Looking for Sourdough? 
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:
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do! Let us know in the comment section below!
Sourdough Pumpkin Bread Recipe
EQUIPMENT
- 9" x 5" bread loaf pan
INGREDIENTS
Wet Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons (113 g) unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 1 ½ cups (300 g) light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup (125 g) sourdough starter (discard)
- ¼ cup (60 g) fresh orange juice (optional)
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) vanilla extract
- 1 (15oz.) can (425 g) pumpkin puree
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (see notes)
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (176°C) 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 until smooth. Add the egg, vanilla extract, orange juice, sourdough discard and pumpkin 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.
NOTES
- 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.
- Store leftovers loosely covered at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Freeze leftovers wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and foil for up to 3 months.
- When measuring ground spices, it's hard to use a scale to weigh them because the measurement is so small. Use measuring spoons so that you don't add too much.
PREVIOUS
Daisy says
This was yummy, yummy. I used a 1/2 cup of oil instead of butter, I think oil makes a nice moist bread, added a handful of raisins and walnuts, and used a parchment paper saddle to lift it out of my insulated 9x5 pan. I baked it for 1 hour, wasn't done, tented it for another 15 minutes, checked with a knife, still needed a bit more time, so another 5 minutes and it was perfect. It may have taken longer to bake because I added the raisins and nuts. Definitely a keeper recipe, it was just delicious.
Allie O says
Would it be possible to make these into muffins instead of a loaf? Any idea on how long they would need to bake for?
Amy says
Yes you can! I would bake them at 375°F for 20-25 minutes. 🙂
Kaila says
I can't wait to try this! Can you substitute the sugar for monk fruit sweetener and/or maple syrup? We try to not use sugar so our daughter can enjoy it too.
Amy says
I haven't tried monk fruit in this recipe, but I have in other recipes with no issues. I would definitely give it a try so that your daughter can enjoy!!
Hannah says
So excited to make this - we love pumpkin bread. We make it many times over the fall season.
I was just curious if this could made in a bread maker - would I need to add yeast?
Amy says
Hi Hannah, I'm not familiar with using a bread machine. Maybe one of the readers will see this question and be able to give some advice!
Walie Yokom says
This recipe is really easy to follow and make. I used 1 cup of turbinado sugar instead of brown sugar. The pumpkin bread was very most and tasty. Family and friends liked it very much.
Debe says
I don’t keep a lot of discard. If I use active starter, does the amount change or using baking powder and baking soda?
Amy says
You can use the same amount as called for in the recipe. 🙂
Lisa R. says
Really lovely veganized. Turned out great. I did Vegan egg, and oil rather than butter, tossed in about 1/4 cup toasted pecans and it is perfect. Who says Pumpkin bread is only good in the fall?
alexis says
another recipe for the books! I used active starter and I let the batter ferment all day, I didn't add the baking soda or baking powder until after the dough fermented and I was ready to bake though!
Amy says
Thank you for the tip Alexis! 🙂
Kim says
Is there a way to long ferment this bread? I’m making it for a gluten sensitive person who has found that he can eat sourdough breads as long as they’ve been fermented for awhile. Can you just add all the ingredients except the baking powder and baking soda and leave it overnight, or do you have to do something different?
Amy says
Yes you can long ferment the bread in the fridge. No need to exclude the leavening agents.
Coby says
This bread is delicious! I needed to make it vegan, so I used a flax egg and plant-based butter. I also cut down the sugar to 1 cup and used whole wheat flour for half of the all-purpose. I know that's quite a bit of changes, but I really love this bread!