Sourdough Pumpkin Bread

This sourdough pumpkin bread is so moist and it's packed with delicious fall flavors! Pumpkin spice lovers unite!

This pumpkin bread is made with pumpkin puree, sourdough discard and a twist of orange juice for a brightened up version of the classic.

If you're like me, you don't want to waste any of your sourdough discard. I always keep a separate jar of it in my fridge to use in recipes like sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls, sourdough banana bread and sourdough banana nut muffins.

You'll love the flavor that your sourdough starter discard gives this pumpkin bread!

Because this is a quick bread recipe and we are using baking powder and baking soda as leavening agents, the sourdough discard is added for it's wonderful, tangy flavor!

Step by step instructions

This recipe couldn't be easier so let's jump right into the details!

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9" x 5" loaf pan with butter or oil.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.
• Melt the butter in a bowl and add the sugar. Use a spatula to cream them together. Add the remaining wet ingredients and mix until well combined.
• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients bowl and stir until just combined. (Don't over mix!)
• Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake on the center rack for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before transferring the pumpkin bread to a wire rack.

Tips for success

When using baking soda and baking powder it's best to incorporated them into the dry ingredients before mixing everything together.

This will ensure that the leavening agents are not activated until mixed with the wet ingredients, right before they go into the oven.

Make sure that you use pumpkin puree. Some people make the mistake of using pumpkin pie filling which has extra ingredients.

The longer your sourdough discard has been in the fridge, "aging", the more flavor it will add to the bread!

Avoid over-mixing the batter when you combine the wet and dry ingredients so that the sourdough pumpkin bread will be nice and tender.

Don't have a kitchen scale to measure flour?

Use the scoop and level technique to measure your flour if you do not have a kitchen scale. To do this, use a spoon to fluff up the flour in the bag. Use a spoon to scoop the flour into a measuring cup until it is heaped on top. Take a butterknife and level off the top. This should give you the most accurate measurement for flour.

Because flour is measured by weight in these recipes, if the flour is scooped straight out of the bag with the measuring cup, there will be more flour than is called for in the recipe.

When measuring ground spices like cinnamon, it's hard to weigh them with a scale because the measurement is so small. Use measuring spoons so that you don't add too much!

How to store and freeze leftovers

Store leftovers at room temperature for up to 4 days loosely covered.

Freeze sourdough pumpkin bread in slices, loaves or half loaves. After the bread has cooled completely, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and then with foil. Keep frozen up to 3 months.

How to make pumpkin pie spice

Substitute ground cinnamon for pumpkin pie spice if you don't have any, or make your own!

Make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice by combining:

• 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• 1.5 teaspoons ground allspice
• 1.5 teaspoons ground cloves

Mix in a small bowl and store in an air-tight container like this weck jar.

Other recipes you may like:

• Sourdough Banana Bread
• Sourdough Banana Nut Muffins
• Sourdough English Muffins
• Homemade Butter

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do! Let us know in the comment section below!