedule. You can also cold ferment this dough overnight, bake the next day and split the process into 2 days.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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